i would like to know what the obsession with 29ers is? i went to my local trail, an there were more 29ers than good ol 26er dualies! most of these guys were on full rigid 29er bikes. yes i understand you get faster rolling on trails than 26inch, but damn whatever happened to riding with style an flow?? seems as though it's a bunch of roadies taking over trail riding? anyhow, i think they look like circus bikes plus it's rad ripping by them on the trails as well, but i guess flow riders are a die'in breed now days... i truly hope this trend does not transfer over to DH!!!
open disscussion...
- Thread starter alfonz
- Start date
Splitters!
definetly an US thing. never seen one on the trail, once in a shop.
well i think they look so retarded an wish they would just go away!!
definitely been discussed here quite a bit.
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225480
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238105
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214635
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237464
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237393
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237253
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235497
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=225480
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238105
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214635
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237464
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237393
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=237253
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235497
People ride different bikes. Just accept it. Out here 29ers are definitely a trendy thing, tons of guys in lycra on 29er rigid, singlespeeds riding around. To each their own.
Off road hipsters.
29ers are like reading glasses after a certain age we will all need them
btw 26 is how i roll
the only thing i have against 29'ers is the attitudes of a large quantity of people that ride them. i've had plenty of time on 29'ers. yea, its fun, but its not my thing. i ride a lot of 20", and 26" feels big to me at times, 29 felt like i was steering a boat.
i look at it this way, its not my thing, but it gets more people mountain biking. at the end of the day, that's a good thing. just wish they'd drop the whole anti non-29'er attitude*.
*this does not pertain to all riders on 29" bikes. some of the folks i ride regularly with are on 29'ers.
i look at it this way, its not my thing, but it gets more people mountain biking. at the end of the day, that's a good thing. just wish they'd drop the whole anti non-29'er attitude*.
*this does not pertain to all riders on 29" bikes. some of the folks i ride regularly with are on 29'ers.
Yeah I agree. I never understood why they feel like they need to be 29'' crusaders. I've met so many people who will even try to tell me they got "insider info" that there is more 29 ers sold than 26ers
They are crusaders so that they can grow the product offerings for their niche.
Imagine having only ONE tire to choose and the only suspension fork available for your bike is a White Brothers!?! (My idea of hell.)
That's how it was for 29er heads only a few years ago.
Imagine having only ONE tire to choose and the only suspension fork available for your bike is a White Brothers!?! (My idea of hell.)
That's how it was for 29er heads only a few years ago.
Local shops here are wall-to-wall 29'r.
It is rocky here.
29'r definitely more manageable for the purely part-time recreational rider.
.
It is rocky here.
29'r definitely more manageable for the purely part-time recreational rider.
.
there's a difference between being a crusader and being a hater/jerk/dick/douche.
It all started because lycra 26" mtb'rs saw how the freestyle dh hardcore riding style was starting to run away with the mountain biking stereotype and everything associated with mountain bikes started to look cool for once. They realized the level can not be raised anymore on a 26" mtb no matter how many hills you climbed or how many miles you logged in a day, even if it was on a hard tail. So they said fvck it, we're stepping it up. We're going with a bigger wheel, it'll be rad! So they did.
but......
Now we have a 29" full blown race dh rig!
wtf will happen next?.......................
but......
Now we have a 29" full blown race dh rig!
wtf will happen next?.......................
Spot on.
Thats exactly how the scene has evolved around my parts. We used to have a mtb scene and the guys who couldn't dirtjump ,DH or shred 26" trailbikes with steeze are now all on 29r bikes . Its as if they gave up on 26 and had to start their own identity with the big wheel club. All the people i'm talking about are the heart rate monitor crowd that like to "sanitize" trail features
Its going to be intereresting for sure if/when JD races the Intense 29r next year.
I actuallly want to ride to ride one of those 5-6" Niner bikes to see whats up.
Its not the wheelsize i dislike but rather the "holier-than-thou" attitude that is so prevalent.
Wow. Funny how elitist some of you sound as you accuse others of the same thing. Do you really believe that the folks riding 29'ers stopped riding 26'ers because they couldn't be as good as you? 
Some people just don't want to jump, dh, or "shred". Lots of good people out on bikes never rode bmx as a kid or whatever, and they don't really care. Sure, many of them started by riding road bikes and crossed over. That's bad?
Maybe you're upset because they tend to ride away from you on long technical climbs?
Sure, crappy attitudes suck. But you'll find them in every one of our little micro cycling factions.
Some people just don't want to jump, dh, or "shred". Lots of good people out on bikes never rode bmx as a kid or whatever, and they don't really care. Sure, many of them started by riding road bikes and crossed over. That's bad?
Maybe you're upset because they tend to ride away from you on long technical climbs?
