Originally Posted by harris
Haha, I beg to differ. Contact patch happens to be about twice as big as you guys on your cute lil bikes. The added volume makes it very easy to control in mud. But I don't wanna get into an argument. To each his/her own. I agree with the limited tire choices, tho. But not with the cumbersome beefed up cyclocross rig. My bike is a bit heavier than other trail hardtail rigs, but the heavy ass fork is alot of that. And my bike most definetly handles nicely. Have you ever tried a 29er? If not, please do try one before ragging on them.
enjoy your stay
thanks
harris
Have tried several 29'ers, and just did not like them, just felt way too big and cumbersome to me(remember bmx background). You may find it working good in the mud due to the contact patch but remember all tire contact patches are the same in each category, but a 26" maxxis hookworm isn't going to work well at all in the mud unlike a 26" maxxis wet scream, which will make going through mud look like a slick on dry asphault. Contact patch has nothing to do with it, it all rides on tread design and mental effect. If race teams were really concerned about the contact patch a certain sized wheel and tire provides, they'd all be on 29" wheels. There are only two teams that use 29'ers as the race bikes, one is fischer, and since going to 29'ers there they haven't dominated like they did, mainly due to the weight penalty. The other team is an adventure racing team, there 29'ers seem to do well.