I have pretty much narrowed it down to a Specialized Hardrock 29'er. I already have a road bike but dont want to use it for commuting. I have a 5 mi ride to work pretty flat but some REALLY bad roads on the way (condition wise). The bike will also be used for light off road and riding with kids. Im 602 260 and wouldnt feel comfortable loading down my road bike with a bunch of work gear. I

Any opinions on whether a 29er would be a good or bad commuter for this type of use? The only accessories I would be looking to add are a rear rack and some lights. Will I have trouble finding racks for a 29er or is that not really and issue? It looks like the hardrock has eyelets for a rack though I could be wrong. Anything else Im forgetting in considering this for a commuter?

____, if ____ means it depends. Doesn't sound like there's anything about your situation that makes a 29er better or worse than any other bike.

A friend of mine has a rack on his Muir Woods 29er, so it can be done.

The good thing about a 29'er is that you will probably have a very comfortable ride with those big tires. The downside is that those bigger tires weigh more, so they will be slower than narrow(er) tires. I don't think you'll have too much trouble finding racks that fit.

Would the 26" be a better commuter?? I thought the 29s were faster once they got going.

If your over 6' or over 29er's make more sense than if you are <6'

For getting upto speed, yes a 29er should be faster when rolling, but it will always depend on the tire, a high rolling resistiancy / heavy 29er will be slower than a light weight 26", if you are commuting, and looking for a slickish tire, this shouldn't be an issue.

The rack fitting could be an issue, as the mounts on a lot of 29ers seem very low; including the Hardrock, you may have issues with the roundstays (the thin rods between the bike seat stays and the rack) being too short dependint on rack manufacture.

Well, the 26" wheels are stronger because the spokes length from rim to hub is shorter. Stronger does not necessarily mean 'better' unless you have very rough roads in combination with a heavily loaded bike which can cause spokes to come under greater tension than 'normal'.

A 29'er is not necessarily 'faster' than a 26incher, or even a 700c wheel. Speed is determined by gearing, tire choice, aerodynamics, rider, and things of that nature.

The advantage of 29" wheels over 26" wheels is that the larger wheel can more smoothly roll over things like potholes or rough terrain. To illustrate, imagine rolling over a pothole with a bike that has 20" wheels. It would be jarring because the wheel is 'sucked' into the pothole and has to sort of 'climb out' again. With a larger wheel, less of the rim/tire is 'sucked in' so the effect is a smoother ride. Of course, over good terrain everything is smooth.

Ride whatever makes you happy. It all boils down to that.

29er sounds like a good bet for what you need.

As an engineer, let me say there is a lot of mis-information on tire size and speed in this forum (not just this post). People, please do some research before posting on the matter, and be sure to use credible sources.

Really, you shouldn't decide which bike to use based on the size of its wheels. Not unless you have a very specialized use you're going to put it to ... and commuting, while good, is pretty run of the mill. Most bikes can handle a short commute.

If you're worried about your weight, you need strong wheels, but those come in lots of sizes.

No,Im not worried about my weight as my road bike handles me fine. I just wanted something with bigger tires for all the reasons I stated on my original post I just wanted opinions to make sure that the 29 wasnt a BAD choice.