What is the advantage to a 69er
 

I am wonder what the advatage to riding a 69er is?

do you mean 29er ?

front wheel is large to roll over stuff better

rear wheel is small to accelerate better.

That is the idea, I don't know if in reality this is actually the case.

Nismosr, I mean 69er. Trek offers them in FS and Hardtail. 29" wheel front and 26" wheel rear.

you mean 96'er ? only a few ride them backwards

the idea is the front wheel clears obstacles and takes hits better. once the
front is over, the back wheel gets over fine even if it is smaller. having one
wheel smaller means the bike can accelerate better than if both wheels were
big. it also steers (to some) better. I prefer the steering of a 9'er front everywhere
except climbing tight switchbacks

After riding a 46er I remain unimpressed with the concept.

Thanks for the input even though everyone has an opinion on what they are called. Trek calls theirs 69er.

Trek also have a 100mm dual crown on one.

The advantage is that you can reach things that you can't reach yourself. :D

Was your 46'er designed to be a 46'er or did you just put a 24 on the rear for DH? The lack of dedicated geometry could be what left you unimpressed.

I'd agree that the concept may not increase performance. I'd like to test one and substantiate my skepticism...I haven't seen any locally that I could ride though.

it's an older bighit, designed for 24 in the rear.

Hmm...more skepticism creeps in, taking over all creative thought. I almost don't even want to waste my time now.

Old Cannondale?;)

Cannondale had a 46er ages ago. The idea then was to get a lower gear using a 24" wheel.

Terry Cycles makes a 64er but that's to give small people a better standover height...on road bikes.

Specialized made a whole series of BigHits with a 24 rear/26 front combo. It was a manualing fool and the geometry was fine. Some people liked the 24 on the rear claiming snappier acceleration; but most finally got tired of the 24 being more susceptible to speed scrubbing and power-robbing from square-edged hits and other rough course features.

:lol: BWAHAHAHAHA! I was going to say "Everybody wins" but I like your phrasing better.

Isn't that Chinese for twocanchew ?:D

Giving my age away here...years ago the motorcycles I raced had 18" wheels front & rear.
That was fine for flat track and scrambles, but when motocross came to the united states the european riders brought bikes with an 18" wheel in the rear and a 21" wheel in the front. That worked much better for off road. Todays motocross bikes are the same set up.
I haven't riden a bike with 29 front and 26 rear, but if it is like motorcycles it may be something worth trying.

Constructively, I think the difference here is that wheel technology is much better / stronger now than it used to be. I remember when they slapped a 24" on the rear of DH rigs and it was for strength. They were all the time bashing the crap outta wheels on DH courses. A 24" wheel will be much more difficult to get over rough terrain and maintain speed than a 26" wheel. The 26" wheels of today are doing stinkin' 30-40 foot drops, so there's not much reason to go smaller than a 26" on the raer. A 29" wheel now days is probably stronger than a 26" wheel used to be (remember radial and creative artistic lacing, hahaha) so a 69'er/96'er would probably be smoother than a 46'er.

It really does seem like a hassle though.

I wonder how long it will be before they try it in the DH scene.

and I mean, the advantages are there, the evidence is laid out. The bigger wheel WILL have a smaller approach angle and WILL roll easier

the only question is whether these changes will make a noticeable difference. It is only 3 bloody inches after all...

Already happening. Well, 29/29 anyway. Alex Morgan piloting his carbon fiber 29er Inevitable:

http://www.bcdracing.com/pics/races/af07/roadgap.jpg

I still want a BCD 2X4.

Carbon Fiber DH.
Eeek.
Im stil a carbon off-road fearer :P