[CreeP]

exhibit a: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=1980&goto=nextnewest

?

why are they so bloody enthusiastic? are all americans 9 foot 8? how are you supposed to maneuver a steamship through a rockgarden? I'd much rather a lightweight 'jetski'.

exhibit b: a friend made a post over at weight weenies about 24 vs 26 inch and the lone responder told 'm to get 29"ers

I can't understand; a properly designed 24 should roll super fast, the wheel will be stronger, and the overall setup will be lighter.

why why why why with all this 29 stuff? Esspecially when it's so hard to find a selection of 24" stuff, they go and introduce another size which people are for godknowswhat reason are all over like flies on the proverbial cowpatty.

if i sound a little irate it's because i am. That thread there i linked to at the top pushed me over the edge.

 

[mtnbikej]

There are a few reasons......

1. Once they are moving, 29" wheels roll faster. I can out-coast my buddies on my 29er while they are on there 26".

2. With a larger diameter wheel, small bumps disappear. Your wheel doe not go as deep into holes, ditches, stutter bumps, washboards.

Take a look over at the Gary Fisher website. They do a great job at expaining the advantages of 29ers.

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bikes/series.asp?series=29er

 

[rockracing]

they're great untill you get a puncture and go down to your LBS and ask for a 29" MTB tube...........

 

[recidivist]

Yeah. It's a trend. So what?

Three or four years ago it was cyclocross. Then racing full-sus and singlespeed, then hardcore hardtails, then trail bikes. Now its 29ers and carbon fiber (for the shavers). Next year it'll be unicycles or road bikes or something insane like that.

Remember that 29" isn't totally random. I think it's an outshoot of the resurgence of cyclocross a few years back. Folks got comfortable (again) with the idea of riding 700c off-road, and things sortof mutated back into the MTB form. First you add a little more tire clearance, then you drop the top tube, put on the riser bars. Hey, why not find a 700c x 50 tire? Ya know, this would be more fun with a suspension fork....

I won't even touch the technical aspects. Why worry? You can follow the trend, or not.

 

[blue]

I have one thing to say...DEATH TO 29ERS.


That is all.

 

[ioscope]

98%rider
2%bike

(5% margin of error, in which wheel size is considered)

 

[Mike B.]

they're great untill you get a puncture and go down to your LBS and ask for a 29" MTB tube...........

got to go tubeless :devil:

 

[blue]

29 inch bikes are only good on Euro XC races that might as well be called road racing...They're not technically manueverable at all, slow to accelerate, and its hard to find decent tires for them. They're also not too great with discs...flex like hell. Down with roadie wannabe XC bikes!

 

[Ridemonkey]

Just another standard and another fad that nobody needs.

 

[fonseca]

29 inch bikes are only good on Euro XC races that might as well be called road racing...They're not technically manueverable at all, slow to accelerate, and its hard to find decent tires for them. They're also not too great with discs...flex like hell. Down with roadie wannabe XC bikes!

Only Euro? Have you ever been to a norba xc race? I don't know why they even bother with suspension.

I don't own one, but I have put time on a karate monkey. It's very technically manueverable. In fact it was a lot of fun to ride and carved through singletrack. And with discs it definitely did not "flex like hell", I didn't notice any additional flex over comparably-built 26" wheels.

The lack of tire, fork and rim choices is why I haven't bought one.

You should try riding one.

 

[riderx]

exhibit a: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=1980&goto=nextnewest
if i sound a little irate it's because i am. That thread there i linked to at the top pushed me over the edge.

If that pushes you over the edge you need to hit the pipe, have a beer and ride your bike more. :evil:

 

[DVNT]

I think it would only be truly beneficial in endurance racing.
I think I read that the top 5 out of 7 finishers in the great divide race were on hardtail 29er's.

