[TrumbullHucker]

"MURMURS OF 29 INCH DOWNHILL BIKES ARE ALWAYS FLOATING AROUND THE BIKE WORLD, BUT NEKO MULALLY HAS GONE THE WHOLE HOG AND DECIDED TO BUILD UP HIS WORLD CHAMPS FRAME AS A 29ER.
He needed to make a few modifications, such as milling the fork arch for clearance and fitting a shorter shock with offset bushings to preserve the geometry but, in essence, here is a 29er downhill bike. Of course, it’s not perfect (just look how far forward the seat is slammed) but it’s definitely an interesting experiment."


https://dirtmountainbike.com/news/neko-mulally-tests-modified-29-inch-scott-gambler.html

 

[kickstand]

They will be here someday....and they will probably be fun to ride, on wide open world cup style tracks. They'll suck on tight switchbacks and slow speed tracks most of us ride. But, the bike industry will sell us whatever they want to sell us, so we might as well start selling our 27.5's now!

 

[jstuhlman]

RELATED:

wonder if, based on his comments, he'll try 29 up front 27.5 in the back at some point?

 

[jonKranked]

They will be here someday....and they will probably be fun to ride, on wide open world cup style tracks. They'll suck on tight switchbacks and slow speed tracks most of us ride. But, the bike industry will sell us whatever they want to sell us, so we might as well start selling our 27.5's now!

eh, a few companies have dabbled with them, but the DH world generally seems to have waited out the 29'er thing and settled on 27.5

certain tracks they may be better suited to, but i don't think there would be a full takeover.

 

[kickstand]

eh, a few companies have dabbled with them, but the DH world generally seems to have waited out the 29'er thing and settled on 27.5

certain tracks they may be better suited to, but i don't think there would be a full takeover.

I don't either, until the next round of straigher, faster, more wide open tracks are built.....

 

[jstuhlman]

THANKS O'IMBA

 

[Jm_]

They will be here someday....and they will probably be fun to ride, on wide open world cup style tracks. They'll suck on tight switchbacks and slow speed tracks most of us ride. But, the bike industry will sell us whatever they want to sell us, so we might as well start selling our 27.5's now!

It's not tight switchbacks where they suck (for the 1000th time), it's medium radius turns at balls out speed, because the gyroscopic force won't let it turn, so I had to slow more before to keep from sliding to the outside of the turn, then accelerate more after. The tight switchback thing hasn't been an issue since decent non-goofy geometry.

 

[xy9ine]

They'll suck on tight switchbacks and slow speed tracks most of us ride.

i've ridden a couple of the bigger wagon wheelers recently (yeti 5.5, trek slash) and found they really don't give up much when things get tight - and i'm talking north shore jankyness, not even proper dh tracks. when things do open up a bit, they absolutely rock out. a proper 29" dh rig would be beast mode. they may not be universally adopted, but i wont be surprised if we see some wcdh action in the not too distant future.

 

[CheetaMike]

they will adjust the tracks to suit the riders needs , look at what they ride today and compare it to 5 years back

 

[toodles]

they will adjust the tracks to suit the riders needs , look at what they ride today and compare it to 5 years back

This. Tracks just end up getting adapted to suit the newer bikes I think.

 

[kickstand]

This. Tracks just end up getting adapted to suit the newer bikes I think.

Yup

 

[kickstand]

It's not tight switchbacks where they suck (for the 1000th time), it's medium radius turns at balls out speed, because the gyroscopic force won't let it turn, so I had to slow more before to keep from sliding to the outside of the turn, then accelerate more after. The tight switchback thing hasn't been an issue since decent non-goofy geometry.

Sorry, I still can't take anything you say seriously since you said cat 3 xc riders are harder on stuff than dh racers

 

[kickstand]

i've ridden a couple of the bigger wagon wheelers recently (yeti 5.5, trek slash) and found they really don't give up much when things get tight - and i'm talking north shore jankyness, not even proper dh tracks. when things do open up a bit, they absolutely rock out. a proper 29" dh rig would be beast mode. they may not be universally adopted, but i wont be surprised if we see some wcdh action in the not too distant future.

