[Closed] 29'rs any more than just the one benefit ?

I follow these simple rules with buying a bike.

Try it, Like it, buy it

or

Try it, don't like, didn't buy it.

Love my 29er for long rides and races
Love my 26er for playing silly bu99ers anywhere humpy and jumpy
Where do you expect to ride?

Sorry it's been done to death but I've never really looked too close as I've never considered one till now.

All of those threads still exist you know... Search is your friend.

In a nutshell people will say roll better, more grip, more stable, less flickable, less lively, less fun.

Ultimately they have advantages and disadvantages, best advice is to try one/some to see how you get on with them.

Please make it stop!

On a more practical note there is a search facility on the site. There may be some wheel size threads.

They grip better due to the larger contact point with the ground. It's particularly noticeable when putting down the power on a steep/slippy climb.

Are they faster on an overall ride than 26/27.5? Probably, but nowhere near as much fun so not for me. Trying one and making up your own mind will be the best bit of advice you get.

OP have you ridden a 29er?

you will die if you don't buy one

Having ridden a 26" and a 29er for the last few months I would say that wheelsize is the least interesting parameter on a bike. Every advantage or disadvantage attributed to different sized wheels could be achieved in all sorts of other ways as well.

It's much better to think about what sort of bike you want rather than what size the wheels should be. If you want an XC bike it may well be a 29er as that's the fashion these days. But you could build an equally good XC bike with 26" or 650b wheels. The same is true for all the other flavours of bike too. The wheelsize is just dictated by the current fashion.

It just felt right to me over 26er wheel, I just felt more confident. That was my deciding factor, nothing else counted.

As it turned out, the ability to deal with mud better (more grip overall), is a lovely advantage but not the reason I bought one.
As for the disadvantages.. I've yet to find/experience any (XC riding)

The only disadvantage I have found is the front seems to washout more readily on very slide prone surfaces E.G wooden boards.

Slack angles and low BB's on all mountain bikes; any more than just the one benefit ?

I'm genuinely looking at possibly new bike purchase.. And looking closely at internet waffle/forums/manufacturer spiel I'm only garnering that [b]stability [/b]seems to be the only benefit ?

Sorry it's been done to death but I've never really looked too close as I've never considered one till now..

Pros- [b]stability[/b]

Cons-

Less nimble
Heavier wheels
Heavier tyres
Not quite as pretty
High front end
Slower acceleration

It's bizzare that most people who decry 29ers as all the things you said, then go out of their way trying to make their 26" bikes 'more stable' with slack angles and low BB's.

29ers feel different, to me it feels like a nimble XC bike (it would with a 72deg head angle!) at typical singletrack speeds, but unlike my old comparable 26" bike, it doesn't seem to get out of it's depth as the speed picks up (probably the wheelbase and big wheels coming into their own).

Personaly I won't be going back

This is all a bit odd...
I've taken the leap into 29ers with a scandal/reba SS setup....
It's bloody lovely - fast, nimble, light, flickable, jumpable, rapid on the ups, rapid on the downs, turns when I want it to...
Feels much faster than my old SS - might be the wheels, likely the 5lb saving too...
I don't get all this 'sluggish' talk tbh...

DrP

Less nimble
Heavier wheels
Heavier tyres
Not quite as pretty
High front end
Slower acceleration

I'm not sure that most of those are right.

Less nimble is very subjective. I still love my 26" bikes because they're definitely more flickable (for want of a better word) but then even on really twisty singletrack, the 29er never feels too slow in the steering. So, it may be 'less nimble' but not to the point of it being a negative.

Heavier wheels - yes, this one is correct. But then you're repeating it on 'heavier tyres and slower acceleration'. In reality, I seem to be pretty much the same speed on my 29er as on my 26" bikes so I wouldn't be worrying too much about this unless you're a world class XC rider.

Not quite as pretty - well that depends. I think my Swift looks great but then it's an XL and looks very much in proportion. I know that many (especially the 29er evangelists....) say that my 26" bikes look too small so...

High front end - this can be an issue, particularly in smaller sizes but isn't a fundamental issue. I'm actually about to raise my 29ers front end a touch as it's very low right now.

Anyway, I wrote a review of my Swift some time ago that still holds true now I reckon - it's not more or less fun, just different. It's not quite as BMX feeling but then the confidence that goes with that means that I am encouraged to do sillier things on it which is fun.

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/singular-swift-29er-and-suntour-epicon-rld-29er-fork-reviews

[img] [/img]

Ok I was a tad dismissive a few posts up. Just seems the day for 29er questions.

Anyway, as a recent convert, I'd say go try one for sure. I'd been riding 26" wheel mtb's since '86 and thought I wouldn't change. However I sold my HT earlier in the year and wasn't 100% happy with my FS. So when looking for a HT and thinking how I'd use it I kept coming back to 29ers. Gave one a go and now am sold on them.

