[Closed] Moving from 26in to 29in - what to expect?

You need to try one, only way you'll know first 29er I tried was a niner sir 9 and I loved it so much I doubt ill own another 26" bike, however not everyone gets on with 29ers

Be prepared for oodles or rear wheel traction- on par with a decent 26 inch full susser I would say- as Ringo says just try one (or more than one) with an open mind

I would be expecting the wheels to explode

You can expect to instantly become more attractive to members of the opposite sex

Sluggish acceleration especially up hill.
They not so nimble.
Apart from the traction slightly smoother rolling, the physics of bigger wheels don't add up to a better bike.

Ridicule surely?
Oh and the inability to ride down little rocky downhills properly because you believed the hype that "big wheels" roll better 😀

[i]drofluf - Member
You can expect to instantly become more attractive to members of the opposite sex[/i]

Well I can only hope, I I shall put my deposit down tomorrow 😆

Prize for mahoosive generalisation goes to kiwijohn there. I have tried/owned half a dozen 29ers and they have all been different- I have had a ti456 and now ride a lynskey pro29er and there is very little difference in the acceleration and the 29er handles brilliantly in tighter stuff - much more hair triggered than my swift.

Please dont write off a whole type of bike on prejudice- would you say a soul handled the same as a blender??

Prize for mahoosive generalisation goes to kiwijohn there. I have tried/owned half a dozen 29ers and they have all been different- I have had a ti456 and now ride a lynskey pro29er and there is very little difference in the acceleration and the 29er handles brilliantly in tighter stuff - much more hair triggered than my swift.

Please dont write off a whole type of bike on prejudice- would you say a soul handled the same as a blender??

Kiwijohns right,my mate also rides a Ti Lynslkey 29er,when I was on my 26" Maxlight(both are roughly the same weight,around the low mid 20's)We swopped bikes for a bit & both noticed how much the pick up was much quicker on mine & it just felt quicker & more nimble on the whole....
FWIW I've had a Inbred 29er for over 2 years now, so not just a naysayer....

Sluggish acceleration especially up hill.

bollards,with decent light weight kit the effect is negligible. my silly light selma goes just as quick up as my silly light voodoo with little wheels did. Most of it is down to cheapy heavy wheels on middle of the road 29ers as most folks don't wan't to spunk a lot of cash on something they are not sure that they are going to like, this the re-enforces the 29ers are slow man line that gets trotted out.

Components make a bigger difference than wheel size.

but ride whatever makes you smile, anything else is just unimportant 😀

You never read my post did you Tazzy ?

yeh but gave it a thorough ignoring 'cos ya wrong 😆

C'off !

😆

😉

You can expect not to be able to buy spare tubes, tyres or spokes anywhere so take your own.

GB

Expect to ride a lot of towpaths, it's all they're good for

Emac loves 29ers really and hé éven rides ss on occasion

He said 'sluggish acceleration' - I dont agree- unless its me riding it obviously- I am more than happy to concede they are slightly slower but how much of a ride is taken up by starting off- once upto speed ( 2 pedal strokes) the added momentum for me (not for everyone obviously) more than makes up for that.
So in conclusion youre all wrong and Im right!!

Ringo is a nice enough bloke but a bit clueless at times,he likes to drink other people's Stella too 😛

Will be riding SS far more than I'll be letting on very soon too 8)

nothing will be better , but you will make a marketing man cream in his pants,

Given there is so much divided opinion I am quite surprised by Specialized's move to drop the 26in Epic. Are they more popular in the US?

Let us know where you live so we can evacuate ourselves from the wheel explosion blast radius.

A genuine question which has probably been covered before but here goes.
People often bang on about the importance of rolling weight and how weight on the wheels is 3 times heavier or something.
If this is true then surely 29 ers are always going to be at a disadvantage compared to 26ers with heavier rims,spokes,tubes and tyres. So how come they roll faster or whatever, as is claimed above? Surely more rolling weight is a bad thing?
IMH and uninformed Opinion they seem like a good idea for giants as my two mates 6ft 2in and 6 ft 4in look and ride in a pretty ungainly manner on regular bikes.

nick1962 - I am 5'8" with short legs!

