[Closed] 29ers from a 26er

I, like I am sure many, have, as someone of the same height as you it was like suddenly having a bike that fitted me correctly. Although your own bike, unless I am mistaken, having a long reach I would imagine the difference would be slightly less marked.

They are a wee bit faster feeling, also more convidence inspiring. They don't "pop"as much as 26 but I think at 6.2 it's not that marked.

I wouldn't go back to a smaller wheel but then it's not as if I was unhappy riding 26 all those years.

Yep, 6' 2", I went from a 26" 2009 Zesty to a 29" Hightower. Also went from L to XL. No drama, no massive revelation, just a bike that felt like it fitted better. Didn't feel less lively as there's a million factors at play - for instance the chainstay length on the Hightower was actually shorter. Also still own a 26" hardtail.

Yes you need different spare tubes, that is the biggest thing... Go ride a few, like 26 they are all different and good for different things.

I did, just over winter 26er HT to 29er HT.

TBH it still looks a little odd to me with the slightly bigger wheels, but once onboard and rolling along there's not much noticeably different, it turns in just fine, it's maybe a little bit more work to accelerate initially (again that could well be in my head) but changing direction and doing techy stuff I've not felt like it's made things harder...

It's certainly got me considering an FS 29er as a next step perhaps...

Oh and I'm 5'10", if it's OK for us (relative) dwarves, it's going to be fine for 6ft+ers...

6ft3. Marin mount vision 26er.  It had a massive head tube and I always seemed to go over the bars.

I bought a 29er Scandal about 6 years ago. I was convinced after the first ride.

Sold all my 26 inch bikes and kit and never went back.

For me, being tall it just makes sense.

I've not really gone from one to the other as my main bike is a 26" FS, however I spent a lot of time riding a 27.5+ hardtail last year which morphed into a 27.5+ full suspension over the last couple of months (2017 NS Snabb+)

It is a great ride and certainly feels like I can take on much more than the 26", however it was possibly too easy over some techy trail and the fatter tyres seem to take some fun away.

The Snabb is now set up with 29" wheels and I'll be going for a ride very shortly.

Trouble is, I've now not ridden the 26 for so long that I've lost the benchmark. Will try get them back to back next weeked and make a call.

PS. 6 foot so not exactly huge.

I owned both 26" & 29ers at one point, now exclusively 29ers.

Started with getting a Kona Unit (29er SS). Then spitting my trail HT and building up a Solaris. Toying with getting a bouncy bike again which will likely be a 29er.

Had both for awhile now only 29ers , oh and I'm a dwarfish 5'10" .

Yeah, several years ago. No way going back despite trying. 26er just looks and feels wrong now.

Yes, do it.

Yep, a few yeas ago before 27.5" really took off. Another stumpy little 5'10" here. I'd still happily ride 26" for fun, and I currently have 27.5", 29" and 29-plus in the garage (and 20" on the BMX); variety is good! But 29ers are particularly ace and larger riders do seem to benefit from them a lot, you should definitely give it a go.

I’m on my second 29er, an Enduro in fact.

Go for it, after the initial adjustment you won’t tegret it.

Has anyone made the move from a 26er straight to a 29er. I’m about 6’2 and 16stone so I think I would benefit from a bigger bike.

I'm about your height and ended up riding an event supplied 29er in a multi-event desert race thingy and realised instantly that I'd been riding the wrong wheel size (for me) for years.

I don't think they're dramatically different in terms of worrying about it.  If you are I'm sure you can get something that also takes 27.5 or fatter tyres?

When I first tried a 29er (Well 69er really) there was no in between size.

Then the in between size was sold as the best of both worlds in every way. Of course it's not, it's in between for everything. The real problem was the "Weirdos and XC race whippets" image of 29ers.

Then everyone whose tall in every discipline started riding 29ers.

You might as well swap straight to 29er. At 6', I occasionally have the odd tyre buzz on my shorts, but except from that it's like my other bikes but a bit better in every way (rolls a bit faster, grips a bit better, smooths the trail out a bit better).

Going from 26er to 29er on my HT made me use the 26er FS a lot less.

Likewise I went from a Cotic Hemlock 26 to a humungous Trek Remedy 29. I'm not especially tall, 5'10, but big wheels work. And more importantly it's a damn good bike, that's a bigger deal than wheel size.

Back from a hot sticky saunt round Cannock and surrounding countryside.

Not sure what to make of the 29" wheels tbh as they initially felt very barge like with weird steering.

Got used to them after ten minutes or so and they do roll nicely but I was finding myself not leaning into the corners enough and 'understeering' into the edge.

Need to ride some more and get used to them although I suspect the frame is engineered for 27.5+ tyres, despite being advertised as suitable for both.

So far I prefer the plus tyres by quite a way but need to ride more before settling.

Doesn't help that the 29" wheels I bought s/hand from here and despite being fresh off a bike I don't think they are any where near as stiff as my others, so they felt very flexy when I did get the fast corners right.

