The 29er has breathed life back into a dead segment in Mtbiking. However I think take the aspirational and financial aspect out of it and 95% of people will be on FS bikes.However this is life, and those 2 points are probably the largest deciding facturs. A HT will never be a FS, not even If it has 29inch wheels. Yes swing a leg over a HT and it will always feel slightly more responsive and faster, Yes a 29er rolls smoother than a 26er and If you have no point of reference your opinion is just that. An opinion. I did the Karoo to coast back to back, one year on a 5" 12kg bike, and the next year on a 9.5kg HT, I was faster on the FS. but obviously.. this is just me 4:10 is far from the top 10, but the K2C is a hardtail race right? I had a long chat to someone in one of the top 2 teams after the epic this year and asked how the top 2 teams were so much faster than the rest of thefield..he said, "its because our bike sponsors have a lightweight 29er FS bike to offer"... With my whole heart I wanted to beleve it was because they were stronger, better.. but that was what he said. He said the otherguys only lasted 3- 3:30 hours.. before the fatigue set in. Of course even his opinion could be taken with a pinch of salt. Especially since he trades FS for HT on some races..and that he only raced HT a few years ago. But the fact is perhaps if the question is outright, which is best, surely someone with no aspiration other than winning, and no financial implication would tell the truth? I agree with Dangle that these threads turn out in a shouting match of personal preferences, Joe Dirt sais, "I finished the epic on a 29er HT and I was fine blah blah", of course its possible, and since you were not able to race yourself on a FS, no one would ever know If you could have been faster on a FS. HT.. Do-able, YES! FUN sometimes FS? Im biased
