Jaguar27

Hey Guys, don't throw your Water Bottles at me but I'm a Roadie and just popped in to say hi, however, I ordered a Cannondale Caffeine 29'er before Christmas, it should be under my Butt by Jan 20th...so I just wanted to say hi and let you know that I'll be asking loads of really stoopid Newbie questions if you don't mind...

I'm looking forward to "meeting" you all....

Cheers!!

born2bahick

Us poor budget mountain bikers can't afford new water bottles, We throw rocks!

Pigtire

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I'm not a Cannondale fan but I have to say the Caffeine is a sweet bike.

Jaguar27

Well, I must confess I didn't know what kind of MTB to go for, I'm gonna use it for commuting every Day, I didn't want the hassle of having to ride to work in Road gear and getting changed when I got there...plus I have Friends that MTB so I want to go with them...so my LBS suggested a Caffeine, I've never ridden or even seen one...

I already have a (dopey) question...how does one transport a Bike with a Lefty fork on a roof rack? Obviously I can't take off the front wheel because it doesn't have a QR...

This MTB lark is gonna be a whole new world to me, but I'm really looking forward to it

Jaguar27

Pigtire

YOu can use Yakimas or Thule(I think) called Big mount w/c the clamp holds the downtube or use this fork mount. Just scroll down and look for the mount called a Lefty.

https://www.hurricanecomponents.com/forkupmain.html

Brian

I've seen the Forkup adapters on ebay for about 1/2 the retail.

Jaguar27

Thanks Pigtire, I B/M'd it.

willtsmith_nwi

MTBers use Camelbaks. I assure you I'm not throwing that at you, it costs too much!!!!

Pigtire

pinkheadedbug

I started out on a hardtail 29er (SIR9 w/ Reba) and have just bought a FS 26er to compare. Will post some results later. But the point is I've hardly ridden a 26er at all.

My feelings about the 29er are:

* super fast in flowing singletrack
* rolls over bumps
* tricky in really tight situations
* very stable in the air
* point and shoot downhill
* great for railing corners, massive traction

gm1230126

Bigger seat bag. Now you carry two spare tubs. Awe what the heck just add another pound of "SLIME" so you don't need to carry spare tubes or try to stuff the bigger tube in the smaller tire or stretch the smaller to fit the bigger. Creates problems.

gm1230126

There was another Fisher flash that's now gone, Gary's wonderfully heavy 1-1/4" oversize headset/tube.

gm1230126

They have it in Japan where the populous is shorter.

lubes17319

A: Tall people like myself.


Haven't touched the 26" much since I built my ride up.
My 26" feels like a toy after riding something more suited to my size.

BruceBrown

But you forgot the additional part of the MBA study entitled "Cheat Legally":

https://www.mbaction.com/detail.asp?id=1858

By upgrading to a lighter wheelset and tires (possibly even tubeless), you can trim 3+ pounds off of the stock Paragon 29"er and considerably alter the results as seen below. American Classic, Stan's, I9 and a custom built light wheelset mounted with tires in the 475 - 525 gram range (Crows, Karma's) either with Stan's or with lightweight 26" tubes in the 100 - 140 gram range (yes they work on a 29"er wheel) - yields a much snappier rotating weight bike that changes everything.

WHEEL SHOOTOUT ELAPSED TIMES

-----PARAGON W/NOTUBES ZTR 29"er...STOCK 29" PARAGON...STOCK 26" CUSTOM PARAGON

1/10-MILE ACCELERATION: 25.826 sec...28.695 sec...26.782 sec
1/4-MILE HILLCLIMB: 2 min. 19.014 sec...2 min. 30.961 sec...2 min. 26.617 sec
1-1/4 MILE CROSS-COUNTRY: 8 min. 19.243 sec...9 min. 15.938 sec...8 min. 56.833 sec.
1/10-MILE DOWNHILL COAST: 29.698...29.605 sec...29.780 sec

WHEEL SHOOTOUT MPH AVERAGE

PARAGON W/NOTUBES ZTR 29'er...STOCK 29" PARAGON...STOCK 26" CUSTOM PARAGON
1/10-MILE ACCELERATION: 13.939 mph...12.546 mph...13.442
1/4-MILE HILLCLIMB: 6.474 mph...5.962 mph...6.138 mph
1-1/4 MILE CROSS-COUNTRY: 9.014 mph...8.094 mph...8.383 mph
1/10-MILE DOWNHILL COAST: 12.122...12.160 mph...12.089 mph

We did a coast test in the 26 versus 29 shootout because the 29 bike felt so much faster whenever you stop pedaling. Since the results were so close we hypothesized that it was the bump-erasing qualities of the larger hoops that give the sensation that you are moving along faster. In the end the results are close enough to throw a blanket over. Most likely the Paragon's stock Bontrager 29 wheelset won this contest because in this test the heavier rotating mass actually helped the bike build a fraction more speed.