(embarrasing bit of mtbr trivia *sulks back into chair*)

 

[indieboy]

29 inch bikes are only good on Euro XC races that might as well be called road racing...They're not technically manueverable at all, slow to accelerate, and its hard to find decent tires for them. They're also not too great with discs...flex like hell. Down with roadie wannabe XC bikes!

you are so misinformed about almost everything it's sad

 

[SkaredShtles]

29"-ers have been around for friggin' *YEARS.* They're a niche market and probably always will be. Every now and again someone gets a wild hair and they start babbling about 'em for awhile.

Then they go back in the closet and the 29"-er riders go about in blissful anonymity.

-S.S.-

 

[slowSSer]

Just another standard and another fad that nobody needs.

dont knock it untill youve tried it...or some old tired chiche.

the best parts have been mentioned, the bumps, coasting, etc. but the lower rolling resistance is killer. a fad? dont care- obviously. hell, to top it off, mine is a single speed with lots of odd parts like 180mm cranks, a 33:21 ratio, and lets not forget the 21 tooth boone jhewelry of a rear cog.

 

[DVNT]

any pics?

posted elsewhere perhaps?

 

[NastySid]

You can use a standard 28 innertube if you dont have monster wide tires on your 29"
Shop i work at stock 29" tubes =)

Tirechoice and forks are limited 's true.. But when/if more people buy them more stuff will come..

And you can use standard 700c tires on your 29" for instance cyclocross or hubrid tires so you're never really stuck.. Unless you want some real ultra traction mtb version of super swampers

 

[blue]

You should try riding one.

I have...It was one of those GF hardtail rigs...demo'd it for a loop at SH...sucked balls.

 

[slowSSer]

any pics?

posted elsewhere perhaps?

her ya go! things have changed since the pic was taken:
no bash ring
avids got switched to hopes
candys instead of times.

 

[ito]

I've got one, it is currently my favorite bike.

Surly Karate Monkey, rigid and singlespeed and steel. Despite the no suspension I've had no problem riding fast down some faily tech trails(if you've been in Santa Barbara you know that trails like Jesusita are fairly tight, that and Santa Cruz singletrack is where it gets used and abused). I can throw on a pair of road tires for the weekend and even completed my first ever century on it. It has a track gear on one side of the flip flop hub and I ride around the city brakeless and have even done some fixed gear off roading with it. While it certainly isn't the best tool for everything it works quite well. It's the most capable bike I've ever ridden and probably the most fun I've ever had on two wheels, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It also jumps decently well and while I can't table for crap I've busted some pretty big whips with it on smaller doubles. Also getting tubes isn't a problem as I can buy a 40mmx700c road tube and it works just fine for the big tires and the smaller road tires I have(2.1x29 and 23x700), pretty good range. I do wish there was more tire selection, apperently there are some 2.5's coming out next year, I'll probably pick them up. It isn't a bike for everyone, but if you want one bike that will last you the rest of your life then this would probably be it.

As for sizing, I'm 5'7" and a 16 inch is great for me. The wheels aren't that flexy(I also built the wheels myself, first time ever doing that) and handle plenty of abuse. I have had to true them, but I put that up more to a sloppy build and trying to bunnyhop rail road tracks with a fixed gear and road tires.

Oh, some pics.....*EDIT*...no pics, can't find them



The Ito

 

[recidivist]

I've got one, it is currently my favorite bike.

Surly Karate Monkey, rigid and singlespeed and steel.

Just for reference, what sort of gear ratios you running on that thing?

 

[DVNT]

her ya go! things have changed since the pic was taken:
no bash ring
avids got switched to hopes
candys instead of times.

Nice ride. Who makes that? Is it a Sofa King?
(somebody stole my name! SOuthern Freeride Association)

I was looking at the GF site. Man those Sugars are Fugly!
I've been considering the 29'ers as I am doing more endurance racing and may get a new ride next year.

