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29" DH bikes

Kevin

Kevin

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Sep 6, 2004
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Sandwich said:
I'm confused as to what the issue is here. If you want to be at the top of the game, it makes sense to wear a skinsuit, peakless helmet, 29" wheels, rooster tail, batman costume, or whatever. At the top of the pack, the riders should be doing what they need to do to win. Do you really think I give a fuck what's happening in F1? Even if I were to race cars, would I care what a T-foil is if I raced miatas? I'm glad that F1 exists, and I like to watch racing. That doesn't mean I need a KERS on my Rav4, or a halo for dropping my kid off at school.

I still have a 26" DH bike. After 29ers take over DH, I'll still have a 26" DH bike. They work well and parts are cheap. I don't care if the UCI bans disc brakes on the tour de france. I still run them on my road bike because they are better than calipers. 29ers taking over the top rung isn't going to change what the average joe rides on the weekend. How many of you are purely racers anyways? How many ride for enjoyment?
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I agree for the most part but there is one thing about this whole thing that blows monkeyballs.

90% Of all mountainbikers are complete fucking retards and will jump one the first WC DH bandwagon they see. Meaning i cant sell my 26" bike for half the money its worth. I also cant buy a new 26" bike or ill at least be very limited in my options.
I wish I could just keep riding 26" but for my new Trail bike im pretty much forced to go 650b and who knows soon it will be 29".

There is a reason F1 has restrictions when it comes to many things and I think the UCI should also put restrictions on things like wheel size.

But since we all know thats not gonna happen cause fuck the UCI, were all screwed.
 
T

trib

not worthy of a Rux.
Jun 22, 2009
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Everyone asking for wheel size restrictions is going to be so pissed when the UCI chooses 29" across all disciplines
 
T

trib

not worthy of a Rux.
Jun 22, 2009
1,480
422
Haha. In that case I feel 24.5" should be the happy medium between bmx, xc, DH and road.
 
Muddy

Muddy

ancient crusty bog dude
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Formula 1 or any form of auto racing has no basis for comparison in respect; all use a set of tires provided for the Championship.

Rules had been written upon the advent of Traction Control and what became extremely clever ways to unable mechanical grip in cornering situations.

There are obvious advantages to rolling-radius acting upon forces-square. There are also disadvantages to having small stature then be left at the helm. The lack of actionable oversight is just what has been made vocal here - an Industry lost of Identity (a series Sponsor in need of distractions) and, profit.

What better way to wedge one's product and greater-agenda upon the public than through completely unregulated competition and deregulation of all previous personal achievement??

Bullshit: meet Artist.
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

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Nov 10, 2005
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Muddy said:
Formula 1 or any form of auto racing has no basis for comparison in respect; all use a set of tires provided for the Championship.

Rules had been written upon the advent of Traction Control and what became extremely clever ways to unable mechanical grip in cornering situations.

There are obvious advantages to rolling-radius acting upon forces-square. There are also disadvantages to having small stature then be left at the helm. The lack of actionable oversight is just what has been made vocal here - an Industry lost of Identity (a series Sponsor in need of distractions) and, profit.

What better way to wedge one's product and greater-agenda upon the public than through completely unregulated competition and deregulation of all previous personal achievement??

Bullshit: meet Artist.
Click to expand...
the only real difference that matters between formula 1 and mountain bike racing is that F1 has money. oodles and oodles of glorious money.
 
Gary

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
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Kevin said:
90% Of all mountainbikers are complete fucking retards...
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WUT?

Guy off the internet moaning and calling folk names for wanting NEW stuff. WANTS NEW STUFF!


* Perfectly good 26" wheel bikes (of which there are many) now sell second hand for pennies?
* 90% of mountainbikers are retarded coz they don't want perfectly good bargainous 26" bikes
* Retro gouch has saved up $$ in his piggy bank for a NEW 26" bike.

I see a simple and cheap solution to your problem.

