26" or 29"?

Trekster

Currently riidng a hardtail and will be upgrading soon to full sus. My local shop is suggesting I also move up to a larger wheel.

What are the main advantages?

saintadolf

29ers are more stable at speed and have better bump absorbsion due to the larger wheel
size but have slower handling for the same reasons and if ur upgrading to full sus its gonna be quite expensive as not many companies make production 29er bouncers.
29ers are also generaly faster than regular bikes over longer distances so if you do alot of 100k races/24 hour stuff theyre probably quite helpful but if you have a suspension it will be very short travel (3-4 inches). the best bet is to try a hardtail 29er a full sus 29er and a regular ful sus bike and see what you like best

BlackSpur

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12563439&highlight=29er

zero303

Check out this months WMB, they test the 29er Gary Fisher full suss...

The general consensus was if you like to cover lots of miles in comfort, go 29er - if you enjoy ripping up singletrack and being involved in your riding, go 26er...

artillerydave

your bike shop proberbly has a surplus of 29" that no one with any sense wants. I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole 26" all the way for me.

ride_whenever

Also 29" parts are still a premium, how big are you?

thomasali

Hard to find rubbish parts for 29er thats all, only decent stuff is available. Tubes are no problem I use Michelin 700x35-40 which are sold everywhere for my 2.1 tyres. I find the bigger wheels are fine for tight singletrack and give more grip when climbing, also can ride over bigger trail obstacles, ride through get out deep mud easier....... also my 29er just seems to hold its speed better too, check out http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=61

stickman

Your shop telling you what to buy sounds dodgy!

thomasali

how is getting advice dodgy exactly? i work in a bike shop and most customers dont have a clue. Customers rely on me to find them the right bike. if your bike shop has a poor rep - then be suspicious - if not them let them help you!

KonaMike

I would say stick with 26 at the moment as you will have wider choice of tyres etc,wait and see if the 29's stick around before opting for one. Saying that Ive never actually ridden a 29er so see if you can get an off road test ride,it may be a revelation !

ratty2k

29er's wont go away, I own one... Choice of tyre is improving all the time, fork choice is improving with more companies supporting the big wheel platform.

People like some of the posters above seem to be missing the point. :roll:
There is room for both platforms, but to slate one without even trying it?

schmako

26" will do me just fine thanks..

KonaMike

ratty2k wrote:

29er's wont go away, I own one... Choice of tyre is improving all the time, fork choice is improving with more companies supporting the big wheel platform.

People like some of the posters above seem to be missing the point. :roll:
There is room for both platforms, but to slate one without even trying it?

Im not slating 29er's at all,I did state in my post that Trekster should try out a 29 before making a decision,I also stated that I had never tried one myself.

I totally agree there is room for both platforms,each to their own