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I currently have a Giant Anthem 29er (2013) which is a medium wheelbase bike. I have a order placed for a Sonder Signal Ti (29er) which is much slacker and has a longer wheel base. I'm guess with the same tryes and gearing on both bikes (in theory) the Sonder would be marginally faster on long cross country riders due to a longer wheel base ? Are longer wheel base hardtails marginally faster than shorter wheelbase bikes ?
Would the Sonder \\signal Ti be a good choice for doing 80 to 100 mile cross country rides with mixed road, gravle and footpaths if it had a faster rolling tyre like a 29er/2.0 smooth tyre ? I'm looking for a really good all-round bike and find the Anthem a bit knackering on longer rides.
Are longer wheel base hardtails marginally faster than shorter wheelbase bikes ?
Why would they be faster? A fast rolling tyre will make a big difference to any bike, but wheelbase isn't going to make it roll faster.
“find the Anthem a bit knackering on longer rides.”
That’s because long rides are knackering. Can’t imagine much will be better than your Anthem for covering distance.
the wheel size should make a difference.
the wheel size should make a difference.
Giant Anthem 29er versus Sonder Signal Ti (29er), which both have the same sized wheels unless I'm missing something.
You use the 15% bank holiday code for Sonder?
You may be a bit faster on downhill sections but not because the bike is faster, it just has more stability so you feel safer going faster. On the flat it will make no difference and could even be slower on very tight twisty stuff.
A longer wheelbase will be more stable at speed but will require a bit more effort to turn quickly.
Slacker gives more confidence for descending especially as you’re comparing a hardtail to a full susser and only pivoting from the forks.
You ought to be able to drop at least 1-2kg in frame weight and some reasonable wheels/tyres.
It’s more whether you’re back and legs can cope with 80-100 miles on a hardtail but you can play about with rear tyre pressure. Being a Ti hardtail rider I love the springy/floaty quality to the ride.
I certainly found moving to a very LLS Ti hardtail, from a 2015 Stumpy FSR, a huge amount faster. Strava don't lie 🙂
However, this is on downhills. For very big, rough, days I do miss a bit having some rear suspension to take the edge off, especially at the end of the day when I'm battered and blowing. (ooer!)
However, its not just the speed, its so damn confidence inspiring, really able to tackle step nd rough with aplomb (for me!) and carve through the chunder.
Basically, its teh awsumz.
Longer wheel base bike will be slightly quicker. The front wheel is slightly further out so crosses the line before a shorter bike. Kind of like a photo finish at the 100m sprint in the Olympics.
This is why slacker bikes are quicker
I'd have thought the sonder was more of a trail bike than xc mile muncher as the geometry tends to being better on technical downs.
A modern full sus 29er might be a better option e.g. https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/anthem-29er-2. Especially if fatigue/comfort is an issue on long rides
Coconut I have the same query.... On this subject I had a shot on a cheapo Cube hardtail hire bike at Glentress at the weekend. Steep angled but good golly it was absolutely fabulous everywhere apart from the downs, and even there it was ok but would have been a lot better with fatter tires on it. And this is me coming straight from a Cotic Solaris Max which I found really quite hard to maneuver on the tight twisty stuff with its super long wheelbase. In summary I found the Cube more fun everywhere than the Cotic but it obviously wasn't as quick pointing down. To me the Cotic was just a bit of a handful and was not easy to throw about, and if I am honest with myself I found the Cube more fun. Now looking for something more in between these two and the Signal looks like it might be a good fit, it's a fair bit shorter than the Cotic. Having said that I think for XC a head angle of about 67-68 is the sweet spot on a hardtail so you can still let it go bit downhill, but without a super long reach/ wheelbase. If I was doing 80-100 mile rides I wouldn't get a long wheelbase with a stretched out riding position. But that's just me.
Younguitarhero
Comment of the day
It made me laugh.
I rode a demo Signal Ti for this years jenn ride.
Apart from being an L and I need an XL it was fab, both up and down. It's only draw back for bike packing is a small triangle but that could actually be an advantage, stopping you taking too much shit.
Longer wheelbase bikes save 4 microseconds over a 60 mile ride
Mad bill take less shit is what I should practise