Yours

the non-retarded 10% ;)
 
Muddy

Muddy

ancient crusty bog dude
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jonKranked said:
Oh aren't you the clever one :rolleyes:
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Well - there's not my referencing Money that I do not have. Even in a proper context, making reference to someone else's money must be the most decidedly un-clever method to call attention.

Since that statement's been made though - what is the point?? What relevance would Motorsport nearly a Century old have upon Cycling which may be 30? You say 'the only difference is Money...' blah blah blahh
That comes across as a bit spiteful. Not my fault I hope you understand, but still...

What is the point coveting Money which is incomparable to any Economy? Other than bright colors, women in lycra, and someone hired to mop puke??
 
Kevin

Kevin

Turbo Monkey
Sep 6, 2004
4,540
1,007
In Holland sticking my finger in a dike...
Gary said:
WUT?

Guy off the internet moaning and calling folk names for wanting NEW stuff. WANTS NEW STUFF!


* Perfectly good 26" wheel bikes (of which there are many) now sell second hand for pennies?
* 90% of mountainbikers are retarded coz they don't want perfectly good bargainous 26" bikes
* Retro gouch has saved up $$ in his piggy bank for a NEW 26" bike.

I see a simple and cheap solution to your problem.

Yours

the non-retarded 10% ;)
Click to expand...
Fact is I have two bikes right now that dont really suit my current type of riding. So yes I want to sell both and buy one bike to ride all year round.
My downhill bike is a 2011 v10 and the trailbike is a 2014 Commencal Meta AM, both bought used btw.

Im not using the v10 enough anymore since most of my friends quit riding dh (because their wives told them theyre too old), so unfortunately that bike needs to go.

The Meta is awesome in the alps and ok on my local xc trails, but i feel a more recent, lighter bike would improve the quality of my xc rides enough to warrant something new, or at least new to me.
Trail bikes have come a long way in recent years which is where the bigger wheels come into play and my bikes both not being the fashionable wheelsize means ill get less for them and thus need to pay more for the new bike.

So Im looking for something that handles the downhills like the Meta but thats moar lighter, moar carbon (because i prefer the feel of carbon bikes after having ridden both for years) and basically just better pedalling performance even though I know it will never pedal like a xc bike.
Im currently leaning towards somethin like a used Bronson but if you can recomend me anything "perfectly good and bargainous" and that fits my requirements ill be more then happy to look into it.

Just remember that most people outside of Scotland have moved away from wooden frames these days and actually notice the difference between a bike that had good pedalling performance in the ninetees and the current crop of Enduro/AllMountain/Trail bikes.

:busted:
 
Gary

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
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I have 10* bikes. newest is 170mm travel 2017 model and Carbon framed.


A completely leftfield response for here I know but may I suggest you work on improving fitness? Then your Meta will be a lot faster both up and down... sounds difficult. but it's really not.
ie. just ride MOAR.

*2x carbon, 2x steel and the rest good 'ol alu. None of 'em are running 27.5 or 29
 
slimshady

slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
Dec 20, 2007
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Kevin said:
Fact is I have two bikes right now that dont really suit my current type of riding. So yes I want to sell both and buy one bike to ride all year round.
My downhill bike is a 2011 v10 and the trailbike is a 2014 Commencal Meta AM, both bought used btw.

Im not using the v10 enough anymore since most of my friends quit riding dh (because their wives told them theyre too old), so unfortunately that bike needs to go.

The Meta is awesome in the alps and ok on my local xc trails, but i feel a more recent, lighter bike would improve the quality of my xc rides enough to warrant something new, or at least new to me.
Trail bikes have come a long way in recent years which is where the bigger wheels come into play and my bikes both not being the fashionable wheelsize means ill get less for them and thus need to pay more for the new bike.

So Im looking for something that handles the downhills like the Meta but thats moar lighter, moar carbon (because i prefer the feel of carbon bikes after having ridden both for years) and basically just better pedalling performance even though I know it will never pedal like a xc bike.
Im currently leaning towards somethin like a used Bronson but if you can recomend me anything "perfectly good and bargainous" and that fits my requirements ill be more then happy to look into it.