 

[slowSSer]

Nice ride. Who makes that? Is it a Sofa King?
(somebody stole my name! SOuthern Freeride Association)

I was looking at the GF site. Man those Sugars are Fugly!
I've been considering the 29'ers as I am doing more endurance racing and may get a new ride next year.

yes on sofa king. pat makes a great frame. thanks for the compliment!

 

[wooglin]

Just for reference, what sort of gear ratios you running on that thing?

I run 32x20 on my ss 29er. Thats nearly identical to a 32x18 on 26" wheels. In general, add 2 more cog teeth to a 29er for the same gear inches.

 

[Fulton]

a guy i ride with has a custom, strong cycles 29er, with a steel rigid fork. It rides as smooth as a 3" travel 26" full suspension bike, no joke. I'm all for 29er's, and my next xc frame will be one. It's growing, there have been lots of new product this last year or so, especially at interbike. Marzocchi, white brothers, and rock shox all make 29er suspension forks, there are now alot more tires available.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

Jeez, boone cogs too, this is starting to sound like the guys the mtbreview forums. BTW is a great place to watch people get ganged up on by guys who spend more time talking about their newest fad then riding it.
"Could you pass me my polished titanium seatpost? 'Tis over there by the Grey Poupon".
Ridemonkey rocks.
Peace

 

[genpowell71]

29 inch wheels? Take a look at my signature and adhere to it's advice. Besides, it's MTBR. Aside from trails, reviews and classifieds what else do they offer? The postings in there are sounding likes bunch of *itches anyway. THats why I switched to this place.

 

[ito]

Just for reference, what sort of gear ratios you running on that thing?

32/16 for the freewheel and 32/13 with a fixed gear. It works well enough, but it's a little low for road riding and on some trails I could use some more power on the flats.

The Ito

 

[riderx]

29 inch bikes are only good on Euro XC races that might as well be called road racing...They're not technically manueverable at all, slow to accelerate, and its hard to find decent tires for them. They're also not too great with discs...flex like hell. Down with roadie wannabe XC bikes!

Yeah, those 29ers just suck.

 

[blue]

Yeah, those 29ers just suck.

...so? Just because someone won a race on it doesn't make it a good bike. The bike is a very small percentage of winning, and if I don't like riding it, why ride it?

Lance Armstrong won 5 TDF's on a CF Trek, but do you ride a CF Trek?

I've also decided I'm willing to admit that a rigid SS is where a 29er makes sense...Karate Monkey! Yay!

Suspension+gears+29er=DEATH. SHOO! BACK TO FISHER WITH YOU!

 

[riderx]

...so? Just because someone won a race on it doesn't make it a good bike. The bike is a very small percentage of winning, and if I don't like riding it, why ride it?

Lance Armstrong won 5 TDF's on a CF Trek, but do you ride a CF Trek?

I've also decided I'm willing to admit that a rigid SS is where a 29er makes sense...Karate Monkey! Yay!

Suspension+gears+29er=DEATH. SHOO! BACK TO FISHER WITH YOU!

Thanks for annilating your own arguement from earlier on where you paint all 29ers with the same brush. Personally I don't dig on the Fisher geometry whether it's got 26 inch wheels or 29.

Point is, that dude smoked a course that is nothing like "Euro XC races that might as well be called road racing" that you claim are the only thing 29ers are good for. Glad to see you admit you were wrong.

Game. Set. Match. :nuts:

 

[blue]

No...That is the one exception to the rule in my book. Bigger wheels+SS+Rigid=more impact absorption and better rolling. On a geared suspension bike, you really don't need it at all. If bigger wheels are so good, why aren't we on 32 inch wheels? That SS will still manuever like hell, but the benefits of 29ing it outweigh the reduced manueverability. In any other application, however, it fails.

