Thoughts on my 26er and 29er

dmorton

I recently got a Trek (Gary Fisher) Cobia 29er on the c2w scheme. I got this because I reckoned it would be better on the road getting to work than my Orange Crush and I didn't want a road bike or hybrid. I have to report it is faster on the road, however this may not be completely due to the wheel size. The tyres, the riding position and the fact I have clipless pedals on it and flats on my Crush will also be playing a part.

Now onto offroad. I've done the same route in Swinley Forest on both bikes for a comparison. It was harder going on the Crush, but I put this mainly down to flat pedals. The Crush was brilliant in technical twisty stuff (e.g. end of Tank Traps) and when going downhill. However I preferred the Cobia on the flatish flowing stuff, it was just smoother and faster! Uphill, I don't think there was much of a difference although there aren't any long uphills on Swinley.

Another thing is that the back end of my Crush seems to bob up and down quite a bit, resulting in a sore bum. In fact if its flat but still rough sitting on the on saddle isn't great at all. A change of saddle could fix this although for that movement the bike is pivoting round the fork and front wheel axel right? So maybe some adjustment of the forks is in order, any ideas where to start?

Fenred

Thanks for posting this up, I'm considering a 29er HT or rigid as my next 'toy' so found this interesting. Nice one!

VWsurfbum

dmorton
interesting that you didnt notice any difference in the climbing, its one of the first things i noticed when i first got a 29er.
Also in the last race i did, i realised how much i lose out through the twisty's to 26" (see small) wheeled bikes. a noticable difference, but overall i would say the 29er is quicker and therefore better than small wheels

Fenred

That's the one thing thats holding me back on the 29er...I like fast twisty's! :?

CycloRos

For me the whole 26er vs 29er debate can be summed up like this -

and I don't want this to sound like a sweeping generalisation but...

ALL...

riders who are a wheels on the ground / XC / Marathon type should go 29er it is the fastest (non-engine powered) way to cover serious distance off-road. Everyone else should stick with 26ers.

supersonic

I prefer 26er though for that. As do many XC racers if Mavic arfe to be believed.

CycloRos

The "ALL" part of my comment was intended to be very tongue in cheek as it's obviously still down to the indiviual. But the influx of 29ers on the XC racing scene is difficult to ignore!

Having ridden a fair few 29ers in anger (and knocking around on my Haro as I do) I would suggest anyone who is that type of rider should give them a go.

VWsurfbum

i understand what your saying and i agree, but i have a 120mm travel full suss 29er and i love throwing it off drops and the odd jump, I love tight twistys too, and like i said ealier on, this is the first time in over a year i've noticed i was slower!

SS I will convert you LOL [/b]

Fenred

CycloRos wrote:

For me the whole 26er vs 29er debate can be summed up like this -

and I don't want this to sound like a sweeping generalisation but...

ALL...

riders who are a wheels on the ground / XC / Marathon type should go 29er it is the fastest (non-engine powered) way to cover serious distance off-road. Everyone else should stick with 26ers.

Hmmm. Well I'm certainly a wheels on the ground /XC type rider and understand how a 29er is going to going to roll better.

Question for you - In comfort terms, ie getting beaten up on the trail, I've read in various other forums that a HT and even to some extent rigid 29ers offer a good compromise between a HT 26er and FS 26er due to larger wheels and running lower tyre pressures etc...Do you endorse such statements or is it utter bolleoux?

VWsurfbum

Fenred wrote:

it utter bolleoux?

such a small amount, still dont understand these rigid riders, there almost as bad as fixie riders

Fenred

Thought it might be VWSB!

supersonic

There is virtually nothing on a 29er that cannot be replicated on a 26er. You will always get that angle of attack advantage over certain sized bumps, but even then larger tyres or suspension can claw it back to a degree. Comfort can easily be built in.

I do agree that everyone should try out various bikes, but like frame sizes, this is just another size option that may or may not suit. If bigger was always better then why stop at 29? Fact is it is perfect for some, while 26 is perfect for others. I am in the latter camp. Generally. A well sorted 29er will ride better than a crap 26, and vice versa.

VWsurfbum

supersonic
Dam you and your logical answers!

dmorton

VWsurfbum wrote:

dmorton
interesting that you didnt notice any difference in the climbing, its one of the first things i noticed when i first got a 29er.

