Looking for a new bike? The bike industry certainly hopes you are… You probably need to upgrade to a full suspension, or to go back to a hardtail. Maybe you’re finally ready to go carbon, (or Ti if you’re really cool), or more than likely you’re looking at moving to the 29er.
Personally, I’ve resisted the 29er revolution so far. I have pals who swear by them, who kick my butt on them, saying things like ‘it’s way faster than my old 26″ bike’, or ‘it climbs way better than any 26″!’
To date though, I’ve been buying into the counter-proganda, citing the additional weight, and the decreased agility as the big reasons to not go 29er. I will also admit, the first time I saw a 29er was when I got to go on a group ride with Gary Fisher himself. He was riding the Gary Fisher Hi-Fi Delux and as cool as I thought he was, I found the big wheels really awkward looking – and to be honest I still sort of do. I even snubbed my nose when people pointed out how many pros have made the jump, assuming it was just symptomatic of the team sponsors, the manufacturers mandating the pros to ride them – thinking this is hardly an endorsement for the technology, or we’d see all the pros racing them.
I remember sitting around with my pal Ken a year or so ago, talking about how that somehow we’d like to see lap vs. lap comparisons of 26″ vs. the 29″, ridden by the same riders. Then you’d see if the 29ers were faster, or not… Well, to this day I still haven’t seen any such report, but recently Geoff Kabush posted a short blog post on the subject, and it might be the next best thing. According to Geoff, he’s free to ride whichever bike he wants, and within the Scott bike lineup, the 26ers and 29ers are comparably equipped making them fair for his own comparison purposes. So, after thoroughly testing both bike technologies, what did he choose for his first BIG season with Scott? He chose the 29er. That to me speaks volumes.
You can read the blog post here. Geoff explains the pros and cons as he sees them, and his rational for choosing the big wheels. Well worth the read.
Also, another good article here, from Bike 198.
Well I am officially a member of the 29er club. On Wednesday I bought a Trek Superfly full suspension carbon fibre 29er. It weighs 27 pounds with flats on it. I have been on two rides with it so far and I like it. It rolls over roots better. on downhills it seems faster. I found it good when climbing and lots more traction.It does take a bit more effort to get it rolling.I will try it on a fat tire tuesday race one day.
My go to racing bike is still my Rocky Mountain Element 70RSL (26er) full suspension carbon fibre bike that weighs 25 pounds with flats. This is a bike that feels like it was built for me.
So why did I get the 29er? why not I am single and have money so I am going to live life to the fullest and have fun and in doing so I have two realy good bikes to ride and have fun with. I also have versatility for certain courses.
@Jeff, Nice work, buddy! I hope to see you out there this Tuesday so I can check it out. You better not by running flats on that thing…
Check out http://singletrackworld.com
There are a boatload of head to head 26″ vs. 29″ shoot outs.
Typical result is the 29er both feels and is faster (based on lap times) but then the debates of test objectivity arise (same power output, course conditions, etc.).
The next ‘innovation’ will be the 650b (27.5″) wheel set. NoTubes is already making them and they’ve won a World Cup. So 29ers are already outdated.
Nothing is outdated if it is your personally preferred design. I am no racer, or even a highly experienced rider so my opinions are that of a “novice”. I just bought a 29er (just a trek Mamba). Maybe I have 50 miles on it over the past 2.5 weeks.
Is it better? It does take a bit getting used to.
I went from a 17/17.5″ frame with 26ers to a 15.5″ frame with the 29ers. For stand over height and also felt that I could throw the bike better. The 17.5″ frame with the 9ers was fine as long as I remained upright and secure – but when pushed to limits and needed to really muscle the bike, the smaller frame with the larger wheels felt more maneuverable to me.