[mandown]

So I put a leg over two 29's this weekend for test rides. I've not been on such a steed before and it was an interesting experience... and it was fun

I went to Cynergy (a Santa Monica bike shop) and checked out the Bianchi Rita in a 17" size.
Link

I also checked out a Niner S.I.R.9 in a medium size
Link

Both bikes were set up as single speeds. I saddled up each one for a ride around the block from the shop.

The Bianchi felt good. It felt like a natural transition from a 26 hardtail. The SIR9 felt good too. It was a bit odd for me with a narrower bar than I like, but it felt fun overall. I think if it had a wider bar I would have been sold (except for the retard-sized price tag of $2,300 for a rigid singlespeed).

On each bike, I felt comfortable and "in" the bike, not "on" it. On each bike, I also got my size 13 shoes buzzed by the front tire when turning. I'm guessing that I would be better suited a size up on each frame. Anyone with real-world advice to confirm or dispute this?

I also felt a bit upright, though comfortably so, on each ride. Again, I think a size up would put me in a more traditional "better" posture for riding. Anyone care to comment?

I'm loving the idea of a rigid steel single-speed 29. I figure if I'm gonna be an odd duck, I should be the oddest. Anyone care to comment on other bikes to consider, and/or how different those bikes handle from the ones I tried? (I'm interested in the Vassago Jabberwocky - the pix make me feel fuzzy)

 

[MMcG]

How tall are you? With size 13" feet I'm guessing at least in the 6 foot or six foot plus range? If so, maybe the next size up woulda been a better match for you?

 

[MMcG]

Oh and what's your budget for a 29er? That would help with our ability to make recommendations as well.

 

[mandown]

Yeah, that info would be good.
I'm 6'1". They didn't have another size up, so I couldn't exercise that option. They did have a specialized that with a 23" ST. WTF? Who is that for - Andre the Giant?

 

[MMcG]

6'1" - you may have felt better on a Large Niner and a 19" Bianchi - hard to say.

Are you currently rocking that Bottlerocket in your Avatar?

What's your budget?

 

[bfrich]

I'm 6'1" and ride a Niner One9 in XL. It feels perfect - I have been on it for about one year - raced it at the Shenandoah MTN 100 last year - felt great. It's not rigid I'm running a Reba.

 

[MMcG]

Something cool coming from Niner in 08 I read about today is they will be offering an OEM U-Turn Reba with their bikes. Adjustable from 70 to 100mm and anywhere in between. Cool stuff.

 

[douglas]

6ft here, and have a 19" Monocog 29er & a 20" El Mariachi 29er & really dig both of them.

 

[mandown]

Thanks for all the love gang

I'd love to keep this thing under $1,000, but I could possibly go as high as $1,500 for this rig. I've looked at a few 29 rigid singlespeeds and came up with a geo comparison chart (attached - I had to make a few guesses for ETT vs. TT measurement from unclear website info I found). It looks like the Kona and the Monocog Flight would be my best bet for the $1,000 target. I'd have to build a Jabberwocky, but I do have a number of parts at home that I could work with from my 26 collection (wheels and tires would be my biggest other items to purchase).

I like short seat tubes, so the 18" Jabber has my vote in that department as the best ST to TTT ratio for what I would be comfy on (with a 26 rig background). The Jabber also has a slack HA and long WB (thanks to the HA and long CS measurements).

I'm coming from a background of riding a 16.5 (large) bottlerocket with a dual crown, so this will be a bit of an adjustment. Throw out some advice so I may benefit from your experience I like the idea of buying a complete bike, as it will let me test ride it, and the package price will be lower. However, that also comes with the cost "upgrades" later (we always want to upgrade the stock stuff). Anyone in SoCal willing to take me out for a test ride will be compensated.

 

[MMcG]

How close are you to the Path Bike shop in Southern Cal? Anywhere within driving distance? If so, that's probably a great place to go to test different frames/bikes etc.

 

[MMcG]

A 19" Redline Flight might be a nice bike for you. Or the 18" Jabberwocky,

I think the seat tube angle on the Konas is more like 73 degrees rather than the 74.2 or whatever they list on line.

Tons of options and probably even more post-interbike.

