Myth Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 I am in the market to get my first dual-sus mtb end of the month and have been looking at perhaps getting a Rocky Mountain (for really no other reason than I like the look of it and they seem to be getting good reviews). Now my question, what are "longer travel" 29 inch mtb's meant to be for? By longer travel I refer to 29'ers with say 130mm travel (rather than the usual 100mm found on XC bikes). These bikes (like the Rocky Mountain Instinct) get advertised as Trail bikes, yet pretty much every article I read seems to recommend 27.5 inchers for trail use. So what are the intended use of these longer travel 29'ers then? The reason for my question is that I am looking for a trail bike, and need to choose between the RM Instinct (130mm travel 29er) and Thunderbolt (120mm travel 27.5er), and cant really see what would be the benefit of one over the other? Both are listed as trail, but surely the 29er would be less "nippy" than the 27.5er around the bends...why would anyone want a 29er trail bike then???
MphatiPyga Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 Popcorn alert! 29ers can do trail, if you look at the results of the current Kzn enduro series the 29ers are winning. At the end of the day ride what you are comfortable on as that's all that matters- you and the bike! Personally I find the 29er suits me, I've tried the 650 version of my bike (Trance) and apparently I'm one of the few people who don't get 650 ????! So just go out and try both sizes and get what suits you!
Johny Bravo Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 You cannot compare a 120mm 650b vs a 130mm 29er. you need about 150mm travel on a 650b to get the same effect as a 130mm 29er. My suggestion is, buy a hardtail, no confusion there. 26er if you can. Bro.
River Rat Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 The first question to ask yourself is what type of rider are you? If you are a racer looking to get from A to B as quickly as possible, 100mm is all you need. If you like the road less traveled and like the scenic route with a bit of bite you start looking at 120mm. If you look at the road not travelled and say to yourself I can ride this, you need at least 130mm. If you look at the road not traveled and say not only can I get down this quickly but I can clear that drop off in one jump then you can't get enough travel!
Oufy MTB (Roadie) Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 if you end up enjoying XC like I do, get 100mm, thats all you need. if you starting getting to the longer travel bikes then I hope you get to use it, and the skills and balls improve to get max out that extra travel otherwise it is a waste. I had a 26er trail bike and i'm faster on the 29er 100mm bike (my fast) down the ST. I started MTB with trail riding in mind but got bitten by the XC races and changed bikes. So think carefully. and enjoy
Beefy Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 Johny Bravo's is on to something. The first point at least.
Headshot Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 You buy two and some special struts and join them together and you have a wagon with wagon wheels and better suspension than the Voortrekkers had. That" s what they used for.
gummibear Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 The first question to ask yourself is what type of rider are you? If you are a racer looking to get from A to B as quickly as possible, 100mm is all you need. If you like the road less traveled and like the scenic route with a bit of bite you start looking at 120mm. If you look at the road not travelled and say to yourself I can ride this, you need at least 130mm. If you look at the road not traveled and say not only can I get down this quickly but I can clear that drop off in one jump then you can't get enough travel!
Stellies_gaz Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 Ye I'd have to agree with Johnny on point #1 too. I mean you're getting at least 20mm extra flex in the bends and on the landings with those wagon wheels.
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 Sigh. I just don't have the energy to get into this now. Maybe tomorrow. Suffice to say that travel is travel. If you hit a drop off or jump on a 130mm 29er it is not going to feel as of you're on a 150mm sixer, simply because there's just 130mm travel on your 130mm niner, and 130mm travel can never feel like 150mm. Some suspension designs act differently though, so it may feel different from one 130mm bike to another, and it may SEEM as if it has more travel, but that's just some tricky suspension kinematics at work fooling you into thinking that you're riding something with longer travel and "it's the wheels, bruuuuu" but it's actually just the suspension design, you retard... Some bikes have aggressive geometry, some don't. Some people like to hit bigger jumps and have more of a "safety net" so they go with bikes which have more travel and more relaxed geometry. Where the wheel size will have a difference (albeit a very small one,and only if all other things remain equal) is in directional changes and rollover ability. Everything else comes down to changes in geometry And travel. Some bikes are nippier in the tight stuff, some are more stable at speed. Some manual / wheelie better, some jump better. Some climb better, some descend better. It's all about the intended use of a bike. Not the wheel size.
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 Feck. I just got into it didn't I. Sigh.
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 Oh. to answer your question. Longer travel niners are used for the same thing other longer travel bikes are used for - trail / all mountain / enduro. Again. It's not the wheel size.
Cat2forLife Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 In my vast MTB experience (note sarcasm) I've found, when it comes to wheels size, it's very much a personal thing. I've been lucky enough to have ridden all 3 sizes extensively over last year (albeit only XC really) and i just personally prefer a 650b. I do seem to be one of only two in my group who do though.
Odinson Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 The Captain hit the nail on the head. It's about the bike, the rider and the terrain. You're from Centurion - 99.99% of all trails in Gauteng can be ridden hard on bikes with 100mm - 120mm of travel. In my opinion, mid-travel bikes are wasted if all you ever do is ride stuff like the Spruit. Regarding wheel size - it's a matter of preference. There is very little between the wheel sizes in the grander scheme of things. 29ers can be ridden very hard. A while back Aaron Gwin won the Sea Otter DH competition on a Spez Enduro 29er. Although Sea Otter is quite a tame DH trail, his achievement proves that you don't need 650B's or 26ers to go trail riding. There is a bunch of short travel dual susser 29ers that have been developed for trail riding. Do your homework.
Stellies_gaz Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 Ye I'd have to agree with Capitan. Bikes are classed primarily by geo. A 130mm 29er would likely be owned by someone who likes to plough the occasional rock garden, doesn't mind the trip up the fire road and doesn't need to negotiate a tight switchback at stabbed rat speed. Also, 29ers are so efficient that you can literally all the way back to the parking lot when you're done with your ride. Now, if you prefer to (try) jump rock gardens, brake in corners and roost all day, while enjoying short bursts of acceleration as you pass all your buddies, then I'd say go 650b. Disclaimer: I do not work for Giant.
Stellies_gaz Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 If you're loving the Rockys and don't mind parting with fair bit of change, have a look at the Thunderbolt 790 MSL BC edition. It practically "won" the 2015 Bible of Bike tests. All in all, good luck man. Picking the bike that is going to tick all your boxes is an exciting and fun time. Trust me, I've been looking for about a year now Shweet
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