Went from a 20” 456 inbred to a 29er. Tried a 27.5” after and hardly used it. Keep it as a back up. 29er is faster and more comfortable. Being 6ft 4 it makes sense. I can see a full sus on the horizon but I have no idea what. Any suggestions on full sus 29ers bikes for tall fellows?

I've just taken the plunge and bought one a couple of weeks ago. Felt like a big risk to take, I had ridden loads of 29ers and absolutely hated the vast majority, only found two I actually enjoyed - SC Tallboy and Singular Swift.

Difficulty getting spares for my 26 coupled with some other reasons which meant I needed a new frame anyway lead me into looking for a 29, eventually found something which fitted what I was after, Salsa El Mariarchi Ti. Even after a test ride still felt like a risk to take but quite happy with it so far. Real PITA though is the fact that my 'every part fits every other bike' thing has now been broken.

29 is noticeably slower on the climbs (but then my 26 had 1,200g weight-weenie wheels and the 29 has heavy 1,600g wheels, plus heavier tyres etc, currently getting the old hubs built up with new rims) 29 also noticeably slower in very tight, twisty stuff, can't seem to get the lean on it as well (Nobby Nics or Maxxis Ikons in both flavours so fairly direct comparison) but 29 is quicker over small stutter bumps and tree roots. Fastest overall? Don't know, need to upload some stuff to Strava and compare times.

Anyway, as with any bike the advice is test ride, test ride, test ride. As someone said above not all 29ers are alike as not all 26ers are. Good and bad of both. I'm 5'11" by then way.

At 5’6” I went from an RM Element 26 to Trek SF HT 29er.  After a few weeks I’d stopped riding the 26 as it was slower and didn’t carry speed like the 29er.  Yes the 26 was more nimble and accelerated better but the 29er still feels like cheating.

ive since got a Speccy Enduro and that is scary fast downhill.

Lots of people will have gone from 26er to 29er.

Based on my experience, just do it.  I switched to 29ers years ago as I found them far superior, and wouldn't ride anything else now (27.5 too similar to 26).

 but I was finding myself not leaning into the corners enough and ‘understeering’ into the edge.

That would be you running into corners faster than you realise. Classic hallmark of 29er carrying more speed but masking it with stability.

I changed my HT from 26 to 29 in 2011 with a 1st gen Solaris. I pretty much stopped using my 26 FS that year and replaced it with and FS 29 in 2012 and have been exclusively 29 since.

I'm 6ft, and the overiding impression at the time was of a bike that fitted me properly, and was more composed.

Down sides are weight and they can be a bit slower in very tight hairpins.

I've tried 27.5 since and they just feel like pram wheels. I should think plus really helps there.

You won't die. I did it about 5 or 6 years ago, though had a break of about 10 years or so in-between so coming back into the sport after a long lay off just took the plunge and went 29er. I'm 5'9" so not particularly tall and well and truly in that medium size bracket and its a bit of a myth about the 29ers only being beneficial for taller folk. I've loved riding my 29ers. they do feel different to 26ers for sure and will require some tweaks to your riding stye, but the whole thing about them being more sluggish and less manoeuvrable than 26ers is completely BS. It's about the rider as always...a good rider can hustle a 29er as well as any other bike.

I think the pro's and cons are there but have a small effect and are much exaggerated by people. All this crap about 29ers being slower to accelerate etc is nonsense, you really can't tell. The biggest benefit I notice is that in muddy and sticky conditions 29ers definitely work better, in tacky rocky climbs they can handle square edge steps better, but other than that its about the rider as always - kit can never trump skills.

Bought a 29er Trek Procaliber recently after a lay off of 10 years.

All my bikes are old school  26ers. I'm 5'11" and ride mediums

Biggest difference I notice has nothing to do with the wheel size, but the geometry.

The Trek feels great, long and low, my 26ers feel cramped now. Specifically the top tube length.

My first attempt at 29ers in 2008 or so was a swift with a cheap build and to be honest I hated it, tried it with gears and without, rigid or Reba, short stem, long stem and just never got it. Felt slow, hard to get up to speed, just not right. Went back to 26 and a carbon rush and couldn’t

The next attempt was in 2013 on a spearfish with crossmax wheels which was much more sprightly and with a bit of playing about I started to get how to ride it, use it to keep speed, better Tyres I think made a huge difference too but to be honest I think the one thing to make the difference on a 29er more than anything else is a light stiff set of wheels.

Now on a smuggler after a few charge hardtails and another swift and will never have a bike with smaller wheels again.

(6’2 and 14 stone)

I didn't do it in one jump. I went from a SC Superlight 26 to a Trigger Carbon 27.5 to a SC Hightower in the space of 18 months.

Thoughts:

- climbs are a bit slower, though arguably with more traction - whether thats down to the wheel size or tyres, fitness, or that I'm currently 5kg heavier - hard to say.

- flats and slight descents are faster. The 29er just rolls quicker over rough terrain. Despite lower fitness I took over a minute off a 9 min segment on a slight descent over rough chunk - I reckon I can run a gear or two higher pointing down because it flattens a lot of small to medium chunk.