 

[mandown]

How close are you to the Path Bike shop in Southern Cal? Anywhere within driving distance? If so, that's probably a great place to go to test different frames/bikes etc.

I'm not far from The Path, and I've bought from them before. I'm not sure how much they have in the shop, as it isn't much bigger than a shoebox.

I forgot to throw the On*One option in the chart. Time to dig on that for a minute too.

 

[MMcG]

I've owned an Inbred and they are sweet bikes. Some complete packages are available right now that are great values. Check jensonusa.com and pricepoint.com for more on the complete Inbred dealios.

 

[tozovr]

The Rita rocks....great overall package for $1400 or so.

 

[jncarpenter]

Also, I believe the Mariachi is available through QBP (most lbs's) for a MSRP of ~$1500.

 

[douglas]

Also, I believe the Mariachi is available through QBP (most lbs's) for a MSRP of ~$1500.

http://www.webcyclery.com/product.php?productid=18028&cat=0&page=

 

[tozovr]

Yeah the El mar is a sweet deal should you go rigid...such a sweet ride.

 

[greenchris]

if you were lookin at the sir9 you should check out the gary fisher ferrous. steel frame, reba, and some nice components for a retail price of 1900ish. I got mine for a lot cheaper as deals can always be had.
I love the ferrous. It rides amazing and is super strong. I'm a big dude and ride hard and the ferrous has came to play every ride.

 

[Leethal]

Haro Mary SS!!!Love mine.

I'm 6'1" and ride the 18 no tire buzz here but only an 11/11.5 shoe--

 

[MMcG]

The Mary is another great bang for the buck bike in terms of a rigid SS hardtail!

Cool to hear that the 18" fits you so well at 6'1" Leethal.

At 5'9" I think the 16" would do the trick for me if I were to go the Haro route.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[jncarpenter]

GOOD DEAL ON AN EL 'CHI FRAME/ FORK

 

[MMcG]

GOOD DEAL ON AN EL 'CHI FRAME/ FORK

Damn that is good! Too small for Mandown methinks........but it would fit me!

 

[mandown]

cool kids. thanks for all the advice. i had no idea there were so many options.

i'm considering a rigid fork. MMcG pointed me at a rig with a carbon fork from On-One. are there any issues with carbon forks i should be aware of? i've stayed away from carbon parts on my other rides. i'm thinking steel would be a better rigid fork option for the way i ride and treat my bikes.

 

[MMcG]

I think Brant put those On One forks through some pretty rigorous testing so it should be good to go.

 

[mandown]

^^^ webcyclery's site says there is no max rider weight for them.

looking at the on-one geo, i noticed something odd.
the 18" appears to be the right size, which has a 23.7 ETT. that is almost the same as the 23.8 ETT claimed on the SIR 9 that i liked in a medium. the on-one also has a 70* HA (which is the slackest i've seen on a 29) or a 73*, depending on which page you read. who knows the truth?

the jabber and the SIR have the lowest BB drop of any frames i've seen. i like the idea of a low BB height and i think the feel of the SIR was comfortable to me because it was low. anyone care to enlighten me on how this works?

i like the looks of the on-one, and the package price isn't bad, but i'm concerned about the slot-dropout & brake mount situation and the limitations of caliper selections. i'm also concerned that the ETT looks a bit short for the ST and the BB drop is 2.3 (vs. 2.8 on the SIR). that gives me the idea that it will be a bit twitchy. the CS appears to be a bit longer to accomodate for that, but the HA is also possibly a steep 73*. as MMcG pointed out, i'm currently on a Bottlerocket, and i like low, slack bikes.

thoughts?

 

[MMcG]

HT angle on the One One 18" will be 72 degrees and the On One fork is a great compliment to the frame - they go together very sweetly!

I used to own an 18" Inbred 29er - but at 5'9" it was a tad big for me.

 

[MMcG]

Also - the Inbred bottom bracket height is 12" or so - maybe higher with higher volume tires.

Also - the Vassago bb height may be higher than listed on the site - for what that's worth. Might want to inquire with the Vassago folks on that to be certain though.

