[Closed] 29r's v 26r's............time to be honest.

No, its better

My 26" bikes are better than my 29er on steep techy stuff, but I enjoy the 29er so much that I'm happy to mince the tricker bits of a ride.

29er = better

No. Because they haven't got 6in+ of travel, a slack head angle, socking great huge tyres and beefy rims to back it up.

EDIT
Go on, show me an 'all mountain' 29er..... 🙂

Depends on the 26er bike.

I don't own a 29er, but have two 26ers... a Steel Long-forked Hardtail, and 5" Trail Full Susser. I believe that a 29er [u]might[/u] be better than the hardtail over rough techy ground, but I find it hard to believe it would be better or even as good as the full-susser (despite what some MTB mags journo's might suggest).

Actually.... Honesty kicking in..... If I was riding epic distance on bridleways (thinking around Garforth, Aberford, Tempsey etc. Tony) I'd reach for my 29er. If I was doing Dalby Red/Black it would have to be my 575. That said, if Yeti did a 29er 575 equivalent then that would be my choice..... so basically what Peterpoddy says.

Interesting points from Pp and Paceman who don't have 29ers!

In terms of like for like. Yes a 29er hardtail with say 4' inches of travel is better than a 4 inch travel 26er. Possibly not as good as say a Spesh Pitch Pro!

I was just pointing out that despite what some journo's were suggesting, I couldn't believe a 29er hardtail would be better than a short travel 26er full-susser such as a ST4, Anthem-X, Flux etc.

You're right though, I don't own a 29er and haven't ridden one (except my road bike :wink:).

EDIT
Go on, show me an 'all mountain' 29er.....

[img] [/img]

There you go. 8)

http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/norco-2011-shinobi-all-mountain-29er/

I find rocky stuff I prefer my 29er but if its tech I prefer my 26er. That said my 29er is a racey rigid bike and my other is a blue pig

Anyone compared two identical bikes in the two frame standards?

Personally, i'd love a go on a SC Tallboy.

No, mine isn't.

i have ridden the nan bield 3 passes route 4 times in the last 4 years

bikes where
456 with pike 140mm forks
fisher fat possum with pikes
chumba hx2 29r with 140mm whites fork
ventana f/s 29r with 120mm forks

the most successfull outing was on the 456.

on steep rocky stuff int peaks my old 26" inbred with revs and fat tyres was best
but for everything else my 29er inbred is better

Ton, get a Sultan!

Like for like 29er. No question .

You're doing what? Riding over rough, rocky, techy trails on a push bike, you must be mad, you will end up hurting yourself. 😀

Of course 29er bikes are better over straight rocky trails. Get 45" wheels with 4" wide tyres and you'll be even quicker down there. Same as a 24" wheel will go round a corner quicker than a 26er.

Thing is, it's all about compromise, and what matters more to you. For me, the benefits of a 26er outweigh the benefits of a 29er. For some of you, it's the other way round. I'm sure that my bike will be quicker than yours on my local trails. I'm equally sure the opposite is the true.

What I [i]am[/i] bored with is the evangalists on both sides of the wheel debate. If I'm brutally honest, there's a lot of 29ers shouting from the rooftops considering what a minority they are (in this country).

I ride [b]my[/b] bike. Stop trying to tell me yours is faster. It isn't when/where I ride it. I'm bored of it. Put your willy away, it's only a bike and you're looking stupid trying to pretend it's something better than that.

+1 for what [b]firestarter[/b] says, rocky 29er (100mm tallboy) skims over the top better but on technical 26er (140mm prophet) is better for balance and tight turning.

Also find the 29er better on roots. 26er better on berms.

I'm rubbish at jumps and drops but I was surprised how easy getting the 29er in the air was.

That said my 29er is XL while my 26er is Large, which goes some way to explain so it is hard to compare.

There you go.

Fair enough! 🙂

Now, has anybody actually got one? 😉

for [u]twisty[/u] techy rocky, prob the 26, but the 29'er for all the other stuff i.e. most of the [i] stuff i [/i] ride.

i.e. most of the [b]stuff I[/b] ride.

would be more accurate.