I'm in agreement to an extent, but even my 27.5 v10 isn't as nimble in the right stuff as say my 26" tr500 felt, or my trailbike is. Surely a long wheelbase 29" bike will be at some amount of disadvantage in tight stuff, but as was mentioned tracks will be adjusted to suit whatever the industry wants to sell us

 

[jstuhlman]

neko himself said it didn't feel as nimble if you bother to read his comments...

i have no personal experience to offer, as i've never ridden a 27.5, let alone a 29.

 

[6thElement]

i have no personal experience to offer, as i've never ridden a 27.5, let alone a 29.

Are you related to @Gary ?

 

[CheetaMike]

neko himself said it didn't feel as nimble if you bother to read his comments...

i have no personal experience to offer, as i've never ridden a 27.5, let alone a 29.

. I think there is huge potential for a downhill bike designed from the ground up around 29" wheels. It could be a great tool for certain tracks, maybe more than you would think.

the last line of Neko,s post .

 

[trib]

I like the modified genius slalom bike he made as well - nice to have a sponsor who's ok with you making weird setups and playing around.

 

[Jm_]

Sorry, I still can't take anything you say seriously since you said cat 3 xc riders are harder on stuff than dh racers

I believe I was stating non-racer DH riders, but yes, I'll still stand by it, especially because many of those cat 3 XC racers also race DH and push their stuff that much harder, but even when they push their stuff doing XC, it's usually beyond what most gravity riders will do. These guys/we, ride our XC rides at 95% of the speed on the same terrain that we ride more capable/longer travel bikes. Not because they suck at DH, but because they are fast on any bike. In a pure DH race, that 5% would be critical, but most riders aren't riding that hard or fast, on any bike.

 

[Gary]

@Gary ?

Oh... I've ridden hundreds of 29ers, 27.5s, Fat and plus bikes.

Never ridden a single one I enjoyed as much as standard 26" yet.

neko himself said it didn't feel as nimble

The next Steven Fuckin Hawkins? Guy's talent is clearly wasted on bicycles.

 

[kickstand]

I believe I was stating non-racer DH riders, but yes, I'll still stand by it, especially because many of those cat 3 XC racers also race DH and push their stuff that much harder, but even when they push their stuff doing XC, it's usually beyond what most gravity riders will do. These guys/we, ride our XC rides at 95% of the speed on the same terrain that we ride more capable/longer travel bikes. Not because they suck at DH, but because they are fast on any bike. In a pure DH race, that 5% would be critical, but most riders aren't riding that hard or fast, on any bike.

Bro, cat 3 xc racers? Fast? Pushing hard? Crack pipe, put it down.

 

[kickstand]

. I think there is huge potential for a downhill bike designed from the ground up around 29" wheels. It could be a great tool for certain tracks, maybe more than you would think.

the last line of Neko,s post .

That's the thing "certain tracks" ... great for factory riders, not feasible for us weekend warriors.

 

[buckoW]

Here's mine. I reduced the travel a little more than Neko did on his so I can get my seat where I want it. 185mm of rear travel.

 

[TrumbullHucker]

Here's mine. I reduced the travel a little more than Neko did on his so I can get my seat where I want it. 185mm of rear travel.

whats your thoughts?

 

[buckoW]

I would never replace my normal DH bike with a 29er but it's interesting to try new stuff and see exactly where the strengths and weaknesses exist in the real world. I had a few friends try it in Morgins and Champéry and everyone was as fast or faster than their normal bikes with no time to adapt. Pretty interesting and the chairlift banter is the best part.

 

[Happymtb.fr]

What kind of head angle do you get with this set up?
It must be much flacker than originally since the front wheel rises the front and the reducing of the travel "rotates" the frame even more...
If you look at trail/enduro/whatever bikes the 29" versions have generally steeper HA than their 27.5 counterparts. in this case it seems to be the other way around .
Or did you use an angleset to compensate somehow ?

 

[CheetaMike]

That's the thing "certain tracks" ... great for factory riders, not feasible for us weekend warriors.

not necessarily look at the Maiden it is dual size 26" or 27.5" , many 27.5"+ bikes can convert to a 29" wheel so with some tweaking it could be done . Yeah it would require a 2nd wheel-set , but what true DH racer does,t already have spares ??

 

[kickstand]

not necessarily look at the Maiden it is dual size 26" or 27.5" , many 27.5"+ bikes can convert to a 29" wheel so with some tweaking it could be done . Yeah it would require a 2nd wheel-set , but what true DH racer does,t already have spares ??

