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

[Caerus]

Will be interesting to see what is used by all the pro's in the world cup/championships this year. Burry was one of the few that tried last year but for whatever reasons didn't quite work out for him.

 

 

So what happens then? Carry on battling on the 29er or stick to what works best for the individual, the 26'.

[Aggies]

So you trying to tell me that about the 26" FS over a 29er FS

 

????????????????? What did you read?

 

Only the 26" HT - 26" FS will remain active for a loooong time.

[Wyatt Earp]

they force their riders to ride 29ers in arguably one of the worlds toughest races?

I didn't know that the Epic was one of the worlds toughest races .

 

On the reason my wife looked at a 29ers wheels and was intimidated by the size. So went with old faithful. Only time will tell really

I hear what you are saying and can understand that.

I just feel that for the more serious riders out there, the 26 " hardtail will become less in demand than the 29 " hardtail, there is a vast comfort deficit.

[kosmonooit]

if the 29er is not the better bike to go with, why are all the top pro teams in the 2011 ABSA Cape Epic riding 29ers? do you still think that every brand out there is trying to sell 29ers so much that they force their riders to ride 29ers in arguably one of the worlds toughest races?

 

 

Thats worthy of some contemplation and is surely plausable. Riders want to please sponsors.

[Caerus]

Thats worthy of some contemplation and is surely plausable. Riders want to please sponsors.

 

 

Most sports people have to go along with what their sponsors are telling/giving them to use, their equipement may be way inferior as well, or even a bad product, they have to just put up with it.

[Eldron]

I didn't know that the Epic was one of the worlds toughest races .

 

 

I hear what you are saying and can understand that.

I just feel that for the more serious riders out there, the 26 " hardtail will become less in demand than the 29 " hardtail, there is a vast comfort deficit.

 

Obviously I'm with Dangle on this one.

 

If I had a stable of bikes which included 26HT, 26DS, 29HT and 29DS I would use the 29HT almost exclusivley - the 26HT would see some use on extremely tight and technical XC courses.

 

I am the proverbial race snake though.

 

If cycling were only a hobby I'd be styling it 100% of the time on the 29FS. Everyone should try one of those in their lifetime - it rolls over everything with ease. Almost too easily - I don't think there is enough technical riding in Jhb to fully utilise a 29FS (or 26FS for that matter).

 

If the current consumer demand patterns and manufacturer supply patterns continue the 26er will die a slow death in a few years. Think about how many manufacturers made 29ers in 2007 and how many make them now...

 

Thats said - I think the 26DS will reign supreme in the UK for many more years - for some reason they cling to dual sussers like umbilical chords...

[Headshot]

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.

 

Reaaallly scientific CS - twit indeed. Its great scores of twits will buy the "I too can ride 10secs faster like CS on a 29 inch penny farthing" and will sell their lovely 26' bikes. We can all buy them. Am looking for a nice light 26" 5' travel trail bike. Anyone?

[nolipoli]

Reaaallly scientific CS - twit indeed. Its great scores of twits will buy the "I too can ride 10secs faster like CS on a 29 inch penny farthing" and will sell their lovely 26' bikes. We can all buy them. Am looking for a nice light 26" 5' travel trail bike. Anyone?

 

How seriously are you looking?

[Guest agteros]

It will be quite easy to test which one will be the fastest....

Book an offroad testing track somewhere, allow people to bring whatever 26" and 29" bikes they want, and square them off 4x4 (2x26", 2x29" in each heat). Top two in each heat moves on to next, until there is only one winner.

 

Oh, and no outside assistance to be allowed for the bikes, they should all complete the course under own steam

Edited January 18, 2011 by agteros

[JaseYogi]

The 29er is like a placebo... Everyone really wants to be quicker on one so they ride harder...

[linnega]

While 7 pages of he says, I says might be interesting, the only meaningful comment I've seen so far is that there doesn't seem to be enough of a difference to change to 29ers. That said, I've just changed to a 29er HT (On-One Scandal) from a 26" dual sus (Giant Anthem). My reasoning was simple - I hate rocks and even if for only placebo, a 29er made sense. Being 6'3" also means a 29er should be good for me. I was concerned about a lack of comfort in going back to a HT, but there seemed to be some evidence that the geometry on the Scandal was at least going to be comfortable enough. I am no race snake, but I do ride around middle of the pack in most races and have been known to spend over 12 hours on a bike so I'm not totally useless. I found the Scandal to be lighter, easier to climb with on any type of hill, and easier to roll through and over the rocky stuff. Still don't love rocks but I definitely have more confidence. What I found surprising was that none of the technical stuff felt any easier on the Anthem and tight corners are in fact easier on the Scandal. This was a big surprise as I expected it to be difficult to squeeze around the tight corners. Finally, on the comfort front, the jury is still out. Both races I have done were only 40km but on rough and difficult terrain. I felt better, especially in my lower back, riding the Scandal, but during the rides the bumpy sections seemed to be harder on the body. Whether that will be a problem in rides up to 100km I'm not sure, but I'll only find that out in a couple years. So for me the Scandal was an excellent choice and it was good on my pocket too.

[Caerus]

How do the 29ers handle the tight technical sections? ie switchbacks etc. I dont see too many guys riding 29ers around Durban. Are they better suited for more open free flowing single track & district roads?

[GTRacing]

I see most 29er riders wear pb bracelets...

[Stretched@Birth]

Simple solution to this debate... Buy a KHS 27.5er...

[Ashchest]

due to the ...mmmm...think 11% more tyre suface you'll have 11% more chance of getting a puncture on a 29"

Edited January 18, 2011 by Ashchest

[janneman72]

I am not against anything 29er, in fact I will probably buy one this year, but as we all know there are pros and cons, depending on the route, rider, time of day, freshness of legs, route knowledge, phase of the moon, that little rock that was there just now but bumped of the track on your previous run, and of course Winnie Mandela's driver's last known traffic offence, This is just pure Spez Marketing crap. We all want to be as good on the bike as Dan, Christoph, Conrad and Burry, but unfortunately most of it boils down to genetics and talent, with a bit of hard work thrown in for good measure, Instant gratification, just buy our 29er and you will be faster. Clever. All PowerBalance buyers apply first.

 

I have come to the conclusion that most of us (and that includes myself at the top of the list) are a bunch of sissies when it comes to off-road riding. Wheelsize this, tire pressure that, groupset here, fork there. It is a humbling experience to watch cyclo-cross and see what can be done on rigid bikes with skinny tires on tracks I would not even dare to venture out on the nicest of days. I repeat, we are sissies. And big ones. Nuff said, my rant is now over. Pass me the chocolate milkshake.

 

I agree 100% with you, it's all up to the rider or most of it though. 12 years back I finished the Argus just under 3 hours with a Trek 1400(1995 model)racing bike without any mods and it weighted about 13-14kg's. Now I'm 30+, I've been training twice as hard and I think I'll miss my sub 3 hours 12 years later with a Cannondale Super 6 weighting way less than the Trek. Same road but different me and much more work to achieve sub 3. Put Andy Schleck on that old Trek 1400 of mine and he'll kick all our @rses. Put Carl Platt or any other MTB champ on a 26" or 29'er and they will still beat us. It's the same principle about golf, it all depend on the player, mental attitude, the time of day etc etc etc

Edited January 18, 2011 by janneman72