Has anyone made the switch from 26 full squish to 29 hardtail? I'd love to hear people's take on 29er hardtails and how they perform.

Please save the whole 29er's suck/are lame/ghey, etc.- I realize many people don't like 29ers

I like both 26" and 29" and ride both, but would like to hear people's experiences as well as see hear about any cool/odd/rare 29er hardtails out there...

So far I'm diggin' these:

I currently ride an 09 Rockhopper 26er and recently demo'd (demoing, I just can't give it back!) an '11 Stumpjumper Comp hardtail 29er and am quite impressed w/ the bike. I had the thought process that 29ers would be slow, unresponsive etc, but I'm really impressed w/ this bike. Maybe it's because it's higher up the line than my Rockhopper or maybe it's the 29er wheels. It seems to roll up and over rocks logs steps etc w/out issue. I also switched from a 19" frame (Rockhopper) to a 17.5" frame (Stumpjumper) and that seems to make it feel more responsive. I'm not sure, but I'm currently liquidating my vintage road bike collection to fund a purchase of a demo bike (that has XTR cranks instead of the ones that come stock and fall off). Just my thoughts

No Have you?

That's funny...meatpant put the two Jamis in there in hopes I wouldn't flame him

I may just have to sticky the 29'er FAQ thread and start copying all of these redundant threads over to it. I don't know where this thread is headed...prob. the same place they all go...but I copied it into the FAQ thread under 26 vs 29.


Here's a thread that I found in the 29'er FAQ thread...you may give it a look. The title suggest that it may have your answers.
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...highlight=29er

I'd probably get the Spot, just in case you ever wanted to SS it.

Not yet, but I've been getting the itcha little since getting my SS 29er- it is a blast to ride. I realize to each their own and all that, and I dig my 29er, but might be looking to get something geared.

Hilarious! yeah, i put those in there to keep myself safe! seriously, though, I have always dug the Jamis dragons, and the 29er looks simple and effective like the 26er...

Thanks for the thread link- a little of what i'm looking for- really just want to hear people's opinions besides one type of bike sucks...

thanks for the replies.

I'm still curious about the 650b. I'm gonna have to find a place to test one out.

I enjoy this pair...
Jabberwocky

Bandersnatch


...and haven't had the desire to go back to 26" wheels personally. And no,it wasn't the higher end-ness of that demo making it roll over trail stuff easier,it was the larger wheels

I made a blind leap from the full suspension Felt Virtue 1 to a Niner Air 9. For me it's a totally different bike. I miss the Virtue but prefer the Niner.

The best part is the power transfer. I think it's due to it being a hard tail though, not a 29er.

NICE Niner

almost 3 yrs now since the last time i rode my 26er (but still rode them from time to time)

That's me...I bought my first 29er back in June of '08,and the rides on my Monocog 26er became more and more rare,until I sold it and now...

Marin Nail Trail 29er i got a few weeks ago, that i really love.

problem solved...
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There goes the neighborhood.