I have no desire to take my 26er out now really. In fact I rode it last week to try out a shorter stem but kept missing the 29ers riding characteristics.

So try it out. They seem to suit some and clearly I'm someone it does.

They've got better contact in the long firepower patch.
Or something like that.

11.5% more ultragamnation.

there are a few small differences in the way they handle/ride/grip/roll - you may or may not like some/all of the differences.

they look [u]much[/u] better if you need a 20" frame (or bigger)

Less nimble
Heavier wheels
Heavier tyres
Not quite as pretty
High front end
Slower acceleration

most of this is bollocks.

The cons are not real.

Less nimble - no - the two 29ers i've had have been every bit as manouverable as any 26er. My XC racer was twitchy and keen to change direction, my slack long travel AM bike is very manouverable with slow speed stability that i've never had on a 26er. Its mostly to do with frame goemetry rather than wheel size.

Heavier wheels - true - wheel for wheel. But not that much, certainly not noticable or measureable via a stop watch based on the (admitidly flawed) back to back tests various mags have done - though the margins are small. I'm just as slow on a 29er as I was on a 26er. BMX wheels are lighter than 26" wheels, but I don't hear anyone saying we should have a smaller wheelsize because of wheel weight.

Heavier tyres - yes, but same as for wheel weight argument.

Not quite as pretty - depends on the eye of the beholder. I'm now used to the appearance of my 29ers and 26ers now look like they're on skateboard wheels, especially when you've got a leggy rider on them with alot of seatpost out. Proper clown bike looks.

High front end - Complete and utter BS. The handlebar height off the ground is the same as an equivalent 26er. Same with saddle height and BB height. I've measured and compared this myself.

Slower acceleration - BS. Yes, its possible to calculate differences in inertia and the knock-on effect on accelaration, but that's an interesting school room academic exercise and you wont notice it in the real world. Overall weight has the biggest effect on accellaration - i.e. the person sat on the thing. Same thing as what I said about wheel weight - so far it has not been shown to be detrimental in the real world against the stop watch.

As has been said before - wheel size on its own does not define a good or bad bike. If you like a bike, it feels nice, looks nice and is the right price and spec - then that's the bike for you.

 

I needed a new bike for commuting on last year. Thought about a road bike but I (used to) ride to work on mainly tow path so decided to build up an inbred 29er. The main reasons for this was I had parts that would fit (27.2 seat tube) and I fancied giving a 29er a proper go. It's a cracking bike and i'm sure it's faster over non techy stuff and great up hills. I've now changed jobs and my commute is road only so am thinking of converting it to a cross bike.

...........I'm waffling now..........but, I think (my) 29er is great but I wouldn't ride it on the same stuff I ride my 26" wheel Orange Five on! But that's the point, you really have to thing about what you actually want from the bike, before thinking that wheel size is important.

not all bikes with the same wheel size are the same.....

Had a orange 5 - great bike
Got a Yeti SB29er - sold the orange 5

Not sure if it's a Yeti / Orange thing but the five really was a piece of crap in comparison !

Mine never brought the trail alive, so I burnt it.

Thanks for the info/input guys I've not as yet ridden a 29'r .. I must sort out a test ride .. It's mostly for local trails nothing too gnarly/rad I'm 40 !!! 😉

It would be a ss built up as light as wallet allowed ..

Few nice options out there !! I foresee some test rides 🙂

TINAS makes a good point.

Pros- Rolls bit better --- a lot better imo.

Cons-

Less nimble - that's about geometry far more than it is about wheel size. I think most of us can move around a bike that's less nimble than a light 26" anyway, tbh 26" feels too nimble for a lot of trails to me, ie not stable w/o a fair bit of compensation.
Heavier wheels - yes, but that isn't the problem many make out, light wheels just flatter egos and are good for road racing. Read Jeff Jones' comments in Privateer on the subject, points well made.
Heavier tyres - as above. Tyres are a daft place to save weight anyway.
Not quite as pretty - so? : ) Debatable too.
High front end - is that bad? generally within normal / useable ranges for most riders.
Slower acceleration - balanced by greater conservation of momentum. better flow is better for overall speed than start-stop reaction speed, imo. I don't race XC on tight courses though.

Love my Anthem x 29er, its the best bike ive ever owned- and its also the heaviest! 29ers do offer a very different ride to 26ers, are they better? Probably not, just different.

If you like distance riding and all day adventures, then id say a 29er is where its at.
If you want to jump and flick a bike around on techy trails then a 26 is prob better.
Never ridden a 27.5 so cant comment on that

29ers are just like 26ers - they come in many flavours and it seems the breadth of flavours is increasing.

