Zac.A Posted August 29, 2011 Share You need to watch more XC races - Jaroslav Kulhavy absolutely flattened the oppositon on a 29er this year. And a 29er duallie no less! I used to think 29er marathon - 26er xc but all bets are off after the 2011 xc season. That said - your are right - try both and buy the one you're fastest on (if you're racing), the one that's most comfortable (if you're scared of technical stuff) or enjoy most (if you ride purely for the fun of it). I watched every one in fact, i noticed at on of the courses, the boringish one, cant remember on the dry alps, anyway, wasn't that technical, Kulhavy broke away on the 1st lap and he can only break away like that because of the 29er, and his supreme awesomeness, but the fact is, is that if he is pedaling at 80r/pm and nino schurter is also at 80r/pm kulhavy is going to put distance on them. I also think that the riders are riding what the sponsors want them too.All the spez riders are using 29ers, (maybe not todd wells, not sure) Spez wants people to see that and then they want a 29er because the "all" the pro's are riding them. Schurter and Absalon - 26er.CFR guys - do they ride 29ers? But anyway, maybe they are more technically skilled, Schurter uses the 26er in conjunction with his technical prowess and that gives him even more of an advantage. Fluckigers ride 26er dual sus. It all depends on the rider, what they want and what they need. (plus their sponsors needs+wants.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heed0 Posted August 29, 2011 Share If that is your problem, wheel size should be your last concern. Rather hang out on the Training & Nutrition forum. L L Edited August 29, 2011 by heed0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceres Posted August 29, 2011 Share If that is your problem, wheel size should be your last concern. Rather hang out on the Training & Nutrition forum. Imagine if she took her training wheels off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramrod Posted August 29, 2011 Share Hahahaha. Guess who's been attending comedy classes. Edited August 29, 2011 by specializedfan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted August 30, 2011 Share I watched every one in fact, i noticed at on of the courses, the boringish one, cant remember on the dry alps, anyway, wasn't that technical, Kulhavy broke away on the 1st lap and he can only break away like that because of the 29er, and his supreme awesomeness, but the fact is, is that if he is pedaling at 80r/pm and nino schurter is also at 80r/pm kulhavy is going to put distance on them.I also think that the riders are riding what the sponsors want them too.All the spez riders are using 29ers, (maybe not todd wells, not sure) Spez wants people to see that and then they want a 29er because the "all" the pro's are riding them. Schurter and Absalon - 26er.CFR guys - do they ride 29ers? But anyway, maybe they are more technically skilled, Schurter uses the 26er in conjunction with his technical prowess and that gives him even more of an advantage. Fluckigers ride 26er dual sus. It all depends on the rider, what they want and what they need. (plus their sponsors needs+wants.) That statement makes no sense - if Shurter wanted to go faster and he was at 80rpm then he would have....changed gear! Wheel size has nothing to do with gearing and RPM - the pros will pick what ratios they want for each race. None of us will really know if the pros ride what they want or what to sponsor wants - my point was that the olde "29er for marathon - 26er for xc" chestnut no longer applies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me-rider Posted August 30, 2011 Share All I know is the 29er has done wonders for the second hand 26er stock... Thanks 29er. In a few years when we go back to 26ers I will pick up a bargain on second hand 29er. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoBigBen Posted August 30, 2011 Share Where can I buy a 31er? Me wants iit Kry vir jou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNOSE_E Posted August 30, 2011 Share That statement makes no sense - if Shurter wanted to go faster and he was at 80rpm then he would have....changed gear! Wheel size has nothing to do with gearing and RPM - the pros will pick what ratios they want for each race. None of us will really know if the pros ride what they want or what to sponsor wants - my point was that the olde "29er for marathon - 26er for xc" chestnut no longer applies... From what I gather the riders choose what to ride before the race. I noticed that most of the xc riders in Pmb this year where doing timed laps with both 26 and 29er bikes during practice on the friday. So I think it is very much course and rider dependent for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted August 30, 2011 Share That statement makes no sense - if Shurter wanted to go faster and he was at 80rpm then he would have....changed gear! Wheel size has nothing to do with gearing and RPM - the pros will pick what ratios they want for each race. None of us will really know if the pros ride what they want or what to sponsor wants - my point was that the olde "29er for marathon - 26er for xc" chestnut no longer applies... Glad to see somebody has a bit of sense... anyway - if gearing were the same (ito sprocket size on cassette & chainring) across the 6'er & 9'er, then for a given speed the 9'er rider's cadence would be less than the 6'ers. Power output, at that speed, would be the same (all things being equal) BUT - and this is the big one - EFFICIENCY on the 6er could be seen as higher, due to the higher rate of cadence and the lesser load on each pedal stroke to achieve the same speed as the 9er. Same power output at the speed, but less needed on each pedal stroke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTB_Roadie Posted August 30, 2011 Share The 29er was difficult in the beginning on short steep climbs...I got past that and can now do them, as there was a few at the Gravel Travel...so it means I got stronger. It also helps my road cycling a lot!