- descents: I'm faster most of the time, sometimes by just a few seconds, sometimes by quite a bit. I put it down to the stability of the 29er - the big wheels make rough stuff seem smoother, I can carry way more speed before I start to feel like I'm on the edge.

- technical stuff: not sure. I'm more confident, but still a scaredy cat. I certainly ride more stuff now than I did on the Trigger. I think that's confidence in the bike, but I could just be slightly less scared now. 🙂

- switchbacks: it's plenty agile and I'm much better through the tight stuff on the 29er than I was on the Superlight or Trigger. They aren't all barges. I did put a 40mm stem on to speed things up a bit (and reduce the reach).

One mistake I made - I didn't ride before buying. My local SC dealer only had a Medium in the Hightower, and indeed in the Bronson and 5010 in the past. When the killer deal came up, it was online for an XL (which I was sure I wanted as I'm between sizes). I'd have liked to try both the L and XL as sometimes I think the XL is too big. Then again I regularly felt the L Trigger was too small.

I still ride both. A 26 Cotic Soul and a 29 Codeine. Im only handing on to the Soul as its pointless selling it (id get sod all) but the 26 wheels are starting to do my head in.

A few people have mentioned that 29ers are slower on climbs, yet most XC racers seem to use them these days and they spend a fair chunk of the race climbing.

I jumped on 29ers a few years back and have always liked them. I only sold my last 26" bike a few months back though. Actually I do still have a 26" bike, thinking about it, but that's got 5" tyres, so doesn't really count 🙂

A few people have mentioned that 29ers are slower on climbs, yet most XC racers seem to use them these days

I think 29ers climb quicker. (IMNAXCR 😉 )

just under 6' 2" and have been riding a 2010 26er ht, started demoing 27.5 - didn't like it, tried 29 - loved it and didn't look back. i also eyed up the enduro but as i couldn't get a demo on an xl then they can go jump and don't deserve my money, same as trek who told me i'd have to buy the xl to be able to try it...

i've just bought a hightower lt in xxl as the xl still felt a bit short for me (i've got a long reach) and also a pipedream moxie in the longer size (this needs to be built when it arrives, but with it being a hardtail I'm more comfortable in buying without demoing).

try to demo as much as you can before parting with your cash. i thought i'd love the enduro but i didn't like the suspension.

I was very sceptical of the whole 29 thing but a few years back my curiosity got the better of me and I "accidentally" ended up owning an ex-hire Solaris (after a call to 18 Bikes about a hub tool!). I was riding a 26" Soul at the time which I loved.

After several thousand miles exclusively on the Solaris, it's the bike I always ride as I like it so much. I'm not a confident rider and it helps very much on that. It's great when there are ruts and hidden horrible holes. As I also lack any measurable fitness, I tend to ride using as much momentum as I can (I used to ride singlespeed) and the Solaris suits that approach as it just rolls on and blatters through things. I've not noticed poor climbing ability, I'd say it's better, but again that's probably my riding style.

Hope you find what you need, that's just my views. 6'2", by the way.

I've got one of each.

They're both bikes

I can't say I tend to think about it much when I'm riding them.

I've gone from a 90s 26" marin to a 29er Stanton Sherpa. The sherpa is great but theres no doubting those wheels are massive.

Also the handlebars are massive compared to my usual narrow bars with bar ends. I'm still convinced I prefer wide bars.

I went straight from 26 to 29 and I regularly (when I'm having a phase of actually riding the bikes rather than tripping over them) swap between the two.

No issues as far as I'm concerned.  They ride quite differently but it's still 'riding a bike' all your skills (or lack of in my case) are transferable. The marketing BS is to a certain extent true, they roll well and as far as my talents take me they are stable. I have a Camber and it definitely wants a bit more persuasion in the tight corners but it will do what you tell it.

I'm 5'10 and ride a large but I'm long of body for height so like the extra reach.

Other end of the spectrum here - 5'6" and I went over to 29ers about six years ago. I ended up riding my mk2 Scandal more than my pretty-much-spot-on Singular Hummingbird, which annoyed me a great deal as I had bought the Scandal as a stopgap frame and until then I'd been incredibly happy with the Singular, regarding it pretty much as my perfect hardtail (I tend to keep bikes a while - it replaced a DeKerf Generation I'd had for over a decade). I ended up selling all my 26" bikes, and am now on a second 29er hardtail and a 29er FS.

You will need to reassess your cornering, accommodate the fact that the bike will feel more stable and carry speed better (as above) and get the hang of using slightly more pronounced body English to change the bike's direction - but ideally you shouldn't be using the stem to turn the bike like a rudder, you should be using your weight anyway. all good habits.

Worth noting that I had to go back to 26ers for a week on holiday with a hire bike about a year after switching exclusively to 29ers. I was worried the bike would be slower (it was), and more prone to mishaps. As it turned out, aside from an almost-highside / tankslapper on a tight high speed road corner, no problems with over the bars fun or any other kind of crash. I did notice I had to put in more effort to keep the bike rolling up climbs, however. I was very glad to get back to my own 29ers after.

At your height particularly, I'd swap to 29" wheels and not look back.