[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5006/5383277052_878d9716d4_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5006/5383277052_878d9716d4_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/11699055@N03/5383277052/ ]Niner Jet 9[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/11699055@N03/ ]fixotic[/url], on Flickr

I ride my bike. Stop trying to tell me yours is faster.

Well said.

If I'm brutally honest, there's a lot of 29ers shouting from the rooftops considering what a minority they are (in this country).

And for balance there's a fair few people who post on 29er threads with outdated anti 29er arguments having never ridden one.

Ride what ever you want no one cares. 🙂

kids, i did not want a argument.
and the post was aimed a 29r riders............so the rest of you, **** off.

I have owned a DW Sultan and a DW 5 Spot. The only thing that made the 5 Spot faster on rough downs was the fork; Rebas just cannot hope to deal with the same as a Lyrik.

Small wheel on the back, big wheel on the front. Best of both. Or worst 😉

For me it's the steep head angle on my Pegasus that gives me the willies on things my Blur/Fox36, or indeed my Prince Albert/Pikes would munch for breakfast. Not really comparing apples with apples, but my rather basic knowledge of frame design tells me that there's a compromise to be made with 29ers to avoid too much trail increase over smaller wheels...and to get around that, the main method is to steepen the head angle. Also, my front wheel is a bit slack & flexy at the moment so that might have something to do with it 🙂

So what has actually been established?

Different people like different bikes for different stuff.

All mountain 26ers are better than xc 29er for riding steep rock downhill - no great surprise.

People who don't have both are staunchly against what they don't have.

There is some sense on Stw!! Shock horror.

The comparison between similar bikes 29 and 26 is proving to be a challenge but from another thread taller people may well prefer or find it easier to get along with bigger wheels especially on rolling or downhill type terrain.

People who came from bmx might find smaller wheels preferable. And those from the road may prefer bigger wheels.

That's it. Buy a bike, ride, brag and evangelise as much as you like. That's what forums are for.

IMHO 29er all the way!

I really, really liked my Niner EMD, and miss it now I have my ST4. BUT, my ST4 is rocking good 8)

I would like a 29er 'version' of my ST4, suits my riding. Having never ridden one, these MAY be the answer:
[img] [/img]

It would be fairer to compare a Banshee Paradox or Canfield Yelli Screamy which have slacker head angles with more trail/am orientated 26" wheel bikes. As has been said people are comparing trail 26" bikes with xc 29ers.

Anyway who cares all bikes are good - as Niner 😆 say ' Pedal damm it!'

I'd like to try a 29er when I go to my parents'. Would be a helluva bike if better than my B17 SS. Having said that I wouldn't be surprised if it were. Scandals or Inbreds would be easiest to compare I suppose.

My Turner Sultan is better than any other bike I've ever owned or indeed ridden over the rough stuff.

29er rider here,. I could have kept a 26 'hardcore' hartail for rocky, techy stuff like Laggan black and Torridon stuff but I didnt. I just find the 29er better everywhere. 20mm forks a must though.

Last year I built up a rigid inbred 29er and I did not get on with it at all. I replaced with a rigid 26 indeed which I love. I really struggled on steep up hills on the 29er in the granny which I ride in the middle on the 26. But the 29er had on_one wheels with massive blue groove types which weighed a ton and the 26 has much better wheels. I feel the difference in the weight of the wheels and tyres made a bigger difference than the wheel diameter.

I've got a 26" Scott Scale and just been playing with the Scale 29er so kind of a like for like experiment.

So far I'm loving the 29er, didn't think I would but it's a lot more stable at speed, absorbs bumps better and grips like nothing else through tight singletrack. what it does lack is a bit of 'chuckability' to use an MBR type word, but for nearly all the riding I do that'll do for me. I though it'd be lousy through singletrack but it's a real rocket.

at first glance I thought those "Niner"s said "Mincer" 😆

SHORTCUT made a good point there ! i come from a bmx & road background, ride both 29er's & 26er's & have countless bikes ! i personally prefer 26er's since around where i live, it's quite hilly & lots of tight singletrack so 26er's perform better ! in my opinion 29er's always perform better on flat areas so it also depends on where you ride ! i personally don't see many 29er's at trail centers & i wonder why ? 😆

i personally don't see many 29er's at trail centers & i wonder why

Because they're all in front of you. 😆

I ride (DID) a On One TI456 and now a 29er Scandal! I really do like the ride of the 29er over the 26er. Just try one out, you will be suprised how good the 29er is!

i personally don't see many 29er's at trail centers & i wonder why ?

Somewhere like cwmcarn I'm a good 10 minutes faster doing a loop on my 29er than on my not to slow in the first place Prophet. I can then do another loop after than and still be quicker and another etc.

However if there was a way to measure it the Prophet would win on fun, so I guess I'm making up most of the time in the climb.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=678646

There you are a long travel 29er owned by a human

Sorry ton

And for balance there's a fair few people who post on 29er threads with outdated anti 29er arguments having never ridden one.

...taller people may well prefer or find it easier to get along with bigger wheels...

How many races does the 5'2" willow Koerber have to win before this one stops getting repeated ?

Plus one for what firestarter said

The only reason I ride a 29er is co's I liked the colour of the frame.

last time i rode a 26er was decent quality full sus hire bike when on holiday in austria. it just confirmed to me that i did the right thing selling all mine and replacing them with 29ers. on that day, the ride involved some very technical and steep, lift assisted downhill style riding.

People who don't have both are staunchly against what they don't have.

I don't have a 29er, but I've ridden a couple. And I like them, I really do.
But It's 'horses for courses' and I'm very happy with the bikes I've got as they suit my riding, and I'd have to ditch one of those bikes to get a 29er. To me they make sense as a rigid singlespeed, so maybe in a couple of years when the Genesis I0 I share with Mrs PP is up for replacement, we'll get a 29er... 🙂

Given the choice, I'd have a Salsa or a Yeti Big Top 🙂

Depends if you're after speed or fun.

29er - probably a little faster over most trail loops.

26er full-suss - much more fun to ride.

is laggan black technical and rocky ?

if so 29 = full of win for that trail 😉

my 26ers just feel so skittish - its not like i dont have them set up similar (head down arse up)

only bike thats different is my sandman - ill need smaller rims before i go taking on rocky trails on that but on loose tech woodsy trails - it rocks !

i think people get the not so good on rocky tech trails feeling with 29ers is - most folk are niche mongers with rigids and SS - and those with conventional 26ers just cant cope without their 5 inch travel when they demo the 29er 😉

[i]How many races does the 5'2" willow Koerber have to win before this one stops getting repeated ? [/i]

Manufacturers want to sell 29ers as it's another bike for people to buy and replace a perfectly good race bike with (or trail bike or ss or...) She is paid to ride the bike that the sponsor wants her to race. I'd imagine it makes very little difference to her success what the wheel size is overall (ie not a specific race course)

Oh yes and I rode my 29er yesterday. It had 23mm tyres on with a stupidly small road gear and it rocked the tarmac.

on very rough rocky techy trails, is your 29r as good as a 26'' wheeled bike.

My 29er is a hardtail with 100mm forks. Depends on the 26" bike. It's better on that than my 26" currently fully rigid SS but not as good as my old Spesh Enduro (5" each end) was.

Comparing like for like-ish - say my 29er hardtail with 100mm travel fork to my 26" hardtail with 130mm travel fork then the 29er is better at rocky/bumpy stuff - quite noticeably so. Until the rocks/roots get over 4" or so, then it doesn't feel dissimilar to a 100mm travel 26" full susser though anything bigger and the full susser comfortably takes the hits better.

As to fun, I've been thinking about that a bit recently having been swapping between my 26 and 29" bikes. The 26" bikes still feel more nimble and a bit faster handling which is fun but then the 29er feels more planted and confidence inspiring which then gives me the confidence to do sillier things on it so it's fun but in a different way. Many 29ers, particularly the slightly older designs had that planted feeling but with slower handling which overal meant that they felt a bit too steady eddie. With the latest geo, that's not really an issue any more.

[i]How many races does the 5'2" willow Koerber have to win before this one stops getting repeated ?[/i]

Willow herself in response to whether her better results were to do with the switch to a 29er:I believe that I am the engine. That being said, I do love my bike 29er. I believe I could Achieve the same results on a 26 "bike, it just so happened that the peak of my fitness coincided with my switch to 29" wheels.

Will be interesting to see (if you care about that sort of thing) if she chooses a 29er or 26er now shes racing for the Trek world racing team.

it always amuses me that peoople discuss 29er's as if they are a single bike rather than a similar multitude to the range of 26er's.

a badly setup 29er will give a poor ride experience the same as a badly setup 26er.

26 or 29er's work, but there probably isn't one of either that does everything.

as for Willow, she'll ride whatever she gets paid to ride. As Sean Kelly used to say, the best bike he had ridden was always the one he was paid to ride on that day.

I have a Salsa Mamasita and I will never buy another 26" bike. Simple as that. I am 6'3" and a 29er feels like it is a better platform for someone my seze and I love the way it rides. It could be because I am a bit of a roady, I don't know, but for me, it's 29er all the way from now on (until something better turns up :lol:)

Im 6' tall and ride a 29er and its only now when I look back at the images of the 26" bikes I have owned, that I notice that they look like gates with the hinges missing. And as "oddjob" said, they feel right for taller people, although shorter people can feel the benefit too. There are pros and cons for all bikes, but as its been said above, its all cycling at the end of the day. 😕

oddjob - Member
I have a Salsa Mamasita and I will never buy another 26" bike. Simple as that. I am 6'3" and a 29er feels like it is a better platform for someone my seze

While at 6'5" my 29er which I love leaves me with no inclination to change my other 26" bikes for 29ers though I'd consider them if/when I replace them. Some bikes are better than others, I don't think that wheels size is the critial defining characteristic. A bit like you don't hear people say that they'll only ride bikes with 30.9mm seat posts.

Have 26" & 29" Inbreds & ride both around Cannook, both are SS.On laps of the munkey trail & if both are run rigid the 29er is quicker,if the 26" has suss forks on it then it's quicker, I haven't got any suss forks for the big 'un to compare against it.BUT if I run a rigid fork with the 29" wheel on the little 'un it's quicker than both the frames when run rigid......
Suss fork is still quick overall though....

chainslapper!
I hope your not having a dig at us shorter folk, or else?

obviously most of you have trouble reading................

on very rough rocky techy trails, is your 29r as good as a 26'' wheeled bike.

😉

At 5'2 willow Koerbers 29er would be the equivalent of a 26er on most people.Imagine who small her 26er must have been,would literally fall between the cracks.She's not a good example.

When it gets rough and rocky I turn round and go home to get my 26er.29ers are rubbish for that sort of thing aren't they?

In my opinion, a 29er rides easier over the rough/rocks etc with a good suspension fork!

"on very rough rocky techy trails, is your 29r as good as a 26'' wheeled bike."

if suspension, weight and stiffness were the same, geometry was accounted for properly and the rider was equally used to both bikes, there's still no answer..

ie, define 'as good as'?

changing to a 29er doesn't mean the bike rides itself or makes trails any easier than a 26. to generalise having not ridden them anywhere near as much as i've ridden 26ers, i'd say it's still just a bike and the difference between wheel sizes is usually no more or less the level of difference bar size / type, frame angles or other things can make.

one good quote i read was "look for the most technically skilled rider in a group. is he on a 29er? No."

usually true.

but - add "well 'ard as in fast and 24hr-ride fit" to skilled, and they often are on 29ers now.

I've got fully rigid 26er and 29ers similarly specced.
The 29er feels bigger, more cumbersome and slower to accelerate but smoother through the back end and more stable. It doesn't feel any smoother through the front end than the 26er but that could be due to the difference between carbon and steel forks, maybe?

There's one narrow rooty gap between a tree and fence locally that I've got a 75% success rate at cleaning on the 26er. I've yet to fail it on the 29er.

I had a Fisher 29er for a while. Ideal for mountain mayhem and flattish commutes where you can wind up the speed. Summertime is where I really liked it, rocks and roots it really enjoyed sucking up, any mud though dragged like a cow.

It wasn't until I built up a 26er hack bike for the winter that I found myself longing for the quick upspin of the 26" wheels for my normal bike, the fast acceleration that zipped me along the winter trails.

That said now I'm back wondering if a 29er was really the bike for me, the 26er can seem hard work at times where the 29er would just breeze over things.

I have had, until recently a 29er HT with 120mm forks, and a stumpy fsr 26er with 120mm both ends.

Now, I will temper this with the usual caveat that I am 'mince-core' to the max, so not banging 25ft transitions (or 25" transitions for that matter!) but do ride tech trails.

I hate the way 26er wheels get caught up on stuff, just can't stand the way they don't roll, up or down, and just stopped using the 26er because of that. Couldn't adjust back for bulk of riding I do. Now sold 26er and adding a 29er FS to my HT. Can't wait. (currently being built up, eta end of week for piccies!)

It was a reeaaaaally hard decision though, as when it is really very steep, and really very tech combined, I do think a longer travel (140mm+) 26er has the edge as it is just more flickable/maneuverable.

I test rode a few (cube fritz, lappiere, canyon) before going for the FS 29er, but just couldn't justify a 26er for the 0.01% or rides when it was a benefit.

Christ, probably wouldn't have written that 3 years ago! Ah'm a drinkin' the cool-aide, brother! Yeeha! 😀

Kev

Willow herself in response to whether her better results were to do with the switch to a 29er:I believe that I am the engine

Here's Christoph Sauser's opinion (MTB XC World Champion 2008) which should be more useful than people saying "I would think a 29er is better at this..." with no real evidence.
[url= http://www.sauserwind.com/diary.asp ]Link[/url]

Don't know what Coasting is on about...

The willow thing though, she was on a Trek before?!? Albeit she was probably contracted to ride the 29er starting out the season on the Gary fisher team. She did earlier in the year say that she thought that the 29er really did help her, but the interview conducted re her move from the Trek Subaru squad to the Trek world squad she said the above, implying that it didn't make a difference.

Although Sauser's opinion is interesting I have also read the opposite, it's really just what suits surely? The whole what pro's ride, although I find it interesting, is pretty inconclusive, as they are paid to promote the brand and products, know Specialized are pretty keen on the 29er.
There was an article in on a US site/magazine declaring the 26 hardtail dead for xc and the results did seem to show the 29er hardtail a long way out in front of the 26 full sus and the 26 hardtail...But then tell that to Jose antonio Hermida Ramos!
Mens worlds result: 1st 26 hardtail, 2nd 26 full sus, 3rd 29er.
My long winded point is that the pro argument is a bit pointless to a degree, they get paid to promote whatever they ride(in most cases)and put a fast guy or girl on a bike and they will be fast no matter what wheel size or amount of travel.

We I'm lucky that i have a good mix of bikes including 26"h/t with 100mm forks, full sus 26" EX9.0 with 130mm/120mm and a superfly 100 full sus 29er, each bike has its use imo the h/t general use and hack bike does everything ok, the 29er is the long haul, all day, do everything, adventure bike and the EX is my trail bike, that said i did take the SF100 to Llangollen last time i was there and it worked far better than i expected! The only one that i would replace is the 26"ht tbh i think a well set up 29er HT can do just about everything a 26"ht can do but better imo !
So there you go conclusive proof that there is no conclusive proof! But for the record i'm 5'7" and i have the use of a range of bike and [b][i][u]I'M[/b][/i][/u] starting to prefer 29ers but i'm not completely sold [b]yet[/b] glad i could be of use in this debate lol :p

sutty - Member
... i personally don't see many 29er's at trail centers & i wonder why ?

Probably out riding on real mountains... 🙂

Christoph Sauser's conclusion is based on hard numbers though, not only feeling, which is what I was getting at, so to call it an 'opinion' is only half the story. The Specialized team have been riding 29ers for more than a season and Sauser has the option to ride whatever he wants on that team (in terms of a 26er v 29er). I don't think you can say that this purely to sell products although I appreciate what you are saying.

And it is difficult to conclude which is best based on a result like the World Championships, as Kulhavy may have won/decreased the deficit if he was riding a 29er, or Burry on a 26er etc. With Willow Koeber, even though the team changed to be Trek instead of Gary Fisher, they were still contractually obliged to ride 29ers to promote the new 'Gary Fisher collection' Trek 29ers. It will certainly be interesting to see what she rides on TWR (that is if she even has the option to ride a 29er).

Back a little more on track to tons question.

Looks like Trek are playing around with a DH 29er.

[img] [/img]