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Ok, so this thread will either die or get silly very quickly, but I was wondering if we could now provide some helpful "rules" for when somebody should consider a 29er. Based on a couple of test rides and too much reading, I've come up with these two:
1. A 26" bike is easier to throw about and a 29er tends to steamroller stuff. So, imagine you are sitting at the top of a steep technical descent. Are you looking for lines that will let you pop and fly off stuff or are you just wanting to get down in one piece. If the latter then a 29er may be for you.
2. Larger wheels are harder to accelerate but then roll over things easier so lose less momentum. I think this makes them more suited to people who ride faster ie keep their speed up rather than lots of slow or stop start stuff. In fact I'd say that, if your (moving) average speed around your normal route is higher than 9mph then a 29er may be for you.
...you are over 6'6" tall
If you like riding 29ers then a 29er might be for you 😉
Those points are what you have been spoon fed by magazines.
The only restrictions i personally see on 29ers is height-
Having a slammed frame, super negative stem to make it work is silly (unless you're Emily Batty)
I ride the same lines i did on a 26, i just go faster.
...it´s a good bike with sorted angles, kit and suspension. There are plenty of poppy, agile 29´ers and plenty of dull 26" bulldozers.
I think if you race you should probably be on one. If you're not that bothered about going fast, just ride for fun and don't like the larger wheels stay with 26"
The thing is 27"ish will soon replace 26" so it makes the choice of jumping to a different size less simple as there is now a choice.
You believe the hype 😉
...you are unstable on small(er) wheels... 😕
if... You like bikes. You should also consider 26ers.
.... you want wheels that are approximately 3 inches bigger than those fitted to 26 inch wheeled bikes.
Larger wheels are harder to accelerate
They rotate more slowly for the same speed as a 26er.
Can a grown up do the maths to see if these cancel each other out?
....if you're not cool enough for 650b or fat bikes
This isn't anything like any other 26vs29 thread.
What a load of tosh the OP has come out with, my 2souls quarterhorse prefers its wheels in the air, pops off just about anything, rides so much better than my Nicolai Helius.....roll on Spain in the summer.
I used to have a ti456, sorry but doesn't compare to the 2souls either, 26" has its place but not for me very much now, won't sell the custom 26" SS as it does its job when needed, and Mrs C would kill me
Can a grown up do the maths to see if these cancel each other out?
'fraid not, the bigger diameter cancels out the slower rotation, but the rims and tyres do weigh about 15% more, and rotating weight still counts double.
How does weight double by account that it is rotating? I don't think Newton accounted for that in his second law of motion? The weight of an object (or the force it exerts) is simply a product of its mass and the acceleration due to the local gravitational field. It doesn't change if it is rotating. And if you're talking about inertia - you're really not going to notice a difference in the 26er vs 29er debate, its academic. Double FA is still FA.
double because e=mv2 or f=ma, and you have to accelerate the wheels forewards (counts once), and spin them up to the same speed (2nd), or a wheel has twice as much kinetic energy in its rim as a comparable mass of parts not rotating.
I love lamp
Perhaps you should buy one if you think wheel size is the only factor in bike buying
Am I allowed to like both?
....if you want a single trap, double hander, skiff-type affair:-
http://www.go-sail.co.uk/boatimages/29er.jp g" target="_blank">
29 er if you want a hybrid that you can refer to as a mountain bike
It's all bikes.
And I love bikes.
Any bike.