Eldron Posted December 2, 2009 Share Here's what Chris Sugai (Niner founder) has to say:3 ? What advantages do you see with the 29er wheel over the 26″?This question has been asked a lot and there is a great deal of information on the Internet. The major points are that the 29 inch wheel as a lower rolling resistance than a 26 inch wheel so?basically?it will roll faster than a 26 inch wheel. The attack angle on a 29er is better than a 26 inch wheel, you are going to get over objects easier. You have a larger contact patch on the ground, so a 29 inch wheel is going to corner better and it is going to brake better. I feel the 29er wheel adds a lot of confidence to the rider because its stability once you get the wheels moving and?also?the 29 inch wheel, because of the way the axles are situated?are actually higher than a 26 inch wheel?the bottom bracket in relation to the axles of a 29 inch wheel is actually lower on a 29 inch wheel?thus technically lowering your center of gravity, so you?ll find the 29ers will definitely turn better at speed. Those are what I see as the major advantages of a 29 inch wheel over a 26 inch wheel.4 ? Do you see any disadvantages with the 29er platorm?The only major difficulties I see with the 29 inch wheel over the 26 inch wheel is sizing. I think when you start getting down to trying to fit riders at 5′1″, 4′11″?then you start getting a pretty cramped cockpit and toe overlap situation to where you would have to make some geometry changes. You might start sacrificing some of the benefits and then you kind of get into a gray area of if the benefits outweigh the compromises you have to make in handling in order to fit the rider properly. And that is where a 650B or maybe a 26 inch wheel is still a viable option for riders of that height. But?you know?I?m 5′6″ and able to ride a 29er no problem and we fit riders down to 5′3″/5′2″ on our bikes without any issues. That is about the only big disadvantage I see with the 29er platform.7 ? With the popularity of the 29″ wheel size, there are a few manufacturers in the industry experimenting with the 650b. What are your thoughts on the 650b wheel?I think the 650B wheel has its place. I think?again?like I spoke about earlier?29ers are hard to fit on riders under 5 foot 2 you definitely start having issues with toe overlap and so forth?so I think the 650B would be a great wheel size for that. When you start getting to riders that are 5′5″/5′6″ and then above 5′9″ and all the way to 6 foot tall and above?you know?the advantage of the 650B gets diminished quite rapidly because the 29 inch wheel is definitely more efficient then a 650B.11 ? Where do you see 29ers in the next 5 years and beyond?I?ve made some bold statements about this?I definitely think that 29ers are basically going to take over the mountain bike market. I feel that a paradime shift is going to occur and that 26 inch wheels will be the minority wheel size actually in the pretty near future. You look at the landscape when disc brakes came out?there was a lot of tension and a lot of back and forth about the whole thing but at the end of the day?superior technology always wins out and I think riders?once they ride a 29er?will se the benefits. I don?t see riders going back. Just our own feedback we have gotten from our own riders, we rarely see people go from 26 to 29 and then go back to 26. Its always the same email, I just sold all my bikes and I bought another one of your bikes. I don?t really see the market share for 29ers getting any smaller in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox_Wagon Posted December 2, 2009 Share Nice write up on head angles etc:http://g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/2007/01/revisiting-trail-and-head-angle-for.html Something new to droool over:http://www.santacruzmtb.com/tallboy/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermanus Cycles Posted December 2, 2009 Share ABSOBLUDYLUTLY!!!! IF YOU HAVE NOT TRIED ONE FOR MORE THAN ADAY ,THEN YOU JUST WONT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE MISSING. I WILL NEVER ,NEVER BUY ANOTHER LITTLE WHEEL BIKE AGAIN. 29ERS RULE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermanus Cycles Posted December 2, 2009 Share Nice write up on head angles etc:http://g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/2007/01/revisiting-trail-and-head-angle-for.html Something new to droool over:http://www.santacruzmtb.com/tallboy/ HAVE ONE OF THESE PUPPIES ON 2 CUSTOMERS WISH LISTS.THEY ARE SUPER SEXY AND IF I CAN I MIGHT GET ONE OF THOSE TOO. ANYONE WANT A NINER RIP9 2008 WITH REBA 29 FORK?HAVE A MEDIUM TO FLOG FOR ONLY R15 000.