My Trek Stache 29er seems to handle everything well and is plenty good fun on rocky singletrack - up and down. Need to ride it some more to really get a good understanding but so far I'm smiling. The Coed y Brenin enduro this weekend should provide some good experience.

Not in any hurry to sell my 26er Stumpjumper fs

29ers feel different, to me it feels like a nimble XC bike (it would with a 72deg head angle!) at typical singletrack speeds, but unlike my old comparable 26" bike, it doesn't seem to get out of it's depth as the speed picks up (probably the wheelbase and big wheels coming into their own).

Personaly I won't be going back

I agree with this.

I bet a lot of the 29er doubters haven't even ridden one. I find my Solaris easier to wheelie, manual and flick about than the Soul it replaced. Don't let wheel size put you off trying a bike... Oh, and there are some bad 29ers just like there are good/bad 26ers.

Just have a ride on a few. See if they suit you.
My 29" ss is pretty similar to my old 26" wheel one (even the same brand,) but I like it so much more. I'd not buy another 26" wheel bike now.
I was quite anti-big wheel until I rode one.

Pros: they fit normal size people
Cons: short people think they need one

monkeychild - Member
Mine never brought the trail alive, so I burnt it.

Only 27.5 brings the trail alive

27.

27.5 would be rubbish

PROS : the bike industry makes money

CONS: Rocket dogs comments on these threads 😉

Pros - It's just as much fun as riding a 26" wheeled bike but in a slightly different way...

Cons - Idiots with the same size wheel will come up to talk to you about how wonderful it is & bore the tits off you........FACT

Have you considered a skills course? 😉

Wasn't there a post a while back pointing out that their 29er floated when crashed into a canal...

It may be an advantage if you plan on doing that a lot? (Though, large volume 26 tyres might do the same, and 650b would bring the canal to life...)

26 - old hat
27[s].5[/s] - makes the trails come alive
29 - less nimble and heavy wheels

So clearly 32 is actually where it is at
http://www.walmart.com/ip/32-Genesis-Men-s-Beach-Cruiser-Bike-Red/20658235

Rubbish.

36" FTW
[img] [/img]

I test rode a Anthem 29er, it didnt feel wrong, it felt very sort of "planted". Bought it, no regrets. But that does not mean I wouldnt of been just as happy on a 26 or 650B.

Buy the bike that feels best to ride.

I test rode a few 29ers - didn't like them so I didn't buy them (for me they seemed hard work to steer and a bit heavy, but then I'm only small) I'm sure I will ride a 650b one day but I'm in no rush

I'm on my 3rd 29er now, started with a cheap build (Chimba HX2), moved onto a Kinesis FF29 and also an Anthem X1.

The anthem replaced a very sorted Nicolai Helius CC in 130mm travel / 26" flavor and without a doubt it's faster and more fun to ride for the way I ride, infact I sold the FF as it just wasn't getting used.

The less nimble thing is rubbish too, the anthem is a long bike but I don't have any issues in woodsy single track or anything else to be fair, you may have to 'hustle' it a bit more but that just makes it fun

I put too much money into 26" kit so can't change without too big a hit. Also I like to be able to excuse my poor performance on riding 26".

The 29er has been a revelation In off road riding and fit for all purpose riding the large wheels feel great underneath you whilst riding any kind of trail makes everything feel so much better than before
Most certainly not just for one thing huh

The 650b whilst a tad smaller will sort the downhill and more extreme riding out for the future for us

plus one - Member
I'm genuinely looking at possibly new bike purchase...

You going to race it? Then take advice from the race whippets.

Just for fun? Then the expert is you. Try a demo or two.

I have a nice mtb toy box to choose from:

Yeti 575
Cotic soul

I bought a Cube Reaction GTC 29er in April. I prefer it to both. Regardless of the nimbleness etc, it just feels more natural, fun and goes like the clappers and copes perfectly with 95% of my riding.

Comparing the best trail bike examples of each.

26" - Unstable without slack HA, doesn't climb well on steep tech unless quite steep ST angle, manuals easy, stiff wheels, easy to get perfect position (low bars etc), nimble and fun but gets out of control sooner, light weight.

29" - Stable, longer wheelbase (plus and minus points), more climbing grip/ability (longer rear centre), more difficult to manual, more effort (ability?) required to maneuver, boring at low speeds but ultimately more control at higher speeds (wheelbase/BB drop), noticeably less energy required (contact friction/tyre deformation), wheel flex unless expensive CF options used, better suspension performance for similar travel (roll centre).

Latter is faster no doubt in my mind. Former is probably more fun especially at lower speeds.

Bollocks

Exploding wheels.

