Real world 26er vs. 29er

[polar8]

I think your height factors into it too. Don't be that 5' person on a 29" XS full suspension.

[Blue Jays]

Originally Posted by Matthew

"...I'll just ride my Moots and still have a smile on my face..."

Excellent strategy and totally concur with that plan.
Moots bicycles are too nice not to gloriously enjoy!

It really only becomes noticeable when pedaling with others.
If a section cannot be cleared for whatever reason, no biggie.

[Matthew]

I like your style Blue Jays! Your view on Moots is one of my main issues when it comes to selling the bike. I love Moots. If I could score a 29er Moots for a good price then that would be one thing. But they don't give them away. And I have three stellar road bikes I don't think I can part with. And momma ain't cool with me adding a new ride without dumping a couple to ease the financial pain! So I guess I'm left with what I've got. A top notch, old school hardtail. At least it gives me motivation to try my best to compete with the guys and gals on the bikes with bigger wheels.

[Jcgill]

I went from 26 to 29. There definitely was a learning curve to climbing short steep climbs in the midwest and keeping the big wheels rolling forward. After 2 or 3 rides it was no big deal.
The advantage is definitely seen on the roots and rocks that the 29er plows over.

I think for flatish areas the 29 is definitely an advantage to keeping momentum, if you do alot of climbing in a ride i think the 27.5 is a perfect compromise that will climb easy enough yet still have better roll over than 26

[cmbicycles]

I had a 2004 Cannondale Scalpel softtail I bought new in 04, just got an 09' Niner Rip9. I'm 6'5 and the 29er feels better in terms of fit and size. I dont notice a big difference in speed, but the 29er does feel more planted although some of that could be the more plush suspension.

I can roll over stuff easier on the 29er, but it doesnt climb as well, but it's about 5# heavier. I have a 2x11 with 11-42 on the rip9, and I thought there is no way I would use half the cassette range, but I do and get just as winded on long climbs. The Scalpel had a 3x8 with an 11-30 cassette but it was plenty of gearing. I think the dropper post makes a bigger difference in how I ride than the wheel size, but I dont have a lot of time on the new2me bike yet.

Borrow or rent something first, demo days or re a good way to try something out if there are any near you in the summer. I'm not convinced the 29er is better, yet, but it has some pluses over a 26er in some areas for sure.

[Matthew]

Thanks for the reply cmbicycles. I appreciate your input. After you get more miles on it feel free to tell me what you think.

[martl]

Originally Posted by Buzz

Recently picked up a Pivot 27.5 dual suspension to replace my 29er. For me, a significant upgrade in everything. Best bike, road or mountain I have ever owned. It seems to hit the sweet spot. This doesn’t answer your question but it is another option you might want to consider.

Imo, a 29" is a bad decision for anyone <6ft because frame geometry. The difference between a classic 26" mtb and a 27.5" will be very hard to feel for anyone...

[p nut]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

My opinion: 29 rolls over bigger rocks/roots better but 26 feels more nimble in really tight single track.

This used to be true 10+ years ago. Modern 29ers feel right at home on tight trails. The geometry is dialed in. Chainstays are Uber short like the 26ers so nothing given up there. Slack HTA and long TT of the modern geometry means no toe overlap either. I really can’t see any disadvantage of riding a 29er these days.

A friend of mine swore he would never get rid of his 26 FS. 29ers were too sluggish and too long. After 20 years, he switched to a 29er (Hightower) 3 years ago. Now he clears anything and everything in Moab. He won’t go back to 26.

[unterhausen]

Not addressed to anyone in particular, but I have to wonder how much confirmation bias has to do with these opinions. For example, trig out the difference in roll-over and see how little difference there is between wheel sizes for any given obstacle.

Current 29er geometry has much slacker head tube than even a few years ago. Seems like that would make for slower turning, particularly since the forks still have 45mm rake. And people have been making short chainstay 29ers from the beginning. OTOH, most 26" have overly steep head tubes when the fork is compressed, so slackening the head tube is a good thing.

[NHAero]

I've shrunk to 5'8-1/2" and ride a 2013 Pivot 429C FS 29er. It was true a long while back that shorter people can't ride 29ers but that's not been true for years. One of my riding buds is on an Evil Following and he's really small - 5'2".

For just trail riding without major downhills my sense is that the raking out of the front ends in recent years hasn't served folks who ride tight woodland trails like I do (the current version of my bike is 2 degrees more slack at the head angle). I'm planning to keep my bike until there appears to be as large of an upgrade in performance as there was between my '99 Litespeed 26er with the YBB rear end and the 29er.

My guess is that the easily noticed improvement in rollover (a major thing for me, the trails are full of downed limbs) is a combination of the larger wheel diameter and the increased suspension travel and likely better suspension - hard to separate those.

I ride the 26ers I have from time to time and it's definitely more effort and I'm less likely to clear the few tricky bits we have here.

[kingpin75s]

Originally Posted by p nut

This used to be true 10+ years ago. Modern 29ers feel right at home on tight trails. The geometry is dialed in. Chainstays are Uber short like the 26ers so nothing given up there. Slack HTA and long TT of the modern geometry means no toe overlap either. I really can’t see any disadvantage of riding a 29er these days.

A friend of mine swore he would never get rid of his 26 FS. 29ers were too sluggish and too long. After 20 years, he switched to a 29er (Hightower) 3 years ago. Now he clears anything and everything in Moab. He won’t go back to 26.

The geometry has been sorted as you say, but that still does not count for the fact that the wheels are bigger and the bottom bracket positioning relative to the axles are different. Geometry being equal, a 26er will still feel more nimble in really tight singletrack.

[jimcav]

Originally Posted by NHAero

combination of the larger wheel diameter and the increased suspension travel and likely better suspension - hard to separate those.

this was before i hurt my neck, at which point i switched to FS. Anyway, my experience is that for rollover it is the 29", not the suspension. This was in both Indiana and Puget Sound area with lots of twisty, roots, downed limbs etc. During the same years I also rode a HT 29er, FS 29er, and a FS 27.5. Modern suspension is incredible though.

[KonaSS]

Honestly, I am shocked at how much some Moots bikes go for, even in 26.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Moots-Rigor...p2047675.l2557

You could get yourself a very respectable 29 hardtail for not much more. Especially used.

[YoKev]

I'm 5'7" and I ride 29+ on my Surly ICT in the nice weather.

I love it.

[Matthew]

Wow, Kona. I'm shocked they got over $2300 for that Rigor. I couldn't dream of getting close to that here. I got mine as a frame only quite a while back for not a ton of money. Should have gone 29er then but was going to use the parts off another bike to keep my overall costs down. Of course, I ended up replacing virtually everything on it! It's a great bike but the xc racer in me wonders if I'm at a big disadvantage compared to those I race. You know, maybe I could be finishing 8th in my class instead of 13th!!