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hog_ Posted December 2, 2009 Share Hog has the only HX1 frame in the country for sale' date=' see here is anybody is looking to build a 650Bhttps://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=67115 [/quote'] Thanks for punting me Gav! If I didn't just get a Hope Pro II / Mavic 832 wheelset I would have considered going 650B, but I'm enjoying the new wheels too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hog_ Posted December 2, 2009 Share Something new to droool over: http://www.santacruzmtb.com/tallboy/ I was at Mike's last week while he was busy with one of those. Orange Truvativ Nior cranks, orange SRAM shifter, and orange brakes. Sexy like you can't beleive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox_Wagon Posted December 2, 2009 Share ANYONE WANT A NINER RIP9 2008 WITH REBA 29 FORK?HAVE A MEDIUM TO FLOG FOR ONLY R15 000.00 Droooool, but not at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Bornman Posted December 2, 2009 Share Here's what Chris Sugai (Niner founder) has to say:3 ? What advantages do you see with the 29er wheel over the 26″?This question has been asked a lot and there is a great deal of information on the Internet. The major points are that the 29 inch wheel as a lower rolling resistance than a 26 inch wheel so?basically?it will roll faster than a 26 inch wheel. The attack angle on a 29er is better than a 26 inch wheel' date=' you are going to get over objects easier. You have a larger contact patch on the ground, so a 29 inch wheel is going to corner better and it is going to brake better. I feel the 29er wheel adds a lot of confidence to the rider because its stability once you get the wheels moving and?also?the 29 inch wheel, because of the way the axles are situated?are actually higher than a 26 inch wheel?the bottom bracket in relation to the axles of a 29 inch wheel is actually lower on a 29 inch wheel?thus technically lowering your center of gravity, so you?ll find the 29ers will definitely turn better at speed. Those are what I see as the major advantages of a 29 inch wheel over a 26 inch wheel.[/quote'] Yes, the 29-er has a lower rolling resistance.....0.00009% lower. What problem does this solve? What does "roll faster" mean? The attack angle. Puhleeeze. Has he done the comparison. I think not, 'cause he would ahve found that the only time it would make a difference is if you want to ride into a 400mm rock. I like the bit about "once you get the wheels moving". It sounds like it is difficult to do so. Nevertheless he then goes on to talk about "Where the axles are situated." I think he means "the axles are higher". But this is neither here nor there, since then talks a whole bunch of nonsense about lower centre of gravity. If the bottom brackets on both bikes are the same distance from the ground, then the centres of gravity of the same rider on either bike will be the same. Technically he's talking crap. Practically he's talking crap too. BB height (or BB drop) is determined by how easy you want to make it for the rider to put a foot out and touch the road. On a MTB you want to balance it with ground clearance. Those of us who have road and MTBs will know that MTBs are not so lekker in the traffic because you need a looooong leg to stop at robots. 29ers don't turn better at speed. This is based on a stupid premise. The turning feel will be determined by the fork offset. In summary, our friend the leading 29er advocate has not made a single point for moving to 29 inch bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimby Posted December 2, 2009 Share ? That is definitely my next bike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox_Wagon Posted December 2, 2009 Share Mr. Bornman, I am also skeptical about all the marketing speak (and still am). <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> So at the last ?Ride before you buy? I made a point to ride the two Gary Fisher 29ers (HT and full sussers). I first rode the 26? HIFI and was not very impressed I prefer the Zula/Anthem X/Scalpel. I then got hold of the HIFI 29er and there was a big difference. It really felt as it kept its speed better and it was smoother (Very unscientific, I know ). The one reason, and I am reluctant to mention it due to ?logical? conclusion it may lead to, may be the larger diameter, slightly heavier wheel that has a ?higher? flywheel effect. No it doesn?t mean it is a good idea to add weights to your wheels or the ?perpetual motion? sliding weights on the spokes idea. The big negative is that it will effect you acceleration. I think <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Santa Cruz summed