Sure, crappy attitudes suck. But you'll find them in every one of our little micro cycling factions.
Serious roadies are not elitist. You mix with the wrong crowd. They are cool people and actualy don't care about being cool as much as a lot of the mtb community.
I've owned 4 over the last few years. No I was never a roadie, no I don't wear lycra, no I'm not a crusader, and no I'm not afraid to jump or "shred." My 29er is just another tool in the toolbox, it's awesome at times and it sucks at times. But the same can be said for any bike.
I'm sure some of us (myself included), are too young to remember when long travel/DH bikes started popping up. I'm sure there was a similar animosity from the general mtb community towards them (us) as some people have towards 29ers today. I've met more hater/jerk/dick/douches rolling on 26" wheels than I have on 29ers, so I would have to say those two things are mutually exclusive. In the end we're all a bunch of adults riding around in the woods on overly complicated and ridiculously expensive bicycles with our "kits" and "colorways," yacking on about how we need moar high speed compression and our shimstack isn't quite right, and we didn't have enough yaw in the last turn and our forks are too flexy for the east coast rox. Wheels size is sort of trivial when you think about it.
Yeah, a 29er is just another tool that is appropriate in the right circumstances. To me, if a 140mm travel bike or less is appropriate for your trail riding or you are an XC racer, then a 29er makes some sense. Especially if you are tall.
For me, once I get to around 150mm of travel (and I'm not talking amount of travel but more the types of trails they are best used for) then I don't see the appeal of the 29ers.
Of course, other than my DS bike I haven't had a bike with less than 160mm of travel for years. Even on tame trails I still prefer a 26er as I like to pop off every root or rock I find and manual stuff and it's just more fun on a 26er..
For me, once I get to around 150mm of travel (and I'm not talking amount of travel but more the types of trails they are best used for) then I don't see the appeal of the 29ers.
Of course, other than my DS bike I haven't had a bike with less than 160mm of travel for years. Even on tame trails I still prefer a 26er as I like to pop off every root or rock I find and manual stuff and it's just more fun on a 26er..
covered!
I gotta rep u for that rant dude!
OPEN HATE: 29er isnt in front anywhere it's 'Technical'
Hauling in a straight line, sure!
you have no say in this argument. you're so freakishly tall you could ride 34" wheels and not have a problem.
650b for di*king around on hardtails is about to take off.
You heard it here first.
You heard it here first.
![[TA]](/data/avatars/m/32/32142.jpg?1299268217){kind=avatar}
It always surprises me how negative people can be about 29ers... I mean really, what's a 29'er done to you laity? Did some MTB hipster steal your girlfriend? sure they're not for everyone but they do have some distinct charateristics that are appealing to certain riders. I happen to ride both 26" and 29" bikes, sometimes back to back! 26" is till my favorite flavor of wheel, but 29" can be a really good time every now and then, especially if you're in the mood to really hall a$$ on a trial ride. 29" bikes have also come along way, they're not heavy long straight line sleds anymore; there's a few out there that can jump and even manual 
At the end of the day we should just be stoked people are getting out and getting excited about bikes. More people on bikes is good for the industry and good MTB general. Plus, 36" wheels are the real enemy these day
At the end of the day we should just be stoked people are getting out and getting excited about bikes. More people on bikes is good for the industry and good MTB general. Plus, 36" wheels are the real enemy these day 
I'm not sure If I like that idea. Maybe with amazing geo but going from 24 to 26s cons are quite evident to me now.
Especially this little faction here. The 29er hate is hilarious. :lol:Wow. Funny how elitist some of you sound as you accuse others of the same thing. Do you really believe that the folks riding 29'ers stopped riding 26'ers because they couldn't be as good as you?
[...]
Sure, crappy attitudes suck. But you'll find them in every one of our little micro cycling factions.
And no, I don't own one. Or want one. A 29er hurt my feelings once.
Sounds like a lot of the guys I know who switched from alpine to tele skiing.
What I can't get over are the sub 5'5" women on 29ers. I have a hard time believing they chose that based on back to back testing with no outside influence. A 26" to them is like a 29" to me, so I'd have to ride a 32" to feel what they're feeling (I'm 6'2").
Last edited:
I think we might be loosing something in translation. That second sentence whent over my head. You might mean the 650c road bike size.
FWIW, a 2.3" 650b tire(584mm ERD, bigger than 26" 541mm) is about the same diameter as a 2.6" 26" tire. Lots lighter though. You can wedge 650b wheels into the back of a tons of "agressive" hardtails and into t/a RS and Fox forks. The xfusion forks are all "certified" for 650b use, the other ones work just fine, but don't have the euro impact testing done on them.
They feel wicked sweet.
Neat idea... I hate tires larger than a maxxis 2.5.