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29ers...here to stay or fade away?


TYGA

10 years from now the majority of "serious" MTB wheels will be:  

97 members have voted

  1. 1. 10 years from now the majority of "serious" MTB wheels will be:

    • 26inch
      71
    • 29inch
      53
    • 650B is the future
      8


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Well worth reading that article!

Was looking at a 29'er but being a small guy the 650B sounds like a better option ?Confused

 

how tall are you?

 

172cm' date=' 65kg.

[/quote']

 

ok, you're a little shorter than me. i thought i'd never handle a 29er, but after riding about four or five, i've changed my mind. wouldn't ditch the 26er for one, but would gladly have a bigger bike in my wobble. 

 

Thanks holly,

 

I'll have a chat to Gavin and take that chumba 29er for a spin. I like the idea of a 29er hardtail.

that's my favourite so far!!! you will be pleasantly surprised by how much fun that bike is!

20091126_020854_29er.jpg

 

Big%20smile Great minds I tell you!!!

 

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Im still not convinced on 29er bikes' date=' if they are really that amazingly fast, why havnt burry and co started riding them yet?

 

 

 

Please can somebody explain 650b in plain English to me, iv just woken up[/quote']

 

 

 

Plenty of pro's ride 29ers couple of them on the world cup circuit.

 

 

 

 

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I read an article somewhere on the net that the current men and women USA champions both  ride 29'ers and both are part of the Team Subaru Gary Fisher.  I'm currently riding a borrowed Ventana El Kapitan 29'er and am hugely impressed - now I cant wait for my HiFi Pro to arrive in the mail..........Thumbs%20Up

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I read an article somewhere on the net that the current men and women USA champions both? ride 29'ers and both are part of the Team Subaru Gary Fisher.? I'm currently riding a borrowed Ventana El Kapitan 29'er and am hugely impressed - now I cant wait for my HiFi Pro to arrive in the mail..........Thumbs%20Up

 

 

 

How's it gonna fit through the postbox ? smiley5.gif

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Willow Koerber is 5'2" (1.57 m) and only swapped to 29ers about 3 months before the Worlds in Aus and came 3rd:

 

20091126_062312_Willow.jpg
Kiwi2009-11-26 06:23:23
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the thing about all this debating is that the very first MTB's were all 29ers... until they came back that the 26er accelerated better for the cross country courses. Of course back then the rim and tyre technology was nowhere near what we have now so it made sense then to make the wheels smaller and in turn lighter...

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the thing about all this debating is that the very first MTB's were all 29ers... until they came back that the 26er accelerated better for the cross country courses. Of course back then the rim and tyre technology was nowhere near what we have now so it made sense then to make the wheels smaller and in turn lighter...

 

Gary Fisher himself:

 

http://clunkers.net/alan_repack1.jpg
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the thing about all this debating is that the very first MTB's were all 29ers...

 

 

 

no they were not. They were 26" because the MTB is based on the old cruisers and only 26" wheels were avaialable.

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All this debating is spurious really. What works for you depends on so much that there is no single solution which is right for everyone. Its dependant on what type of riding you do, your body size and dimensions, and a fair wad of personal preference.

That being said, the 650B standard does seem to make sense for full suspension bikes with regards to rear wheel travel. In end you still have to pedal your way up the mountain, and so the biggest limitation on the bikes performance is actually just yourself.

 

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Fad.  Like Biopace, it'll come and go and come and go.

 

There is no scientific merit for 29 inch wheels so I think that the 26 standard will prevail.

 

Besides, they just look wrong.  I can envisage a need if someone is very tall and he wants a frame with better looking proportions, but that's all.

 

 
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the thing about all this debating is that the very first MTB's were all 29ers... until they came back that the 26er accelerated better for the cross country courses. Of course back then the rim and tyre technology was nowhere near what we have now so it made sense then to make the wheels smaller and in turn lighter...

 

Gary Fisher himself:

 

http://clunkers.net/alan_repack1.jpg

 

WTF? Where is his helmet? This is disgracefull!

 

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Talking of which... I saw a Trek 69er the other day at CycleLab. It looked like a hyena with the 26" at the back ant the 29" at the front.  Can anyone tell me what the real benefits of having the mix are all about?

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