I always thought I was too small to ride a 29er, but the Specialized geometries do not differ from a 26in in terms of "general fit" As you say I always thought they were only for Giants.

Lots of this
[img] [/img]

Ignore anything that it said on here until you have tried one.

I have had 5 29ers and love them for local twisty singletrack.
As for slower acceleration, climbing or otherwise, that is total bollards too.
Not so nimble? again I disagree. I find a slight riding style has to be made, but I have not noticed a credible difference.

Mine is reasonably light too at 24lb, but it is a real bike without gears or suspension.

If I could afford one I would probably get a 29er FS, but I can't so will stick to 26" bouncer and 29" SS Rigid

Some like them, some don't. Suck it and see

Bernaard

Was with you then until you said this

Mine is reasonably light too at 24lb, but it is a real bike without gears or suspension.

🙂

Mine is reasonably light too at [b]24lb[/b], but it is a real bike without gears or suspension.

dude is that made out gas pipes?

Back on topic, I have an Epic Evo 2011. Although I’ve put the bike on a diet and it’s more like a normal racy Epic with a 120mm fork. the FSR brain is very good. Better than any other shock - ive tried / had lots but is just my opinion.

It’s a good bike, BUT don’t expect the wheels to last. Rovals are pretty terrible. especially the AL series - I’ve had Control and Traverse, both sets sent back to Spesh as made of poo.

Im sure it will be your first upgrade on the 29er. Flextastic comes to mind.

I was very tempted by a 2011 Epic Evo. They had one in my size on sale but I hesitated for a week or two and it had gone when I went back. Only small ones available now

Janesy, surprised to hear that Traversees have been troublesome on an Epic. They usually handle pretty much anything. Lifetime guarantee though, so shouldn't be a problem really.

Re the 29er thing - I reckon most race-oriented bikes will be 29ers before long, just because they're proven to be quicker in a lot of race circumstances. That doesn't make them necessarily better for trail riding though. Like the man said, there's a lot of difference between 26" bikes and it's the same with 29ers. Try one and see how you get on.

Weight shouldn't really be an issue with an Epic 29 either. My newly built up xl RIP 9 weighs in at just over 25lbs with a fairly average build (according to the bakeshop scales, which I mist admit I'm a little distrusting of).

Roval AL's are flexy and have alu nipples. The controls kept snapping nipples and the traverse snapped at the nipple too.

Moving from 26in to 29in - what to expect?

Abuse.

And envy.

As it's a 'spesh' your after and they have given 29er's the green light it's the future.
Decent wheels and tyres are important as Tazz says
Most importantly with big wheels you will instantly become more likeable as a rider/person
People will want to ride with you especially those on mtb STD wheels as they will be constantly wondering if they made the change would they be any better.

Good luck with it 'oh and the pointing and laughing thing is for people who only read out of date magazines at trail centre cafe's

yours Jeff

there is a potential issue with big wheels, though. You can develop MTG syndrome where you strap a map board to the bike and waste all that lovely 29er potential by trundling around doing some weirdass thing called trailquesting 😯

Trailquest do they still exist ? Or did you read about it on Retrobike ?

they still exist, it's where all the old ron hill tracksters go to die

It does me fine. I am no carbon junkie or weight weenie attention hoare
Steel is real.
Plus another at 25lb one on here shocker!!!

I am no carbon junkie or weight weenie attention hoare

yeh I hate those buggers too 😀

One-on is that some boutique brand it sounds great 🙂

Ron Hill tracksters now your making me all jelly like

tracksters in a lunge position just for you jeff, with added sailor pose

[img] [/img]

Ooops just need to go to the bathroom back in a mo !

:lol:29er riders are just kidding themselves. I think they're over rated and over priced! 😆

I think they're over rated and over priced!

even worse in blue or green and owned my midgets needing a 16" frame

Not another miss guided fool!
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/for-sale-yeti-asr5c

Bernaard
24 lb and 25 lb are at least 6lbs lighter than any of my bikes!
I imagine they would both feel light in comparison but that's not because they're 29ers!
I want gears and suspension,strange I know in this ever expanding world of nicheness.
I look forward to 10 years time when 29ers are the standard and us 26 riders are the new retro nicheinistas 🙂

My Inbred is 24lb ss/rigid, & 27lb 1x10 & Reba Teams on. I've been close on 17st & not had any wheel problems. (TN719's on XT / Pro2 & a Surly hub). It wouldnt have been the bike of choice for me a few years ago, when silly stuff at trail centres was my cup of tea. Prefer ambling & bridleways etc, these days. For that its great.