I believe the Niner frames also come in right around a 12" bb height. I used to own an EMD 9

If you like a low bottom bracket - the Surly Karate Monkey sits at 11.5 or thereabouts. Too low in my opinion for the east coast, but it might be fine if you like low bb heights (maybe run shorter crank arms?).

 

[MMcG]

Here is good info on the slotted dropout Inbreds right from the On One Site
http://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=218

Geometry
16in - 23in tt - 29.8in standover, 642mm front centre
18in - 23.7in tt - 30.9in standover, 646mm front centre
19.5in - 24.4in tt - 31.5in standover, 665mm front centre
21in - 25.2in tt - 32.3in standover, 685mm front centre.

All have 73deg seat angles.
16in has 71deg head
18, 19.5, 21in have 72deg head
All have 58mm bb drop
Standover calculated using 360mm radius wheel, measured in the middle of the top tube.
TT is effective, horizontal, from the top surface of the head tube, horizontally backwards to the seat tube projected centreline.

Rear stays - 444mm from BB centre to rear dropout in mid position of sliding dropouts.
All frames with full gear routing, no brake bosses, slot dropouts.
Suspension corrected for 80 to 100mm forks - a/c dimension for this geometry - 470mm + headset
Seat tube extends 75mm above top tube centreline.

 

[mandown]

^yup, that was part of the confusing info. there is another location on the site with a chart that has conflicting numbers.

check this link
http://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=217

 

[MMcG]

^yup, that was part of the confusing info. there is another location on the site with a chart that has conflicting numbers.

check this link
http://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=217

Don't confuse their 26" single speed with their 29er!

 

[mandown]

son of a gun. if you go to this page
http://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=120&MMN_position=140:140

and click on the link "Slot Dropout Inbred 29" under the heading "Complete Bikes" it takes you to the 26" version. That is how I got all turned around.

 

[MMcG]

so it does - you should send Brant a note to correct the glitch

 

[ÆX]

my geo on my spez is right on.
it can be ss or use the gears it
comes with.

great bike for under 750!

 

[mandown]

Bringing this back from the grave...

I'm getting close to calling it a day with the big-bike. I'm getting tired of the effort required to hit the DH/FR trails in SoCal and I'm thinking I want to just sell off the Nicolai and get a single-speed 2wenty9iner and simplify.

how many of you have gone through this mid-bike-life crisis? did you ever look back? should i just buy a 29 and get it over with? should i hang on to my big-bike for occasional use, or just consider my time with 8" of 26-wheeled fun over?

 

[JohnE]

Never sell a bike...I have regretted it almost every time. Go 26 though...

 

[MMcG]

Never sell a bike...I have regretted it almost every time. Go 26 though...

If you are gonna go singlespeed - definitely consider the big hoops. They definitely help with SS riding IMO.

 

[NuMexJoe]

I'm with Mark on this one - I think 29ers are better for SSing. And if you can afford it, keep the big bike. Though you may be tired of it now, there are gonna be days you're gonna want to hit the big stuff.
- Joe

 

[pinkshirtphotos]

i gave up riding dh, sold my sunday and got a mary ss and a dirtbike. a win win for me

 

[mandown]

this topic is still on my mind. life has been busy, so a new bike hasn't been top priority (going to whistler this week is).

my current question - how agressive are y'all riding the 29ers? i know the trend looks like most are more XC oriented. the simon bar seems to be designed for more aggro riding on the rougher trails, but certainly not as a freeride beast. are people doing any small jumps/drops on their rigs? how do the frames/forks/wheels hold up to this kind of use?

 

[Snacks]

this topic is still on my mind. life has been busy, so a new bike hasn't been top priority (going to whistler this week is).

my current question - how agressive are y'all riding the 29ers? i know the trend looks like most are more XC oriented. the simon bar seems to be designed for more aggro riding on the rougher trails, but certainly not as a freeride beast. are people doing any small jumps/drops on their rigs? how do the frames/forks/wheels hold up to this kind of use?

I ride mine everywhere and take it off every drop, jump, log ride, bridge I can find, natural or not. My wheel set, hand built by Lumberjack in March '08, has held up just fine and I'm riding a HT. No issues with frame or fork although I probably will upgrade the fork to a Fox just because I'm a snob :biggrin: