Our shop is in a rural area, so folks around here don't buy as much for fashion as for function. We don't have hipsters that other people try to emulate, so things like fixies, singlespeeds, cross bikes and 29ers are a pretty rare request...other than from the urban tourists that just can't believe we didn't drink the kool-aid and stock the store with the exact parts they wanted to buy on clearance. Yes, we do have several customers riding 29ers, as does the shop owner, and so did I...until I found I didn't care for my Supercaliber (flexy noodle) and sold it to another lighter guy that just loves it.
Of the very few 29ers we've sold out of the shop, the majority were due to ride quality, not by magazine-driven hype, not by peer pressure, not by racing results...just the customer's impression after riding one. For a niche few, the big hoops are a solution to either their real or perceived needs...and who are we to say they're wrong?
As a tallish guy, I happen to be one of those riders. As soon as I can afford another mountain bike, it'll be a 29er. Right now I'm just waiting to see what the new Specialized bikes will ride like. If I like what I see, it may very well be my own enthusiasm driving the 29er "fad"...at least locally.