NOTUBES WEIGHTS
The ZTR 29'er 355 cut a whopping 3.3 pounds off the 29er Paragon. Here's the weight breakdown:

ZTR 29'er 355 rim--14.1 ounces
American Classic front hub--4.0 ounces
American Classic rear hub--8.0 ounces
Front wheel--1 pound 7.3 ounces
Rear wheel--1 pound 12.3 ounces
The Crow tire--1 pound 2.0 ounces
NoTubes aluminum brake rotor--2.1 ounces
1/4 cup NoTubes sealant--2.1 ounces
Complete rolling wheelset--6 pounds 10.8 ounces

The complete rolling wheelset weight also includes Ritchey Ti Skewers and a Ti XTR 11-34 cogset. The figure we used in the June 2006 issue was rounded up to 6 pounds 11 ounces. We use pounds and ounces because we're an American magazine and we are mountain bikers.


29 THOUGHTS
It's after experiencing NoTubes wheelset when you really begin to realize how much potential 29 wheels have. With these unbelievably light 29 wheels the bike pedals and leaps up, over and out of all trail obstacles. There is almost no need for rear suspension or anything over 3.1 inches of fork travel. The wheels feel way faster in all cross-country riding situations. There's an increase in casing air volume through the larger tire diameter, and it accommodates low tire pressure like nothing else. A 29's increase in tire contact length elevates The Crow's level of cornering and climbing traction beyond the increased grip you already get out of a tubeless semi-slick run at 20 psi. Use 20 psi as your own starting pressure setting.

Remember that you see this same performance gain with the standard 26" size NoTubes ZTR 355 wheelset with NoTubes The Crow tires. In a 26 or 29 size, nothing compares to the weight of the NoTubes wheels and tires. Not to mention that they are the only tubeless ready wheels and tires sold...use tires that are designed to easily mount with a floor pump...have a leakproof ball-and-socket bead lock...use the strongest Kevlar bead in mountain biking...use a lower and wider rim profile that increase air volume and eliminates sidewall snake bites...can run the lowest, faster rolling tire pressure...and are used by more elite XC champions than any other product in the world.

With the exception of the 29 inch Kenda Karma DTC and American Classic MTB 350 wheelset, all other 29 wheel product is too heavy. That's sad, because its the rotating weight of those products that are keeping the 29 movement grounded.

born2bahick

So this is a comparison of a 29er with a lighter wheelset and tire setup, VS a stock 26er?

teamdicky

I'll chime in. I am a very recent convert to 29" wheels (only five rides in so far). I ride a rigid SS mostly in the Pisgah National Forest in NC, and local twisty trails in Charlotte, NC. I race 100 milers, 12/24 hour races, and stage races all over. Can I already tell that there is an advantage? Yes.
Both my 26" and 29" bikes are set up with Industry Nine wheels. The 26'ers were built on Mavic 819's and the 29'ers were built on Bonty Mustangs. Both were set up with about 1,800 grams of rubber front and rear. Those stats are for those that argue about any weight difference. The 29'er wheels and tires are probably slightly lighter, but the weight is further away from the axle, so any weight advantage is probably negated.
The big wheels simply roll over stuff easier when climbing. Where the little wheels would get hung up and resist forward movement the 29" wheels keep their momentum. On smoother gravel climbs I can't really tell any difference unless I look down and see what bike I'm riding.
The biggest difference is in the downhills. I can go way faster than I could push the little wheels with a lot less pain in my arms/hands. The bike just flies over stuff, even with a rigid fork.
For comparisons sake the 26'er was a high zoot titanium Dean Colonel SS and the 29'er is a Zion 737 ($249 frame). They are both built up to around 22+ pounds.

and for all of you that argue the whole "big wheels for big riders" thing, you can see here that I'm quite the little fellow.