I've only just got a 29er. And I usually ride small (16in) 26ers.
Negatively compared to a 26er
- Heavier in the wheels and frame.
Acceleration is a tad slower.
- Steering not as direct or nimble
- Highish front end but it is not felt in a bad way
bars are about level for my 29er with 80mm travel. Longer forks more commonly found are 100mm and I'm not too sure how I would like the front to be any higher.

Positives are
- Grip. Loads of it.
- Descending is quick. Once it is up to speed it maintains it far more than a 26er over even marginally challenging terrain.
- Ascending - it rolls over and up. What it loses in weight penalty and acceleration it gains in momentum, grip and line choice.

I haven't tried it through twisty singletrack but I am fearing the bars will be clipping the trees and vague-er steering may make it more of a handful .... but we will see.

27.5!!! All of the advantages of both 26" and 29" wheels; none of the disadvantages of either!!!* 8)

*This may be total BS!

JoeG - Member
27.5!!! All of the advantages of both 26" and 29" wheels; none of the disadvantages of either!!!*

*This [s]may[/s][b]IS[/b] be total BS!

try before you buy

I've not ridden one but i've read the internet, so...

Pros: Bigger wheels equals larger wheels
Cons: Larger wheels equals bigger wheels

p.s. i'd love to see how fast some posters ride if they find 26 unstable at speed (and if you mention head angle you'll get a slap!)

Well I can see this thread has reached the usual crap standards of wheel size threads - does JLC really believe what he writes?

Reading the informed information on this thread and the piss taking(fully expected and encouraged) I'm going to keep my 26'r and bling it up a bit 🙂

If the new thing was rainbow coloured bikes, instead of 29" wheels there'd be just as many evangelists saying that rainbow coloured rides better, rainbow coloured grips better, rainbow coloured is faster etc etc...

The fact is, when you buy or try a new bike, nine times out of ten you will perceive that it is better than what you had before. This is true of bikes, cars, DVD players, lovers....whatever.
New bikes reinvigorate you and consequently you perceive yourself to be riding better.
Hence the incessant and unnecessary upgrades to our bikes most of us succumb to.

Get a new bike. You'll love it, it'll have more grip, it'll probably climb 34.9% better than your old one, it'll be faster on those gnarly fireroads, it will accelerate better, it'll be more stable at speed... yada yada....

Sorry.. 😕

Get a new bike. You'll love it, it'll have more grip, it'll probably climb 34.9% better than your old one, it'll be faster on those gnarly fireroads, it will accelerate better, it'll be more stable at speed... yada yada....

probably true, but, if it's a 26er, it'll look rubbish.

(unless you're a short-arse)

clubber - Member
Rubbish.
36" FTW

I'd love a go on one of those.

Anyone sell frames? My weird bike collection is needing company...

After moving to 29'ers I now find everytime I go back to a 26'er I end up riding it into a childs face.

and if you mention head angle you'll get a slap!

rainbow coloured grips better

I follow these simple rules with buying a bike.
Try it, Like it, buy it
or
Try it, don't like, didn't buy it.

Pretty much summed it up.

If your research is limited to what the internetz thinks, then you are unlikely to be happy with the final choice.

The only real way to know what suits you is trying. Book a demo or two.

There's no such thing as a "perfect" bike, there are bikes that will suit your needs, ignore wheel sizes and focus on how it is when ridden.

probably true, but, if it's a 26er, it'll look rubbish.

It's funny how what looks good gets conditioned by what you are used to.

I was on holiday on Mull over the summer. As I was out walking with the kids I saw a guy about my height (6') riding a 26" MTB. Having ridden exclusively 29ers for the previous six months, my first though was "gosh don't those wheels look small". Sort of out of proportion. Then I noticed the way the bike was moving. He wasn't doing anything special, just cruising along the trail as you do; popping off the odd rock and hopping over the odd puddle. But it made me realise that, in my quest to find a faster MTB I'd lost sight of the reason why I ride round in circles in the wood in the first place.

I still have my 29er HT in case I ever go on a ride where I care about how fast I'm going uphill or along the flat. But it's great being back on a 26" full suss, even if it does look rubbish 🙂

Subtract 29 from 26, take that number and multiply it by the average gradient of your favourite climb and divide that number by the average gradient of your favourite local decent. Add one for luck and you are left with your optimum wheel size.

57% of the time this works all the time.

Ride long distance XC most of time. Had 26" Cube acid Hartdtail loved that bike. Moved up to Anthem 29",lovley bike but massive change in gearing. Have put a 22 granny ring on to help compensate. 26"is more fun especially on hills. 29" smoother. As a note people say 29" faster, did a 70 mile event the other day. Only 10 mins faster then my old 26"? love the anthem, miss the acid.