it up nicely in their write up on the Fatboy: ?Long haul trucker?. If you want a fast accelerating XC bike go for the 26?. If you want a marathon/stage race/24hr bike have a look at a 29er. I think you can extend the idea the relative merits of low profile climbing road wheels and heavier ?aero? wheel sets for a hill stage vs a TT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoLefty!! Posted December 2, 2009 Share Here's what Chris Sugai (Niner founder) has to say:3 ? What advantages do you see with the 29er wheel over the 26″?This question has been asked a lot and there is a great deal of information on the Internet. The major points are that the 29 inch wheel as a lower rolling resistance than a 26 inch wheel so?basically?it will roll faster than a 26 inch wheel. The attack angle on a 29er is better than a 26 inch wheel' date=' you are going to get over objects easier. You have a larger contact patch on the ground, so a 29 inch wheel is going to corner better and it is going to brake better. I feel the 29er wheel adds a lot of confidence to the rider because its stability once you get the wheels moving and?also?the 29 inch wheel, because of the way the axles are situated?are actually higher than a 26 inch wheel?the bottom bracket in relation to the axles of a 29 inch wheel is actually lower on a 29 inch wheel?thus technically lowering your center of gravity, so you?ll find the 29ers will definitely turn better at speed. Those are what I see as the major advantages of a 29 inch wheel over a 26 inch wheel.[/quote'] Yes, the 29-er has a lower rolling resistance.....0.00009% lower. What problem does this solve? What does "roll faster" mean? The attack angle. Puhleeeze. Has he done the comparison. I think not, 'cause he would ahve found that the only time it would make a difference is if you want to ride into a 400mm rock. I like the bit about "once you get the wheels moving". It sounds like it is difficult to do so. Nevertheless he then goes on to talk about "Where the axles are situated." I think he means "the axles are higher". But this is neither here nor there, since then talks a whole bunch of nonsense about lower centre of gravity. If the bottom brackets on both bikes are the same distance from the ground, then the centres of gravity of the same rider on either bike will be the same. Technically he's talking crap. Practically he's talking crap too. BB height (or BB drop) is determined by how easy you want to make it for the rider to put a foot out and touch the road. On a MTB you want to balance it with ground clearance. Those of us who have road and MTBs will know that MTBs are not so lekker in the traffic because you need a looooong leg to stop at robots. 29ers don't turn better at speed. This is based on a stupid premise. The turning feel will be determined by the fork offset. In summary, our friend the leading 29er advocate has not made a single point for moving to 29 inch bikes. Johan,he is talking utter trash. Biggest load of cow dung delivered to the internet this week. (lastweek someoneelse delivere another big load) However, it seems that all this nonsense he is talking has a following.. It's a shame more people don't take science at school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoLefty!! Posted December 2, 2009 Share OX Wagon, 29er feel nice because of their long wheel base. Same difference can be felt if you take a long wheel base bakkie and short wheel base bakkie on a 4x4 course. The long wheel base feels better because you are further from the wheels. Notice the wheels size there is the same at 13" with 80 profile tyres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox_Wagon Posted December 2, 2009 Share Plus the added air volume in the tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techguy Posted December 2, 2009 Share All I can say to Johan is ride one before you take it apart on engineering mumbo jumbo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techguy Posted December 2, 2009 Share I can do science me, and I can see the benefits scientifically... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermanus Cycles Posted December 2, 2009 Share ABSOBLUDYLUTLY!!!! IF YOU HAVE NOT TRIED ONE FOR MORE THAN ADAY ' date='THEN YOU JUST WONT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE MISSING.I WILL NEVER ,NEVER BUY ANOTHER LITTLE WHEEL BIKE AGAIN.29ERS RULE. [/quote'] People must stop looking at theories and other crap then mouth off about things they have not tried. Ride a bloody 29er for more than a week and you WILL be converted... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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