Originally Posted by
Pahana
I have 2 bikes sitting around not being used . One of them is a Felt 3 niner a nice hardtail but super stiff. It's a very hard ride and that is why it is sitting. The other bike is a 18 year old Titus Racer X. The Racer X was a great bike and I had many great times on it but the time of the 26 inch wheel is over. The Titus is super lose and the rear get all out shape but its a soft ride and comfortable . My new question is for Winter riding is stiff better than soft or does it matter at all. A 29er hardtail vs a 26 inch full suspension bike . Any suggestions?
The 26 inch wheel is just unfashionable. It still works well. You can readily find rims to build 26" wheels as well as purchasing premade 26" wheels. Frankly, 29ers are about as dumb as a box of hammers. Yea, they roll a little bit better but they are higher geared, weigh more and flex a whole lot more than 26". The advent of the 27.5er (they really need to come up with a better name
) is a tacit admission that the 29er wasn't the best idea. I suspect that soon we'll have a new bike designation that will use the 26" wheel with a whole new marketing campaign to convince us how superior it is. Perhaps they will call it the 559er.
That said, rebuild the rear end of your Titus. It sounds like the bearings (or bushings) are worn. That should be a fairly easy fix.
And then use it for winter riding. I use 1998 Moots YBB for my snow and ice bike as well as an off-road touring bike. It's old enough that it doesn't even have a disc on the rear wheel. But it's much easier to ride in ice and snow than my hardtail Dean. It's a lot easier to ride than a rigid bike. The same things that rear suspension does for you on the trail...i.e. putting more traction to the rear wheel when the suspension squats...are advantageous on snow and ice. Add in front suspension as well as studs and the bike goes like the clappers in bad conditions.
Winter ready Moots
image by
Stuart Black, on Flickr
Winter ready Dean
DSCN0635 by
Stuart Black, on Flickr
Both 559ers