Mountain Biking - Thought on the new 29 inchers!

Just got one of the new Gary Fisher 29 inchers at the shop this week. Pretty cool looking and rode pretty well around the parking lot. Didn't get a chance to take on any real trails.

Has anyone else ridden one of these and do you think they are HOT or HYPE?

The bike is pretty pricey despite being nicely equipped.

L8R

Haven't ridden one, but I imagine they'd make good commuters fitted with slicks...

Richard

They seem to be especially well suited for the bigger guys. I have a friend who rides (dwarfs actually) an XL Fuel and he is pumped to get a 29"er. Allegedly they are better for rolling terrain, but I would be hesitant to ride one on tight technical stuff. More a bike for someone who already has quite a quiver to choose from.

I think 29"depends on the terain you will drive, if you go for a long distance ride through wide and straight tracks, it will be a good advantage comparing to 26"

Acceleration is slower than 26", otherwise the impact on bumps is much better, but the biggest advantage is the speed, you can go faster! :D

If you go for the fast and technical single track, i think 26" will be better.

Anyway, i like to try some 29"wheels, to see if the advantages are true!

A2psyklnut, did you ever drove a bike with 24" wheels?, if yes, what did you think about it?

The only 24" bike I've ridden is my BMX Cruiser. I've not had a chance to throw a leg over any DH or DS in 24". I've been curious about the Specialized Enduro (I think) that uses a 24" rear wheel and a 26" front.

If you have or get a chance to ride one let us know!

It seems to me that big wheel or small wheel should be in relation to the rider. If for a moment you disregard rolling resistance, and consider only the handling capability (steering, jumping, bunny hopping etc):
If you imagine 6'6" rider on 26", then scale that down to a 5'4" rider, the smaller rider should be riding a 20" wheel.

If you scale up from a 5'4" rider on 26" to the 6'6", then the taller rider would be on 29".

So for the biggest riders, 29" is pretty much equivelent to the smallest riders on 26"mtb wheels.

There are of course, plenty of riders smaller than 5'4", but for them, the 26" wheel can be a big handfull.

Is there any difference in rim size between 29" and 700c?

a2psyklnut, the spec enduro has 26" front and back....you must have been thinking of the spec bighit....which has 24" rear and 26" front......and it will probably be my new bike too!:) I think the 29" wheel bikes are just another item for shops to stock.

I think 29 inchers will be another option for riders, like splined BB's. I think the same of the 1.5 headtube idea.

Back in the 30's & 40's, 28" Baloon tires used to be fairly common. I think they are still popular in China. They're very comfortable to ride. But they were heavy, as all bikes were back then.

I think this 29" stuff is just a marketing ploy to pretend that "bigger is better." They could very well be easier on the butt though, because they would absorb more road shock.

I doubt that I would trade in my old Schwinn for one.

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
Just got one of the new Gary Fisher 29 inchers at the shop this week. Pretty cool looking and rode pretty well around the parking lot. Didn't get a chance to take on any real trails.

Has anyone else ridden one of these and do you think they are HOT or HYPE?

The bike is pretty pricey despite being nicely equipped.

L8R

One of my friends did a little write up if you are still interested:

http://www.bikemojo.com/speak/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1763

But how does 29" relate to 700c. Is it a bigger rim ? Is it just like a cyclo-cross or hybrid wheel? What is the difference between a 700c 45mm tyre and this new fangled rubber?
Are you allowed to compete in MTB races with anything other than 26"?

Originally posted by MichaelW
But how does 29" relate to 700c. Is it a bigger rim ? Is it just like a cyclo-cross or hybrid wheel? What is the difference between a 700c 45mm tyre and this new fangled rubber?
Are you allowed to compete in MTB races with anything other than 26"?

the tire (u.s. spelling:rolleyes:) and tube are "like" the 700c but it is in the mountain bike sizes like 2.0 etc. I don’t know of any NORBA (north American off road biking association) rules regulating the size of the tire.

That's an interesting one Michael,

I haven't seen any rules that say you can't race a 29" in an MTB race....

They recently reviewed the Gary Fisher 29er in MBUK, and gave it the thumbs up. Whether it's just a fad remains to be seen, but it's good to see a main stream manufacturer support the idea.

Now all we need is regulation of motors on pushbikes and we'll have a winner! :rolleyes:

Rich

No luck downloading the NORBA competition guide, with equipment rules. Its a beast of a PDF that makes my computer puke.

http://www.usacycling.org/mtb/?compguide/compguide.html

If anyone else has the rules, id be interested to know what exactly a mountainbike is, and if a cyclos cross bike is a mountainbike, just as an MTB is legit in CX races.

I'll check out my buddies at the BCF and see if they have any info.

Rich :)

Hi Michael,

I had a look on the British Cycling website which states:

All bikes must use a wheel at the front and back which is no larger than 26" in diameter.

So I guess that answers that! :(

Rich

Has anyone HERE actually ridden one? I've tried it around the parking lot and in an empty field, but haven't had the opportunity to do some real riding on one yet.

L8R

the 29'' wheel thing is not new at all. there have been hybrids around for a long time. the new thing with the gary fishers out now is the ability to ride realy wide tires. as with the advantages i think there may be some with realy large people in frame geometry. the buzz word i have been hearing that realy bugs me is that they roll faster. any wheel regarless of size will roll the same speed side by side at the same speed. 25 mph is alwayse 25 mph dosnt matter what size your wheel is. we must remember all the rolling resistance and rotational weight talk of the nineties, its still true.
a bigger wheel uses more rim,spoke, and rubber making it heavier
not to mention weaker and more energy to excelerate. from my test rides i found them to be anti-fun for off roading. there was little whiping them around and the front end feels like a hundred pounds when trying to manual over anything. like all bikes they have a perfect place but just not recreational off roading. some might put drop bars on them and take mountain bikeing back 20 years. i think g.f. is working on 29'' shugar full suspension bike. im still waiting for cross country 24'' bikes for adults that can take more abuse than a 26'' wheel, the natural next step in off road bicycles. if you dont like manual and ride wimpy trails a 29'' maybe right for you. remember that friends dont let friends ride hybrids.