29inc wheels

[GrannyGear]

will it be worth looking into the new 29inc wheels? anybody riding them?

[no.one.knows]

they really good for racing flat courses and roll over rocks and minor bumps alot easier. however tight switchbacks are a real pain in the ass.

 

but 29 inch is the way to go, if your bike is compatible with them of course.

 

[onebynine]

Riding a 29er is the way forward! There's hype out there that they're only for taller riders etc but I have seen smaller guys racing them to success, Sam Schultz, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski of the Subaru Gary Fisher team are racing 29ers on the world cup circuit...In fact Sam has been racing one for the last year and a half and he's got his down to 9.8kg for a med frame! so its feasible! 

[Thug]

As 1x9 says, there is a whole world out there riding 29ers.

 

Have a look at MTBR as there is a whole host of information.

 

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=18514/

 

Here's another 29er resource

 

http://twentynineinches.com/

 

 

 

 

[levett]

Rihe's got his down to 9.8kg for a med frame! so its feasible! 

Mine (a Scandal Medium) stands at 11.84kg - I'm hoping to knock a bit off that with some component changes, but will still be up above 11kg (so 9.8kg is very good) - The main items that lead to the weight seem to be the wheels any tyres (the lightest tyres seem to be around 500g each, and the heaviest approach 1kg each!).

 

I'm impressed with the 29er experience, and also think 'it's the way to go'!

[AndreZA]

And if you can not make up you mind what to get, get something inbetween.

 

 

 

Haro 27.5" Beasley

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Titanium Rocket]

Some of the claims made by 29" lobbysists provoke serious thought:

1.  They claim the larger wheels "roll better through / over obstacles".

2.  They also claim that bigger 29" wheels re bigger "and therefore make better contact with the ground, and so deliver better traction".

 

If one does some basic trig calculations, these claims are not really substantive. The extra height that 29" diameter wheel offers over a 26" wheel when going over a 150 mm obstacle amounts to a few millimetres...rather improve your handling skills. The extra tyre surface of a 29" wheel versus a 26" is also negligible...rather get your tyres and tyre pressure right.

 

Most of the claims around 29" wheels are technically very thin, aimed at a market hungry to throw money at anything new. A bit like the perceived advantages of Lefty forks over conventional forks which hold 98% of the market...come on.

[mcLovin07]

I wouldn't sacrifice the 'rolling over flats' for accuracy in tight single track and switch backs.

[mcLovin07]

but they are pretty cool I agree =)

[shadowchaser-d]

I have just finished building up my 1st mnt bike and it is a 29er....without trying to hard, the bike weighs 10.6kg's and will be taking it our for its first ride when my mnt bike shoes arrive.  I can't comment on the pro's or con's but decided on the 29er because it is different.

[TitusTi]

I wouldn't sacrifice the 'rolling over flats' for accuracy in tight single track and switch backs.

 

Been riding 29'ers for a few years now, I'm built like a 6 foot 3 monkey so bikes never really used to fit me anyway. It's nice to be able to ride "inside" a bike as opposed to being perched 2 meters above the bike.

The bad in tight singletrack thing is related to the wheelbase, on my bikes the wheelbase was bloody long anyway, now I get a few advantages from this at least.

[GrannyGear]

hi shadowchaser-d  put it 2 the test and give us feedbackk....

[MoreTrails]

 

I have just finished building up my 1st mnt bike and it is a 29er....without trying to hard' date=' the bike weighs 10.6kg's and will be taking it our for its first ride when my mnt bike shoes arrive.  I can't comment on the pro's or con's but decided on the 29er because it is different.

[/quote']

 

Dude, post pics of your first build - I am sure the mense are keen to see

 

[_Daemon_]

 

they really good for racing flat courses and roll over rocks and minor bumps alot easier. however tight switchbacks are a real pain in the ass.

 

but 29 inch is the way to go' date=' if your bike is compatible with them of course.

 

[/quote']

 

Pain in the ass in switchbacks? I feel faster on my 29er through switchbacks than on my FS giant Trance that's a 26er.

It's got little to do with the wheels, infact the wheels will help you get through the corners quicker as you have more grip, it's all about the frame geometry.

 

[Titanium Rocket]

My point is not that the whole 29" idea in a crap concept, but I seriously doubt the global MTB market will swing from 26" to 29" in the near future. It certainly holds merit for big fellows like TitusTi above, no argument here. But one unfortunate by-product of today's marketing is that it often distorts the real facts, and makes people believe in anything. Similarly, there are consumers who need convincing that their purchases are absolutley the best, in order to avoid buyer's remorse. The tiny technical benefits in a 29" bike are nowhere near as grand as marketing makes out.  Sift out the real stuff from 75% of what's written in bike mags and spoken by bike fundi's, find what works for you, and save yourself a sack-full of cash.

[GoLefty!!]

I agree with ti rocket on the 29er thing.

The concept is fine but the advantages are not as dramatic as claimed.

I've ridden a few of the 29ers out there so I hop from a 26er to a 29 to and back again; I have to say that once back on the 26er I feel like the bike is more stable.

 

I'm not totally convinced that 29 is the future for everyone so I think where the industry will settle is the 650B wheels which are the 27.5 inch wheels.

 

Of course there is a lot of marketing out there, to get us to part with hard earned cash. As Ti rocket says, he does not believe the merits of Lefty are realistic when 98% of the market rides normal forks. At the end of the day we buy into what we want to believe in. No everyone wants to buy 100% in to science 100% of the time.

 

for me , i've ridden other forks and I can feel and calculate that Lefty is stiffer and more torsionally resistant than other forks. I like the way it tracks and trail (\fork geometry ) plays a part here too.

29er wheels do have merits but I suggest that you first try them out and see if they work for YOU!!