The climbs in Swinley don't last long enough for me to comment on it properly yet.

I can't wait to do some long rides on the 29er

Any thoughts on my Crush? Is it just because it's a stiff frame? The air pressure in the forks (Fox Float 32 R) is set for my weight, but I tend to adjust the rebound up and down quite a bit, never 100% happy. Could try lower rear tyre pressure, but then that risks pinch flats. I'll try the saddle off the Cobia and clipless pedals too

supersonic

The crush frame is certainly on the stiff side.

ddraver

CycloRos wrote:

The "ALL" part of my comment was intended to be very tongue in cheek as it's obviously still down to the indiviual. But the influx of 29ers on the XC racing scene is difficult to ignore!

True but no one has won a World Cup on one yet though....(unless they have since Dalby which is the last time I heard this)

Or are you talking about less lofty scenes?

VWsurfbum

ddraver wrote:

CycloRos wrote:

The "ALL" part of my comment was intended to be very tongue in cheek as it's obviously still down to the indiviual. But the influx of 29ers on the XC racing scene is difficult to ignore!

True but no one has won a World Cup on one yet though....(unless they have since Dalby which is the last time I heard this)

Or are you talking about less lofty scenes?

the winner was on a 29er :roll:

ddraver

Yeah well I did nt watch the end..... :?

(I like watching cycling on TV but XC just doesnt lend it self to it past the first 10 mins, think i switched over to the Giro instead...)

Anonymous

VWsurfbum wrote:

ddraver wrote:

CycloRos wrote:

The "ALL" part of my comment was intended to be very tongue in cheek as it's obviously still down to the indiviual. But the influx of 29ers on the XC racing scene is difficult to ignore!

True but no one has won a World Cup on one yet though....(unless they have since Dalby which is the last time I heard this)

Or are you talking about less lofty scenes?

the winner was on a 29er :roll:

Epic win!

CycloRos

Fenred wrote:

Question for you - In comfort terms, ie getting beaten up on the trail, I've read in various other forums that a HT and even to some extent rigid 29ers offer a good compromise between a HT 26er and FS 26er due to larger wheels and running lower tyre pressures etc...Do you endorse such statements or is it utter bolleoux?

I wouldn't describe the 29ers I've ridden as being more comfortable, but the fact the wheels roll better and maintain there momentum means they feel a lot easier to ride, and that counts for a lot as the miles increase hence my comment about racing and marathon type riders.

If comfort is your priority then buy a full bouncer.

At the moment I still prefer my two 26er HTs over my Haro but that's more to do with the rest of the bike setup than the wheel size. My next bike purchase will almost certainly be a geared 29er HT.

stubs

Tried both sizes of HT back to back and to be honest the 29rs were nice but didnt seem to make much difference. I would buy either if the price was right, dont fall for the bull that they will make much difference to your riding its the rider not the bike.

VWsurfbum

stubs
Disagree, i would say i'm 4-5 mins quicker now over a 4 mile lap than i was last year and i would say i was fitter last year!

stubs

VWsurfbum

I didnt clock myself riding the bikes so I didnt know if I was faster or slower I just went on feel and I absolutely if blindfolded would have struggled to tell the difference apart from the gears. My bike is a 26r Scandal with 18 gears and 2.25 Maxxis Ardents the other bike was a new 29r Scandal with Alfine hub gears and 2.0 Conti something or others. At the same time I had a go on a Trek 26r carbon HT with 30 gears and racing semi slicks that was a much bigger difference it was like riding a racehorse.

My next HT purchase will probably be a 29r HT singlespeed but only because I do a lot of road, bridleway and canal towpath riding ideal for a big wheeler with hybrid tyres on. Fast but still comfy.

toasty

I've had a rigid 29er Scandal for a month or so now, it was a bit of an impulse buy. £124 frame second hand, ~£100 carbon forks from On-One, £100 wheelset with Nevegals that they used to do, fairly budget bits, comes in at about 26lbs.

The ride is fantastic though, absolutely loving it. While the rigid fork obviously throws you about on the rough, on small bumps I'd literally go as far as saying, combined with the wheel size, it's as smoothing as the suspension fork is. