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

[Jeepdude]

i would have ridden one today and the other the next day

[spaso9]

anyone know when the Spez epic 29er will be available here?

http://www.specialized-sa.co.za/contentbike.php?range=200&year=&bike=216

[Jeepdude]

http://www.mtnbikeriders.com/2010/02/03/khs-sixfifty-606-review/

[raptor]

wasnt both xc and marathon world champs won on 26" bikes.

Edited January 14, 2011 by raptor

[JasonW]

To do the uphill tests properly you really need to have a power meter on each bike. You then do the tests at an equal average power and see which is quicker. Dowhill is probably impossible to quantify and really boils down to what works for you.

[Zeps]

I still hear the same blah blah blah and would put a lot more faith in TitusTi's comments than most others!

[Johan Bornman]

Yo gotta love these proper scientific test, especially ones published on Twitter.

 

Twit.

[Christie]

First up, let me say that I can't debate the pros and cons of 26 vs 29. I am only a weekend warrior as far as mtb is concerned.

 

I have been into cycling for a long time, since Greg LeMond was winning TDFs, getting shot etc. The industry needs new ideas when the market saturates, to keep going. Sometimes they are perfectly good ideas, and sometimes just marketing hype. The biggest of these industry revolutions was the carbon generation. Next was integrated seat posts. 29ers should be seen in the same light - the industry will do everything in their power to convince you that you have to have a 29er and that a 26er is inferior. There may be a difference - I wouldn't know, but a lot may also be marketing hype. 1% does not qualify as a significant difference in my book, over 100 samples there may be no difference at all.

[Guest]

29er is like Blueray Disk - it better than DVD but nobody cares...except cyclists who belive they are some sort of equipment arms race (bikes as status symbols).

Not really. Blu-Ray is a major step forward compared to DVD. Believe me, lots of people care about the difference, especially when you have a >42 inch full HD screen. Besides the visual upgrade, the audio is far superior, the menus are more interactive and the capacity being nearly 10 times that of DVD allows for more content.

 

A 29er vs 26er is just that, a change in wheelsize with the same type of frame and components. The basic physics would be more contact surface area, which will lend to more traction, however would increase rolling resistance. The wheel theoretically would be able to 'mount' objects with more ease due to the bigger diameter. There would be added stability due to the gyro effect, however would this not be cancelled out by the wheel having to spin slower to travel the same distance as the 26 inch? There is a lot of science behind the physics of a bicycle, and all I keep reading about 29ers is unscientific, rider reviews, often subverted by the confirmation bias. If anyone has any actual science tests I'd love to see them. It's quite interesting and besides a tweet that it's faster, this has no use, since the rider might have been physically stronger that day, more rested etc. There are many factors that come into play.

[Weight Weenie]

My rant regarding 29er's - My uncle is looking for a bike and we struggled to find bikes as all the shops seemed to have were 29ers and the 26 models were not being stocked or brought in, for example cannondale flash : nice 29érs but they bring in I think the 26 flash ultimate only and then 2 other models on special order, so we couldnt find what he wanted.

 

Also with the current 29'' popularity, all the brands suddenly have these "great deals" but really to me its just a bike with bigger wheels/fork and differing angles, so its pretty normal pricing considering the spec.

 

Rant over

[Monark]

Well I am going to have the bike at my place for a while so I will get to test it quite thoroughly. I just love my 26' so much... the 29' looks very bulky and I am still not used to seeing that much wheel on such svelte frames... for example the Giant Anthem X 29er looks odd to me...

[Christie]

I think the 29er thing is great - soon I will be able to buy unwanted 26er stuff for cheap

[Eldron]

I'll open with this:

There will never be a scientific way to prove if a 29er or 26er is faster.

 

Different terrain, different riders, differenting riding styles, different power to weight ratios, different gearing, different pdealling RPM, different weather - it all plays it part in "faster".

 

The only semi credable way is our own personal feel.

 

My opinion (I'm 6'2" 80kg and rely on power more than finesses on a mtb):

 

I feel my 29er HT is the fastest bike for almost all riding with the exception of extremely tight XC courses (fater than 26 HT, 26DS and 29 DS).

 

In 2010 given the choice I would have used a 26er HT for MTN XC races in Groenkloof and maybe PMB - George, Rietvlei and Mankele I reckon the 29er had the edge. Every marathon would be 29er terrain for me.

 

Like I said - my opinion only.

 

Best thing to do is get a 29er and ride it for a week if possible.

 

29er needs more power - you tend to "bog down" in slow corners - I also found that when I first got the bike I got stuck in big gears and had to grind to get yp to speed - it took some times to learn to gear down an extra gear or two out of croners and try to spin more. The 29er keeps momentum really well - the key it to use the extra grip to not slow down as much - to me that is where the "faster" comes in.

 

Best case scenario for a 29er: tall rider with good power riding semi open marathin courses.

Worst case scenario for a 29er: small rider that likes to spin light gears on a hectically tight, technical course.

[Caerus]

Neither goes faster then each other till the rider gets on.

[Eldron]

Things that make a 29er faser:

The bigger wheels roll over obstacles a little easier than smaller wheels so you lose less speed hitting stuff.

The grip is better so you can rail corners faster.

The larger air volume leaves you a little less "broken" at the end of races (not sure if this one equates to faster though - more a feeling than "faster").

 

Things that make a 29er slower:

The wheels/bike weighs more so accelerating it out of corners takes more energy.

The extra weight means slower cimbing.

The extra grip means more friction.

 

In my opinion the pros outweigh the cons (with the exception of hectic XC courses) so in my opinion (talk about enough disclaimers already!) a 29er HT is faster than a 29 DS, 26 HT, 26 DS.

[Chubba]

So what are the best dual sus 29'er brands to look at for XC/Trail. Im just talking frame.

 

1. Niner

2. Giant

3. Trek

4. Santa Cruz

 

What models?