Just remember that most people outside of Scotland have moved away from wooden frames these days and actually notice the difference between a bike that had good pedalling performance in the ninetees and the current crop of Enduro/AllMountain/Trail bikes.

:busted:
Click to expand...
Oddly enough, I swung a leg over a 2016 Meta a couple of months ago and it felt a lot lighter, faster and lively than my Rallón. Geometry was also spot on for me, and it wasn't even the top shelf model, but the second one from below I think. A friend handed it to me in a section of trail with lots of jumps, bowls and berms and taking it airborne took significantly less effort than my actual ride.

If you are still thinking of going crabon, I'd say you'd stay away from the Bronson. I didn't feel it was as lively and capable as the Meta the few times I rode one.
 
Kevin

Kevin

Turbo Monkey
Sep 6, 2004
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In Holland sticking my finger in a dike...
Improve my fitness?
Ive been riding 3 times a week this past winter and take the Meta out for 40/50km rides with my friends on xc hardtails.
Ive run several half marathons but I run 10 to 15km regularly in pretty descent times.

So how about you drop the attitude where you think you and your buddies are the only ones who are not fat sacks of potatoes and get over yourself.
You can also just improve on your fitness and sell all your other 9 bikes and keep one steel hardtail.
I know it sounds difficult but its really not. :blah:

And I wish i could ride as much during summer as i do in the winter, but im running a company that operates in 5 diffent countries and on top of that i have to keep my girlfriend happy.

If that new bike makes my life a little bit better id say its totally worth it.
 
Last edited:
Kevin

Kevin

Turbo Monkey
Sep 6, 2004
4,540
1,007
In Holland sticking my finger in a dike...
slimshady said:
Oddly enough, I swung a leg over a 2016 Meta a couple of months ago and it felt a lot lighter, faster and lively than my Rallón. Geometry was also spot on for me, and it wasn't even the top shelf model, but the second one from below I think. A friend handed it to me in a section of trail with lots of jumps, bowls and berms and taking it airborne took significantly less effort than my actual ride.

If you are still thinking of going crabon, I'd say you'd stay away from the Bronson. I didn't feel it was as lively and capable as the Meta the few times I rode one.
Click to expand...
Im in no way complaining about the Meta for its intended purpose. I love that bike In the mountains and even enjoy it on my local flattish xc trail.
But I need to be in way better shape then my buddies to even keep up wth them.
I can feel the weight and geo dragging me down on the uphils and am therefore looking at something a little more focused on pedalling.

I realise ill have to compromise but if the Bronson can handle the mountains and allow me a little more pedal power on my local trails then im willing to do that.

That said ive never ridden a Bronson but owned two generations of v10s and Im a big fan of Santa Cruz bikes.
I hear pretty good stories about the Bronson tho, was the one you tried dialed in for you or was it just a buddies bike?
 
Gary

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
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Kevin said:
But I need to be in way better shape then my buddies to even keep up wth them.
I can feel the weight and geo dragging me down on the uphils and am therefore looking at something a little more focused on pedalling.
Click to expand...
Ok. man. If you're happy with your fitness what exactly is it about the Meta that's holding you back in comparison to your buddies?
Every Meta I've ridden has pedalled fine. so I'm guessing yours may be a heavy build with DH tyres or something?
 
jonKranked

jonKranked

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Muddy said:
Since that statement's been made though - what is the point?? What relevance would Motorsport nearly a Century old have upon Cycling which may be 30? You say 'the only difference is Money...' blah blah blahh
That comes across as a bit spiteful. Not my fault I hope you understand, but still...
Click to expand...
dude, bike racing has been around nearly as long as car racing (first TdF was 1903). mountain bike racing specifically is much more recent.

the point regarding money is the difference in how well teams (world cup DH - or any world cup mtb - vs f1) are funded / resourced. F1 teams are just flat out better funded than MTB teams.

another difference is F1 teams aren't testing (or really concerned about) commercially viable product. Some of the technology they develop may eventually make its way to the consumer market, but not in the same form. In MTB, most everything being ridden raced is either a production component, or being developed for production. Yes, there's still some pro only stuff from time to time, but not as prevalent as it used to be.