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoBigBen Posted August 30, 2011 Share I doubt a rider of Christoph Sauser's stature will let them make him ride what he doesn't want to! He chooses his weapon according to what feels right for him I'm sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted August 30, 2011 Share The 29er was difficult in the beginning on short steep climbs...I got past that and can now do them, as there was a few at the Gravel Travel...so it means I got stronger. It also helps my road cycling a lot!! That probably would have been due to the use of the same casette/chainring combo (or the ratio between them was the same) as on your 6'er. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTB_Roadie Posted August 30, 2011 Share That probably would have been due to the use of the same casette/chainring combo (or the ratio between them was the same) as on your 6'er. EXACTLY!! But when I got used to it....it makes a big difference...on flat sections etc...I can pull away from the 26er's with ease. Honestly i think if you haven't tried a 29er for at least a month, you won't know what to comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted August 30, 2011 Share EXACTLY!! But when I got used to it....it makes a big difference...on flat sections etc...I can pull away from the 26er's with ease. Honestly i think if you haven't tried a 29er for at least a month, you won't know what to comment. LOL! The pulling away with ease bit is thanks to your extra training, not the bigger wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted August 30, 2011 Share From what I gather the riders choose what to ride before the race. I noticed that most of the xc riders in Pmb this year where doing timed laps with both 26 and 29er bikes during practice on the friday. So I think it is very much course and rider dependent for them. Now that makes sense to me. Try both bikes (maybe even duallie versus single) and see which one works best for the course. I think the Spesh riders have quite an advantage here - Spesh seem to provide their riders with loads of choice and leave it up to the riders to decide. Sauser loves his 26er hardtail, Burry the 29er hardtail (although he's been seen on his 26er a few times) and Kulhavy likes the 29er duallie. @capemayhem - agreed. Efficiency and RPM are hard data on paper but in action riders tend to ignore them - Armstrong versus Ullrich will always be the epitome of petrol versus diesel :-) Alas us real world athletes don't have the luxury of multiple bikes and bike testing. Me - I'm a 29er hardtail rider. Maybe if I get an entry to Epic or Jhb2c I'll consider a 29er duallie but for anything under 5 days and not too rough I reckon the 29er hardtail is the best bang for buck. I am in Jhb though - the Cape brigade might differ as I might if I lived down there. Maybe a 26 hardtail thats nice and flickable in tight technical stuff... I still content there doesn't need to be a 26 versus 29 debate - in the same way that hardtail, sofrtail or duallie are options - little or big wheels are options. The difference between 26, 29, soft/hard or duallie or tiny. 3 good weeks of training will easily outdo any advantage the bike multiple options could offer you. There are no short cuts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted August 30, 2011 Share Now that makes sense to me. Try both bikes (maybe even duallie versus single) and see which one works best for the course. I think the Spesh riders have quite an advantage here - Spesh seem to provide their riders with loads of choice and leave it up to the riders to decide. Sauser loves his 26er hardtail, Burry the 29er hardtail (although he's been seen on his 26er a few times) and Kulhavy likes the 29er duallie. @capemayhem - agreed. Efficiency and RPM are hard data on paper but in action riders tend to ignore them - Armstrong versus Ullrich will always be the epitome of petrol versus diesel :-) Alas us real world athletes don't have the luxury of multiple bikes and bike testing. Me - I'm a 29er hardtail rider. Maybe if I get an entry to Epic or Jhb2c I'll consider a 29er duallie but for anything under 5 days and not too rough I reckon the 29er hardtail is the best bang for buck. I am in Jhb though - the Cape brigade might differ as I might if I lived down there. Maybe a 26 hardtail thats nice and flickable in tight technical stuff... I still content there doesn't need to be a 26 versus 29 debate - in the same way that hardtail, sofrtail or duallie are options - little or big wheels are options. The difference between 26, 29, soft/hard or duallie or tiny. 3 good weeks of training will easily outdo any advantage the bike multiple options could offer you. There are no short cuts! So right, Eldron! I'm a 6er devotee at the moment, purely because I don't see the need to migrate to something different purely because everyone else says it's fantastic. Plus, it works for me! And I love my bike. Pure & simple. The amount of training I could do to improve my riding (read fitness levels) would GROSSLY outweigh any potential advantage I could gain through moving to a lighter bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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