 

[ito]

I'll add my own comment about the Fishers:

I rode one of the 29 inch Sugars at the shop I worked at and hated it. This didn't surprise me as I'm not a big fisher fan, but with suspension the idea of a 29er makes no since. If you look on the Surly site they admit that most 29ers ride like tanks and the Fisher is certainly one of those bikes. My monkey isn't all that nimble, but it makes some pretty tight turns on the local switch backs and is surprisingly flickable at speed. Rigid and SS all the way, only way to ride trails!

The Ito

 

[blue]

Exxactly...Though I tend to like gears and suspension, if I feel sadistic some days I wish I had a decent SS to take out...

 

[riderx]

No...That is the one exception to the rule in my book. Bigger wheels+SS+Rigid=more impact absorption and better rolling. On a geared suspension bike, you really don't need it at all. If bigger wheels are so good, why aren't we on 32 inch wheels? That SS will still manuever like hell, but the benefits of 29ing it outweigh the reduced manueverability. In any other application, however, it fails.

Do a little research and you'll find out why 26" wheels are the MTB standard. Hint: it has to do with the history of MTB and the balloon tired bikes that started it all. Does that mean 29" is the shi+? Of course not. But if smaller wheels are better why aren't you riding 24"??? Horses for courses, different strokes for different folks.

Manuever like hell? Another blanket statement? I tell you what, I have a Kelly Ro Sham Bo that handles pretty snappy and far better than the early generation 26" MTB's. There's more to the equation than wheel size. Try frame design and geometry for starters.

I'm no 29er zealot, I still ride 26". One bike doesn't fill all of my needs.

 

[blue]

26" strikes the balance. Decent rolling along with decent manueverability, it's good for everything in most applications. 29 is a very small niche in MTB, that being SS, and outside of MTB....ROAD. Maybe I'm just partial to keeping roadies and mtbs seperate (Bike KKK anyone?), but one of the biggest differences between mtbs and road bikes has been tire sizes...have to keep with the tough guy appearances...

Enough beating the horse...

I'm also rather confused...why do they call it a 29 when its just a 27 and then add in tire size? Why not stop confusing people and just call it either a 700c or a 27 inch.

 

[ito]

I'm also rather confused...why do they call it a 29 when its just a 27 and then add in tire size? Why not stop confusing people and just call it either a 700c or a 27 inch.

Cause Mr. Fisher decided he needed some marketing campaign. Though I believe if you measure a "26" wheel you need the tire to make it 26", so it's the same idea. It makes since, but it got me all confused when I was trying to order rims for my bike, couldn't figure out if I could use cross rims or not.

The Ito

 

[riderx]

if you measure a "26" wheel you need the tire to make it 26", so it's the same idea.

Yep, that's right. I don't think GF came up with the 29er name though. 29er makes it clear you aren't talking about cross/road tires. Just an FYI, 700c does not = 27" either.

 

[Mike Stone]

I also have a Kelly Ro Sham Bo, mine has the Gary Fisher-spec Marzocchi forks, Mavic Cosmo wheels, Dura-Ace rear and XTR front derailleurs set up with STI.

I have ridden the bike for 24 days straight on a loop through Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, and another loop of 17 days through Honduras. About 60% jeep trails and dirt road and 40% pavement. Many dirt passes 6000 - 9000' over the mountains. The bike works excellent for this application, with the advantages of reduced drag, excellent handling on winding paved descents, and an efficient riding position.

However, I would not feel comfortable riding it on technical New England trails due to reduced maneuverability, higher center of gravity, and reduced traction on slippery surfaces.

more info on my trips at http://www.outlawbicycles.com/mike/miketrip.htm

 

[BikeFan84]

I think that the majority of people who are nocking on 29ers,
A: Have never ridden them
B: Don't have rocks where they live
C: Are 14 yr old Punk A$$ bitc hes
or D: Don't ride at all

Do not nock untill you try it, its not for eveyone, but people 5'10" and over it is more than awesome

Coming from a guy that races DH, C-X, rides vert, dirt, street, I do it all on all different bike, true 29ers are specific for XC but they work really well for that :evil: