Mountain Biking - What are your thoughts on these mtbs with 29" tires?

I'm a pavement rider looking to get his 1st mountain bike this summer.

I walked into one of my LBS's which happened to carry Orbea and I saw one of these:
http://www.orbea-usa.com/smallpic/alma29er_main.jpg

Being a roadie, I was intrigued by the purpose of a mtb with huge wheels.

Are there full supension bikes with these enormous rims?

Pro and cons of the "Big Wheel"?

Not one to get people going to other sites, but our 29er's tend to hang out

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=117170

It has a vast collection of 29er specific threads. We have a few here and they do pop in from time to time but for the most part we all ride 26in wheels. Immediate pro's and con's imo are

26
- traditionally stronger wheel (as much as a 24" wheel is stronger) this is generally only noticable but the dhillers and freeriders who break rear wheels
- a good marraige between overal speed and acceleration

29er
- quicker rolling, slower acceleration
- likely easier to get up and on stuff. As a 24" wheel is smaller and big rocks seem bigger, 29in would probably eat small and medium sized obstacles pretty easily

For fairness
24
- much stronger, more akin to bmxing but the odd dhill bike has a rear 24" wheel
- Slow rolling overall but better acceleration

Those would be the basic's. Again variations in frame design, number of spokes etc etc...can throw off my assessments. Assume I am talking about similar geometry frame, same gearing, same rim and 32 holes.

Not one to get people going to other sites, but our 29er's tend to hang out

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=117170

It has a vast collection of 29er specific threads. We have a few here and they do pop in from time to time but for the most part we all ride 26in wheels. Immediate pro's and con's imo are

26
- traditionally stronger wheel (as much as a 24" wheel is stronger) this is generally only noticable but the dhillers and freeriders who break rear wheels
- a good marraige between overal speed and acceleration

29er
- quicker rolling, slower acceleration
- likely easier to get up and on stuff. As a 24" wheel is smaller and big rocks seem bigger, 29in would probably eat small and medium sized obstacles pretty easily

For fairness
24
- much stronger, more akin to bmxing but the odd dhill bike has a rear 24" wheel
- Slow rolling overall but better acceleration

Those would be the basic's. Again variations in frame design, number of spokes etc etc...can throw off my assessments. Assume I am talking about similar geometry frame, same gearing, same rim and 32 holes.


Thanks for the link to the 29" sub-culture!

Not one to get people going to other sites, but our 29er's tend to hang out

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=117170

I was just about to say that!

This summer I want to build up a rigid, SS, 29er. A complete difference from my hardtail :)

I have seen them on the mountain and been impressed by some riders with them as to how they could bomb thought stuff I was picking my way around, but truth be told I can have any bike I want and I don't have one. That doesn’t mean that at sometime in the future when there is a better selection or forks, tires, rims, and tubes available I wont get one; just for when we go to Tahoe.

[QUOTE=Sincitycycler]
Are there full supension bikes with these enormous rims? QUOTE]

Just a few off the top of my head...Gary fisher makes a few. Ventana makes one, and Lenz sport makes one or two. Im sure there are others as well.

Are there full supension bikes with these enormous rims?


Just to be clear. the rims are the same size as road rims. The tires are what make it a so called '29er'.

I was just about to say that!

This summer I want to build up a rigid, SS, 29er. A complete difference from my hardtail :)

Looking at your avatar you may be interested in the soon to be released Haro Mary. You may be all over this, but it caused a bit of a buzz at the aforementioned 29er site.

Of course buying a built bike and building one yourself are two entirely different things, and I can completely appreciate the build process as a part of cycling.

Cheers,

GF