I do like the idea of an ever expanding niche.

There has been many a ride where I've been the only person out of six on a 26er. Makes me feel quite rad.

Ah Nick, that's why I always keep a 26" FS in the shed. Cos you never know

Then when these lot have finished posing and preening over there uber niche 'steeds' they will turn to each other and say ' did you see that 26" full Suss ride by?'
Before putting there bikes back on the car and going home and it never seeing a trail
8)

See this thread for some responses from those that have actually tried them.
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/who-has-actually-tried-a-29er-then/page/2

As I said 'Don't knock em till you've tried them though but [b]unfortunately this is often the way in the UK[/b].

My reply

I have a GF Paragon (with a 120mm fork / short stem) and a Trek (GF) Rumblefish and enjoy them both. I still have a nice collection of 26er bikes as well though.
29ers are great for blasting over rock gardens, roots, etc
Technical climbs are easier as they have more grip and roll over those steps that would stall a 26" wheel.
The 29 hardtail gives a much more comfortable ride than a 26, probably mainly due to the bigger tyres and lower tyre pressures you can use.
Downhill confidence is greater as they feel very stable and you sit 'in' the bike between the wheels so it's more difficult to go over the front.
Most of the time you feel you're 'cheating' as everything seems easier and you ride faster.
Downsides are few. I guess they do take a bit longer to get up to speed but I'm running them both tubeless which helps. On really tight singletrack they feel a bit unwieldy and less responsive. It's more difficult to get the wheels out of narrow ruts or gaps between rocks, etc.
Look out for them on ebay as they can be very cheap since the UK has little interest in them at the moment. I paid about £500 for the Paragon so I figured if I didn't like it I'd probably get my money back anyway.
Don't knock em till you've tried them though but unfortunately this is often the way in the UK.

I can remember when everyone said suspension would never catch on. It slows you down, takes power out. FS bikes don't accelerate as fast as rigids etc etc. 🙄

I couldn't give a toss if my bike accelerates slower because its got bigger wheels. I test rode a 29er and in my opinion the bigger wheels give a better ride for what I want and enjoy. I will never go back to 26".

Try it, if you don't enjoy the ride don't buy it. but not all 29ers are the same just like 26ers.

scottalej - Member
See this thread for some responses from those that have actually tried them.
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/who-has-actually-tried-a-29er-then/page/2

that is an excellent thread, round of applause for whoever started it

@Bernard

never seen a trail 😉

Had a Scandal 29er for a bit. In light, rigid SS form it was ace as a second bike. When I sold my 26" stuff and fitted proper forks/ gears to it to use as my main bike, I was underwhelmed

It only lasted a few months before I went back to 26"

I expected a revelation - didnt get one

@thekingofsweden
Nice video. Although I stand by what I said, and I was generalising.
But the ones know who they are and I am sure most of us know some too
Have a nice day I'm off to fettle with my 26" bike 8)

thekingofsweden, that looks tamer than a lap of cannock 0_0

It's not me just a trail god a hang with 🙂

Oh and that's a rigid 29er 😎

it's not really rigid it's got ti truss forks and some flapping bingowingflex shock units attached to it

Still rigid 😉 ssshh x

Hitler doesn't like going back to his 26er.

I normally ride a Giant XTC 26er and I test rode a Giant XTC29er the other day.I was expecting much weirdness but I was surprised how normal it felt.Apart from the extra stabilty,and rolling speed it felt just right to me.

oh no not this shit again! I can' be arsed with reading all the posts on here! But basically expect it to be a bike, nothing more, nothing less. The wheels are a couple of inches bigger whoop di do. I have had them 29ers and basically it was like an affair you go ride it now and again but you always come back to the wife and make the best of what you have got!