Johny Bravo Posted October 6, 2013 Share Downhill bikes are now mostly 650b. One guy at world champs had a 29er downhill bike. Downhill guys all agree they are now faster than they use to be. Meaning the bigger wheel is faster for them at least. I started on a 26er, hated it, hardly ever rode. Now I have a 29er and I love it. I am not going to say 26ers are *** or 650b is great or whatever. But I do think some people on the hub refuse to move on with the times and are unwilling to try or experiment with new things. I am heavy, I am a big boy with a rugby sports background, but I am not tall, 1.75 metres. I went over the bars on my 26er plenty, and before anyone points out my skills are ***, let me state that I am not the most technical rider. On my 29er I now enjoy cycling. And for that I love my 29 ers. Edited October 6, 2013 by schalk1982 Oufy MTB (Roadie) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty V Posted October 6, 2013 Share has anyone seen Nino - he must be shorter than a 5th grader. I also would not go anywhere near a 29er if I was built like him... but I am not and nor is the average grown SA male Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty V Posted October 6, 2013 Share Downhill bikes are now mostly 650b. One guy at world champs had a 29er downhill bike. Downhill guys all agree they are now faster than they use to be. Meaning the bigger wheel is faster for them at least. I started on a 26er, hated it, hardly ever rode. Now I have a 29er and I love it. I am not going to say 26ers are *** or 650b is great or whatever. But I do think some people on the hub refuse to move on with the times and are unwilling to try or experiment with new things. I am heavy, I am a big boy with a rugby sports background, but I am not tall, 1.75 metres. I went over the bars on my 26er plenty, and before anyone points out my skills are ***, let me state that I am not the most technical rider. On my 29er I now enjoy cycling. And for that I love my 29 ers.yes your skills sound k@k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johny Bravo Posted October 6, 2013 Share has anyone seen Nino - he must be shorter than a 5th grader. I also would not go anywhere near a 29er if I was built like him... but I am not and nor is the average grown SA maleExactly. Well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Google Posted October 6, 2013 Share Downhill bikes are now mostly 650b. One guy at world champs had a 29er downhill bike. Downhill guys all agree they are now faster than they use to be. Meaning the bigger wheel is faster for them at least. I started on a 26er, hated it, hardly ever rode. Now I have a 29er and I love it. I am not going to say 26ers are *** or 650b is great or whatever. But I do think some people on the hub refuse to move on with the times and are unwilling to try or experiment with new things. I am heavy, I am a big boy with a rugby sports background, but I am not tall, 1.75 metres. I went over the bars on my 26er plenty, and before anyone points out my skills are ***, let me state that I am not the most technical rider. On my 29er I now enjoy cycling. And for that I love my 29 ers. There are only about 5 production 650B DH bikes most pros and almost everyone else rides a 26 inch bike. There was one guy only on a 29er and that's only because of the long pedalling straight otherwise no one would of ridden one. No saying that there wont be a move to 650B in DH but lots of the major brands will stick to 26 inch due to the acceleration and cornering abilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johny Bravo Posted October 6, 2013 Share yes your skills sound k@k They do need some fine tuning. To be honest. Getting there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty V Posted October 6, 2013 Share They do need some fine tuning. To be honest. Getting there.Just messing with you - I would blame set-up if I were you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted October 6, 2013 Share   There are only about 5 production 650B DH bikes most pros and almost everyone else rides a 26 inch bike. There was one guy only on a 29er and that's only because of the long pedalling straight otherwise no one would of ridden one. No saying that there wont be a move to 650B in DH but lots of the major brands will stick to 26 inch due to the acceleration and cornering abilities. Add to this - that 29er was NOT a downhill bike. It was an AM/enduro bike with 160mm travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted October 6, 2013 Share  Just messing with you - I would blame set-up if I were you Precisely. To blame the bike's wheel size is very far from the actual reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braailegend Posted October 6, 2013 Share Downhill bikes are now mostly 650b. One guy at world champs had a 29er downhill bike. Downhill guys all agree they are now faster than they use to be. Meaning the bigger wheel is faster for them at least. I started on a 26er, hated it, hardly ever rode. Now I have a 29er and I love it. I am not going to say 26ers are *** or 650b is great or whatever. But I do think some people on the hub refuse to move on with the times and are unwilling to try or experiment with new things. I am heavy, I am a big boy with a rugby sports background, but I am not tall, 1.75 metres. I went over the bars on my 26er plenty, and before anyone points out my skills are ***, let me state that I am not the most technical rider. On my 29er I now enjoy cycling. And for that I love my 29 ers.    Think some people are to scared to move back to 26'ers, because then they have to admit they were wrong and spent a lot more on their bigger wheels than they should  But I really dont care, just like posting pics:) Here is a pretty 29'er DH bike, when you have long downhill jeep sections in your downhill run. http://29ermountainbikereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/mountain-bike-downhillspy-shots--intense-cycles-prototype-29er-downhill-mountain-bike-vujmvssn.jpg nickelass 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johny Bravo Posted October 6, 2013 Share  Think some people are to scared to move back to 26'ers, because then they have to admit they were wrong and spent a lot more on their bigger wheels than they should  But I really dont care, just like posting pics:) Here is a pretty 29'er DH bike, when you have long downhill jeep sections in your downhill run. http://29ermountainbikereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/mountain-bike-downhillspy-shots--intense-cycles-prototype-29er-downhill-mountain-bike-vujmvssn.jpgThat is one good looking bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 6, 2013 Share op.....consider spending your money on coaching ....a darned good coach and for getting you to big events. keep up the good work and best wishes for your racing future. also guys remember you get good and bad handling bikes in whatever wheel format is out there. nickc and Captain Fastbastard Mayhem 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oufy MTB (Roadie) Posted October 6, 2013 Share 15 years old, winning every race. well done! if you winning on 26er, then why change? as with any sport, as you get better, you want and probably deserve better equipment. (unlike me who wants a 29inch carbon bike but don't deserve it, okay I can't afford it too, but there are 100 things I can do to make me faster before embarking on equipment upgrades) Like the okes said, depends on the terrain and your size. I also agree on improving the technical skills, training hard etc. try to ride as many bikes as possible and then make your choice, that's the safest option. well done on your achievements and best wishes! There are many of us that never won a race and probably never will and we will be unable to turn back the clock and be 15, so enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron Posted October 7, 2013 Share Sorry Baron, wrong again. Scott phased their dozers out completely. Niño didn't want to change to niner cos he didn't like it. So they were in a way forced to amend the bike into a custom build, and fit him into their marketing strategy (big wheels are better) - taking him away from the sixer. Scott no longer make a 26" spark or scale. Point remains that he doesn't win because he's on a 650, and he didn't really have the option to stay on 26 as it was no longer available.  Read the interview done in 2012 with Scott team director (and racing legend) Thomas Frischknecht at  http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/nino-schurter-wins-world-cup-1-on-650b-wheels-33467/ When Nino tested the different wheel size they did not even had it in their mind to ditch the 26 inch wheels and was also not planing to have a production 650B, they only had the proto type Nino used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron Posted October 7, 2013 Share has anyone seen Nino - he must be shorter than a 5th grader. I also would not go anywhere near a 29er if I was built like him... but I am not and nor is the average grown SA male Much of the motivation for going with 650b in the first place was due to the height of team riders Schurter and Florian Vogel, who stand at 1.73m (5ft 8in) and 1.74m (5ft 9in), respectively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baracuda Posted October 9, 2013 Share One needs to remember that a 650b is not 27,5. It is closer to a 27. It is about 1/3rd of the way between a 26er and a 29er in size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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