[Closed] So I'm going to ask it anyway....

650b

You are sooooo 2013 😆

bikebouy - Member
650b

It just so happens that a 650b bike I've been looking at that but isn't the "want" bike is 25% of atm...

The fastest option is just to spend the same amount of money you were going to spend on the bike on training your legs!!

29er by a factor of many.

It's not just the extra rolling speed but comfort and (at least in my case) modern geo being SO much more confidence inspiring for cornering and descending. My 26er front wheel responds to input from rider and trail so much it feels nervous. My 29er feels like it's on rails and allowed me to race for 12hours. I have no way of knowing how I'd have done on my 26" FS but I would have taken part and got round and tried to survive not raced that's for sure.

Just 29 inch wheels or are they part of a bike? And why so hung up on being fast, faster, fastest?

It just so happens that a 650b bike I've been looking at that but isn't the "want" bike is 25% of atm...

Yoo no speaka de inglish?

Euro - I is a racing serious like in 2015...

adsh - and the evidential data to support your factor of many? FWIW, my current bike is 0.5 degree slacker and only 15mm short in the TT than a Anthem Advance 650b, which undoes your Geo argument. And I raced it this year, with success relative to my ability in several different events including a 24hr.

Maxtorque, this is the conclusion I'm coming to very quickly, which is a cost saving healthy alternative...

What kind of races?

Edit, just seen 24Hr races. Don't worry about being fasterest, get the one that's easiest to ride for 24hrs. Bikes don't win races, guns do (or something 😀 )

Does the 26" include those huge clowns shoes or is that just the 29er?

Oh come on! They deleted my other thread!!

I was quite specific it wasnt a FS in disguise!!

Euro - Member
What kind of races?

This would be used for 24hrs. I like comfort over raw speed over that duration.

This would be used for 24hrs. I like comfort over raw speed over that duration.

Would appear from your initial post that you are prioritising speed 🙂

Probably some places the lighter 26er would be faster (but probably not due to the weight) and some places the 29er would be faster. Depends on the course and the rider. Probably.

The 29er or the 650b I have in mind to replace the 26 are both FS as well. I'm happy enough with the 26 that it feels too expensive to replace it, which is where max torque's post comes in as that's the conclusion I was at, and am still at.

[img] [/img]

What s/he said. ^^^

I don't know why...

Snake oil evidence.

3x 100mile rides - faster and more comfortable.

1x100mile race on very tough terrain - ain't ever descended that fast or long on that sort of ground on my Flux.

Move from mid pack 8hr to top 10 (8th) in first 12hr race and I didn't manage that increase by fitness alone from May.

Training doesn't cost that much.Torqs day is £250 and worth every penny.

Training doesn't cost that much.Torqs day is £250 and worth every penny.

Interested to hear more about this. Did see this recently and couldn't quite work out what you get for it. So you get a load of testing (assuming establishing thresholds, that sort of thing) then a bunch of theory on training, nutrition etc.? Do you actually come out with some sort of plan or just the tools to put one together?

There will be a new wheel size before you decide.

Bikes don't win races, [s]guns[/s] rappers do".

There will be a new wheel size before you decide.

haha

My 26" Anthem didn't weigh a lot and I thought it was the bee's knees...

...until I bit the bullet and bought a 29" Scalpel.

Buy a 29er, make sure it has light wheels, learn to countersteer and Bob's your uncle, fast rolling, fast accelerating and fast steering.

I have no pseudo scientific bollocks to back all this up, just the arse-dyno, and if it's convinced then I'm convinced.

All of our endurance team use 29ers

Unless you're riding/racing techy dh/enduro type stuff its 29er all the way

Have you actually tried a 29er yet?

If not, please put us all out of our misery and do so.

Training doesn't cost that much.Torqs day is £250 and worth every penny.

Interested to hear more about this. Did see this recently and couldn't quite work out what you get for it. So you get a load of testing (assuming establishing thresholds, that sort of thing) then a bunch of theory on training, nutrition etc.? Do you actually come out with some sort of plan or just the tools to put one together?

AM Lactate threshold and FTP test on the col de westbury - ouch!

Lunch - tasty

PM establish your goals and current training regime, do the theory on nutrition (surprise!), training, periodisation etc with some help to build a plan.

You also get their products at trade.

They bend over backwards to help. It's the best value for performance gain I've spent. Really class outfit.

Thanks adsh. The value to performance gain thing, assumes that comes form applying the knowledge gained. Is there any follow up with it? Is it the sort of thing that would be complementary to coaching, or does it take the place of coaching. How clued up on training were you beforehand?

Oh and...

Have you actually tried a 29er yet?

😆

The red one, the red one is always fastestest. I'm surprised you had to ask.

29er.

My missus did some pseudo scientific back-to-back 'strava' [s]spend justification[/s] testing and concluded that my lardy inbred 29er was 10% faster than her lightweight scandal 26er over a typical mixed terrain loop. There was probably a lot more than 1lb difference too. Anyway she sold the scandal and got a 29er.

PM establish your goals and current training regime, do the theory on nutrition (surprise!), training, periodisation etc with some help to build a plan.

Done. I practised this last year, and on Sept 1 (Sept to Aug being my "season") I created a 11 month periodised plan with a, b an c classified races in 2015.

Yes I've ridden a 29er - a Tallboy for 10 mins and quite a few hours on my own 29er SS.

Anyway, subject to testing I've made my decision as to what I'll be riding in next years races, so thanks for the re-affirmation of my own thoughts.

I'm oot...

I've made my decision

Don't keep us in suspense!

Mr Blobby - drop me an e mail

Thanks, will do.

mrblobby - Member

Don't keep us in suspense!

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Plus the HT has already had the XC Racer Shop experience applied to it, just awaiting delivery. That'll be used for short course racing approx 1hr-3hr & backup.

Do you not think that ^^ would be quicker than the 26" bike for XC races? I do.

njee - yes p'raps, just don't tell my wife. I love my enigma and the frame was a 40th present from her so it needs to have a place in my life 🙂

My new Mt Zoom skewers are hovering angel delight fashion in front of me as I speak...

^^ that doesn't look very "Whyte" to me, looks Black and Orange.

By that reckoning, clearly it'll be faster cos' it'll be new and your legs will be happy and your brain will be excited.

Next season however... You'll need another new bike.

Make that 650b 😛

bikebouy the alternative is this Anthem 650b, but I just can't fall in love with it, despite the fact I could get one now £1k cheaper than the Whyte:

[img] [/img]

bikebouy the alternative is this Anthem 650b, but I just can't fall in love with it, despite the fact I could get one now £1k cheaper than the Whyte:

Do you need to fall in love with it? It's a tool for racing. Buy it, thrash it, then sell it on when you fancy something different.

Really don't understand Giant dropping 29 on their XC race bikes. Seems madness when it's what everyone wants to be riding.

Do you need to fall in love with it? It's a tool for racing. Buy it, thrash it, then sell it on when you fancy something different.

You have a point. And the cost differential buys a lot from the XC racer shop 🙂

Is 650b really the future though, or faster than 29ers? 😀 *ducks*

Do you need to fall in love with it? It's a tool for racing. Buy it, thrash it, then sell it on when you fancy something different.

There's a line though isn't there, I want to like my bikes, yes they're utilitarian, but they're still expensive.

A house is just a roof over your head, but I still want to like where I live!

njee, it's adding significance beyond utility to bikes that's got him in this mess 😉

Is 650b really the future though, or faster than 29ers? *ducks*

The kittens!!!! Giant obviously think so. Most xc racers seem to disagree.

mrblobby - Member
njee, it's adding significance beyond utility to bikes that's got him in this mess

This is true. Unfortunately until now I've not been lucky or enough or been anx XC Racer wanting to own an "everyday" bike AND a dedicated race bike for which I dont have a care. I still don't want that, but I recognise my "social" biking" has reduced at this point in my life and I'm more race/ride than ride/race, so my stock will be reorientated as such in the near future, a trend which may reverse in a couple of years.

Therefore the Whyte fits the bill, as does the Anthem I guess but with the latter I'm not happy that the wheel size differential and geo is as much advantageous as the Whyte would be vs my ASR5 for racing/24hrs.

Whats faster, 29 inch wheels or 1/2lb weight off my 26er making it 1lb lighter than the 29er, assuming all else is relatively the same...?

Late to the party on this but I recently ditched both my 26ers for 29ers. I had demos and borrowed a variety of bikes, both 29 and 650b before I made the decision, I tried both wheel sizes of Trance, a couple of Santa Cruz and Orange fives in every flavour.

Now just to qualify this I will state that I am not a racer of any sort, far too much of a pie enthusiast for that.

I was initially concerned about the talk of 29 bikes being harder to turn and much less agile than the smaller wheel sizes, I have found that this is true in varying degrees, but I have also found that it does not matter in the slightest.

The reason it does not matter is that what you lose in agility you gain in increased grip and stabilty, your riding style has to adapt, but once it does you learn that you can carry more speed in corners, and hold lines that would have had you weaving the bike around on a 26 inch wheel.

Obviously this is subjective, but I have found that I can ride longer without geting tired and that I am recording PBs on strava without really trying for them, probably down to being able to float over rooty and rocky sections rather than weaving around trying for the smoothest line.