Sure, you could do that. But the difference between a 27.5+ and 29 is likely a smaller difference than 26 to 27.5. You'd have some geometry and BB height things comeing into play if you were going from 29 to 27.5.

Not saying it isn't doable, just saying you'd have some things to consider.

That said, as a weekend warrior, I'll stick to one wheelsize and an extra wheelset with my mudspikes, than going all optional wheelsizes and such. I think my race times come down to which run was cleanest and where I hit my lines, compared to which wheelset would I be faster on.

 

[Electric_City]

Retarded. How do we stir the pot? Hmmm.... 29're DH! Yay!

Every couple months this stupid topic came up on one of the other forums and the 29'er idiots would flock in.
-ninerintherear- "I'm 6'-2" so I need a 29'er. Too bad they don't make anything that fits me!"
-I<3_29- "Dude, I'd so be into DH if they made a 29'er!"
-DH'ers in general - "did you ever try DH before?"

..... Chirp, chirp....

 

[kidwoo]

-ninerintherear-

This is my shocked face.

 

[toodles]

BuckoW - have you noticed much difference in the braking? Logic dictates that a 29er wheel would be much harder to stop with a standard 200mm rotor. Even jumping up from 26" to 27.5 I'm surprised rotors didn't go to 220mm.

 

[4130biker]

Retarded. How do we stir the pot? Hmmm.... 29're DH! Yay!

Every couple months this stupid topic came up on one of the other forums and the 29'er idiots would flock in.
-ninerintherear- "I'm 6'-2" so I need a 29'er. Too bad they don't make anything that fits me!"
-I<3_29- "Dude, I'd so be into DH if they made a 29'er!"
-DH'ers in general - "did you ever try DH before?"

..... Chirp, chirp....

I bet your "favorite" company will be first to the party with a production DH 29er! Maybe even with a new bottom bracket and head tube standard even!

 

[dan-o]

I bet your "favorite" company will be first to the party with a production DH 29er!

Tantrum?

 

[Sandwich]

tracks seem just fine to me. nobody builds DH trails anymore, it's all fucking "flow" bullshit. You can ride a tricycle down them if you want to. There are so precious few genuine DH trails anymore, God I want to get back to plattekill.

I can think of few situations where a larger wheel would be a deficit, primarily in kidwoo's nightmarish wheelflex situation.

that being said, my dh bike is 26, because fuck it, I like cheap shit and at the end of the day, if you aren't cat 1, you can probably benefit more by learning how to tune your fucking dampers than worrying about your wheelsize.

 

[4130biker]

Tantrum?

No, that's my "favorite" company.

 

[Jm_]

Bro, cat 3 xc racers? Fast? Pushing hard? Crack pipe, put it down.

Crap, mean to say "cat 1". I never use that goddamn terminology anyway, it's always been "beginner, intermediate, expert, pro and masters" to me. Using "cat" is just something that sounds technical to people not familiar with racing that is likely to impress them and make them think that the guy doesn't move at the speed of molasses.

 

[buckoW]

BuckoW - have you noticed much difference in the braking? Logic dictates that a 29er wheel would be much harder to stop with a standard 200mm rotor. Even jumping up from 26" to 27.5 I'm surprised rotors didn't go to 220mm.

Yes, it doesn't seem to slow down nearly as well. You have to brake a little earlier.

 

[buckoW]

What kind of head angle do you get with this set up?
It must be much flacker than originally since the front wheel rises the front and the reducing of the travel "rotates" the frame even more...
If you look at trail/enduro/whatever bikes the 29" versions have generally steeper HA than their 27.5 counterparts. in this case it seems to be the other way around .
Or did you use an angleset to compensate somehow ?

I use angled headsets and sometimes more offset crowns to get the steering feeling good. I like it slack even with 29er wheels. The front wheel feels great, it's more the rear wheel that causes me issues.

 

[jackalope]

 

[Electric_City]

I bet your "favorite" company will be first to the party with a production DH 29er! Maybe even with a new bottom bracket and head tube standard even!

Don't forget the '03 ISCG shit too...

 

[kickstand]

I use angled headsets and sometimes more offset crowns to get the steering feeling good. I like it slack even with 29er wheels. The front wheel feels great, it's more the rear wheel that causes me issues.

have you thought about trying a 27.5 rear with the 29" front?