Greg Minnaar's answer to the 29er/26 debate

[N0madADV]

AWESOME ... gotta love hitting buck jumps with road bars - it feels so crap! Like wheelieing a road bike! It just feels wrong!

 

And i agree with you on the "not about the bike" thing you could give burry or greg a tricycle or a JD bug and they'd still show up most okes.

 

If you have the skill it will show no matter what bike you ride. I personally think okes get WAY too influenced by the sales pitch that BIKE A is better than BIKE B ... be it 29vs29 or 26vs26 or 26vs29 or hartail vs fullsus ... if a saleman is good enough he could probably sell some guys a BMX and they'd think its the bees knees for XC! ...

 

Learn to RIDE first! then you dont need to worry about the small changes between bikes! The type of bike can make you faster! but if your riding style sucks ... you are always gonna suck! no matter what the bike!

 

Now you talking my language!!!

[Guest Omega Man]

As i said its 99% skill and 1% bike and world cup races and won by far less than 1% difference

Dude you're wasting your time. The hub is the home of w@nkers who don't realize that their crosscunt races are actually just dirt road races and use their 29ers to ass drag a new corner on the trails at Tokai cos the other corner was bit rocky and too tight.

Edited November 22, 2011 by Omega Man

[rouxtjie]

Daarsy daarsy....gentleman start your engines

[Pronutro]

If it's not about the bike, and you have gone into a shop and NOT bought the least expensive bike (for the type of bike you want: road, MTB XC, MTB DH, etc), then I have to wonder how much you truly believe it.

 

"About the bike" is usually mentioned in relation to performance, aka, it's not about the bike (when it comes to matters of performance). Well, I hardly ever race, so feel little for performance. It IS "about the bike" for me, but for other reasons. I spend money because I like the bike, it looks pretty, it makes me feel happy, I like riding a particular one. Oh yes, it's about the bike ... I love bikes. I'll buy whichever one I like. If you assume that I bought it and am riding it for "performance", well, that's your prerogative.

 

You can go and buy a Dunlop MTB and then tell me it's not about the bike

 

Fully agreed that if we WANT to perform, then we need to learn to ride first, and worry about equipment as secondary. Some of us don't want to perform. We just want take a cruise around country side.

Edited November 22, 2011 by Pronutro

[nigelhicks]

It is about the bike...... Would Greg start his final run of the world champs on a cyclocross bike?

 

Yes I agree ... Greg would not start the Worlds race run on a cyclocross bike as he is going for a win. He COULD however ride a cyclocross bike (probably even a pennyfarthing) down the Worlds Course if he wanted too ... he wouldnt win ... BUT its his bike skill that allows him to be able to ride like that!

 

I seriously doubt that more than 5% of okes on ths hub have ever won a National medal or been top 5 overall at any stage race etc. That position is held for the elite crop of riders who train their asses off (and then get told what bike to ride by their sponsors)!

 

It is Joe Soap who comes in in the top 100 at the races who is the bread and butter of the cycling industry and it is this crop of riders who look for any "advantage" that the bike saleman pitches to them to help their riding. - AND as Pronutro says thats all good and well - if you love your bike and love spending money on it thats awesome! Go For it.

 

But remember A saleman cant sell SKILL ... (unless he's promoting a skills course). For Joe Soap I really doubt that they can feel the sublties of geometry between Bike A and Bike B. Its all mind over matter (like those Power balance bracelets) ... So ride what you think works for you as it is horse for courses -

 

BUT when you get th echance to watch the good guys ride (no matter what bike they on) ... just enjoy it ... cus its a Skill that you should aspire to gain!

Edited November 22, 2011 by nigelhicks

[Eldron]

It's ALL about the bike. Maybe not for the reasons you think but it is indeed ALL about the bike.

 

Pride of ownership rocks. It has diddly squat to do with whether it's the fastest bike for that particular purpose - it's just cool to own.

 

I would imagine less than 1% of riders actually buy bikes they think will be the fastest possible bike they can own. Some are brand lovers, some are value for money buyers, some are country conscious, some ride what their friends ride, some xc/dh/4x riders etc.

 

It's ALL about the bike, components, wheels, tyres, tyre pressure, bars, energy gels blah blah blah - cycling gives us the opportunity to buy and ride whatever we want and we do. It allows us to buy into the culture, be paret of a collective and pretend we're better off than the rest of society. ALL about the bike my friend.

[Weight Weenie]

Great, now please get him to start organising some 'Cross races in SA

[Pronutro]

 

It is Joe Soap who comes in in the top 100 at the races ...

 

 

 

This Joe(y) Soap?

 

[Iain Olivier]

www.bikeparks.co.za filmed our latest show in Karkloof yesterday and invited multiple world downhill champion Greg Minnaar to come film with us.

 

Greg and i got talking about the latest obsession around 29ers, i found this interesting coming from a guy that clearly knows what makes a bike good. His view is that a 26er is a better allround bike and he cant understand this craze around 29ers.

 

So just for fun he brought a Cyclocross bike 27" for the review road everything on the trail. This included 4 meter gap jumps, berms, rockgardens, bridges and drop offs.

 

I did not start this thread to open the nauseating 26er/29er debate but to say one thing:

Watching Greg ride things on his Cyclocross bike which i could not ride on my 150mm trail bike made me realize ITS NOT ABOUT THE BIKE

 

Keep watching www.bikeparks.co.za for the video its going to blow you away.

 

Bru, this sounds awesome! Post a link to this video on the hub, I cant wait to see it

[Lucky Luke.]

But a cyclocross bike is a 29er.

 

not this one, it was a 27er. Clearly far superior to 26 and 29ers.

[Pieterg]

Talent 90% and Bike 10%.It's the same with training people tell you its quality and not quantity. But why do TDF riders train 8 hours a day and we can’t even train 2hours, then people tell you you’re over trained.

[Headshot]

Once again you guys are missing the point. ITS NOT ABOUT THE BIKE.

 

BTW if you have ever ridden with Greg you will know he is an allround good mountain biker with top end of the field finishes in Sani2C

Thats is true - in 07 when I rode it he was a machine. Amazing rider all round.

 

My first experience of singletrack was on my ancient Sekai road bike (with fatish tyres) in about 1994 - took it for a blast round the green belt after my friends on real early MTB's - it worked well until the drop bar broke...

[nigelhicks]

This Joe(y) Soap?

 

 

hahahaahahahahahhaha yip thats him!!. ... ahahaha

 

Pin it out the start - get to the first obstacle and eat ****! hahahahahaha - you see Skills is what you need! hahahahaha

Edited November 22, 2011 by nigelhicks

[javadude]

hahahaahahahahahhaha yip thats him!!. ... ahahaha

 

Pin it out the start - get to the first obstacle and eat ****! hahahahahaha - you see Skills is what you need! hahahahaha

 

LOL. Cyclocross is one of the more graceful forms of cycling.

[Shebeen]

[LazyTrailRider]

But remember A saleman cant sell SKILL ...

 

Except if he's selling an Intense M3/6/9. Those come bundled with skill as a feature. I've experienced it first hand. The balls (which are also required) are another matter...

Edited November 22, 2011 by Martin Hattingh