26" 27.5" and 29" Wheels and mtb's.

[The Drongo]

I am going to start rioting to these 29v26 debates, ek is tot hie, if you okes don't stop, I am gonna whip my "wang" out.

 

Ok. Rubber bullets loaded and ready to rock !

 

Anything with a 'wang' or 29" is fair game.

[NotSoBigBen]

I am going to start rioting to these 29v26 debates, ek is tot hie, if you okes don't stop, I am gonna whip my "wang" out.

 

Alweer tot hie :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

"Dronk ou's" can be such spoilsports

[rouxtjie]

Ag nee man, we just started talking TITS and now you okes want to lock the fred

 

Killjoys!

[Wyatt Earp]

Ok. Rubber bullets loaded and ready to rock !

 

Anything with a 'wang' or 29" is fair game.

In South Africa JuJu and his mates sing Kill the Farmer, in Congo we sing everybody WANG Chung tonight.

[pawpaw]

Your knowledge of physics should be left out of this, unfortunately its wrong.

Please explain ?

[Iwan Kemp]

If I may offer a page from my experience: the reason why a 29er bike seems to feel sluggish, slow and unresponsive in the kind of terrain where you rode the Scott, has much more to do with wheel-base than with the size of the wheels. Yes, surely, the bigger wheels will not handle as nippy as a 26" wheel; but riding a bike with a wheelbase [and I guess here] of 113+ cm on a tight singletrack will undoubtedly affect the control.

 

The secret is to find a 29er frame with a shorter wheelbase ... which I did ... 107cm ...

 

And long before that it has to do with the fact that 29er wheels and tyres are heavier. You'll experience the same when fitting heavier tyres and wheelset on your 26" bike.

[Tumbleweed]

from Twitter this morning:

 

@robwarner970: I don't care what it looks like or what anyone thinks, the big wheel is faster, and faster is fun

[NotSoBigBen]

Rob Warner? Wasn't he a downhiller .... what would he know about big wheels

[Tienie]

Shame, all these 29'er owner's, constantly trying to justify their purchase eish !!!!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I reckon my next bike is going to be a naaaaainer. I accept the physics of it, and that designs are getting better and better ito wheelbase, head angles, fork & suspension design etc.

 

It's a plain, simple fact that the 9er will roll easier over obstacles than the 6er. Doesn't make you a better rider, but it helps make you faster over a certain section.

 

Having said that - I still think I should hone my skills more on my 6er hardtail before I try to get a "better" bike that might make me lazy, or neglect my skill development.

[Tumbleweed]

Rob Warner? Wasn't he a downhiller .... what would he know about big wheels

 

Yup, and now one of the voices of freecaster. I'm seem to recall him tweeting that there will be a 29er on the WC podium soon.

[scotty]

Shame, all these 29'er owner's, constantly trying to justify their purchase eish !!!!

Or 26'ers trying to justify keeping theirs.

[Tomik]

Here's my 2c worth. I have a 16km mostly off-road loop that I do regularly. On my 26" Giant Trance, it takes between 58min and 1hr02min depending on wind on signal hill. On my new 29er Giant Anthem (marginally lighter) it takes between 50 and 53 minutes.

 

This is for an slightly above average cyclist who has been riding a 26er forever (and didn't want to switch to a 29er, but had to because training partner / Cape Outback team mate did!).

 

I'm convinced they're better. Is it worth it to buy a new bike, probably not - unless it is time to anyway. Or if you're fairly serious about your race times.

 

And by the way, they're as good on the tight stuff if set up properly!

[Wyatt Earp]

Shame, all these 29'er owner's, constantly trying to justify their purchase eish !!!!

Ja, couldn't agree more, that's why I just bought another one, been riding them for almost 6 years now and really need to justify my stupidity .

[NotSoBigBen]

Here's my 2c worth. I have a 16km mostly off-road loop that I do regularly. On my 26" Giant Trance, it takes between 58min and 1hr02min depending on wind on signal hill. On my new 29er Giant Anthem (marginally lighter) it takes between 50 and 53 minutes.

 

This is for an slightly above average cyclist who has been riding a 26er forever (and didn't want to switch to a 29er, but had to because training partner / Cape Outback team mate did!).

 

I'm convinced they're better. Is it worth it to buy a new bike, probably not - unless it is time to anyway. Or if you're fairly serious about your race times.

 

And by the way, they're as good on the tight stuff if set up properly!

 

8mins in an hour just by buying a bike with bigger wheels - I have not noticed this kind of improvement when riding my 29r - Gonna get a refund

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Here's my 2c worth. I have a 16km mostly off-road loop that I do regularly. On my 26" Giant Trance, it takes between 58min and 1hr02min depending on wind on signal hill. On my new 29er Giant Anthem (marginally lighter) it takes between 50 and 53 minutes.

 

This is for an slightly above average cyclist who has been riding a 26er forever (and didn't want to switch to a 29er, but had to because training partner / Cape Outback team mate did!).

 

I'm convinced they're better. Is it worth it to buy a new bike, probably not - unless it is time to anyway. Or if you're fairly serious about your race times.

 

And by the way, they're as good on the tight stuff if set up properly!

 

Those bits there are the crucial thing. It's not a panacea. There are some places that will have the 6er better than a 9er, and vice versa. Also, rider preference definitely plays a role.

 

Having said that, there are an increased amount of rumours that have 9ers for the large bikes while the xs/s bikes remain 6ers. Food for thought.

 

The main reason I've Poo-poo'd 9er riders in the past is because (generalization alert) they automatically think that the bike makes them a better rider, and is the answer to all their prayers, when in fact the bike is just more "capable" in certain areas. It does bugger-all to their level of skill. It just allows them to do things which they might not be able to do on the smaller wheeled brethren.

Edited December 14, 2011 by cptmayhem