With something like 29" for DH, i think part of it was a chicken/egg situation. up until now, none of the major suspension companies had made a 29 specific DH fork; which, for a 29" dh race bake, this is a pretty big hindrance. sure, some bike companies shoehorned 29'ers into 27.5 forks, but had to reduce travel, so there was a tradeoff. the teams were waiting for suspension companies to make an actual 29" dh fork to really get beyond proof of concept and have a race viable bike. but in turn, suspension companies were probably waiting for demand from the industry/teams. a set of tooling to cast fork lowers runs at least $100k, and for something that's a low volume segment like DH, that's a big investment and subsequently a fair amount of risk for something that may or may not go into commercial production.
 
slimshady

slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
Dec 20, 2007
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Kevin said:
Im in no way complaining about the Meta for its intended purpose. I love that bike In the mountains and even enjoy it on my local flattish xc trail.
But I need to be in way better shape then my buddies to even keep up wth them.
I can feel the weight and geo dragging me down on the uphils and am therefore looking at something a little more focused on pedalling.

I realise ill have to compromise but if the Bronson can handle the mountains and allow me a little more pedal power on my local trails then im willing to do that.

That said ive never ridden a Bronson but owned two generations of v10s and Im a big fan of Santa Cruz bikes.
I hear pretty good stories about the Bronson tho, was the one you tried dialed in for you or was it just a buddies bike?
Click to expand...
Got your points, and now I understand why you are choosing the Bronson. I tried one from a fried maybe tree or four times, but since we ride together almost every weekend, we are used to dialing the suspensions and cockpit to our own likes before riding (maybe going a bit OCD here, but we both have our bars/stems/brakes/saddles marked with our ideal numbers, so going back to your own setup once the bike returns isn't a big deal).

That said, the lively feel of a lower-link driven shock in a VPP bike will never be matched by one with the shock driven by the upper one. I've ridden several generations of the V10, and the feel it's just different, leaving aside the travel and geometry changes.

Anyway I'm not trying to bash the Bronson for you. It's a really capable trail/AM bike, and nobody knows better than you if it fits your local trails and riding style.
 
Muddy

Muddy

ancient crusty bog dude
Jul 7, 2013
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jonKranked said:
dude, bike racing has been around nearly as long as car racing (first TdF was 1903). mountain bike racing specifically is much more recent.

the point regarding money is the difference in how well teams (world cup DH - or any world cup mtb - vs f1) are funded / resourced. F1 teams are just flat out better funded than MTB teams.

another difference is F1 teams aren't testing (or really concerned about) commercially viable product. Some of the technology they develop may eventually make its way to the consumer market, but not in the same form. In MTB, most everything being ridden raced is either a production component, or being developed for production. Yes, there's still some pro only stuff from time to time, but not as prevalent as it used to be.

With something like 29" for DH, i think part of it was a chicken/egg situation. up until now, none of the major suspension companies had made a 29 specific DH fork; which, for a 29" dh race bake, this is a pretty big hindrance. sure, some bike companies shoehorned 29'ers into 27.5 forks, but had to reduce travel, so there was a tradeoff. the teams were waiting for suspension companies to make an actual 29" dh fork to really get beyond proof of concept and have a race viable bike. but in turn, suspension companies were probably waiting for demand from the industry/teams. a set of tooling to cast fork lowers runs at least $100k, and for something that's a low volume segment like DH, that's a big investment and subsequently a fair amount of risk for something that may or may not go into commercial production.
Click to expand...
Still don't understand a thing being made for comparison.

i think we have our "wtf" post of the year
 
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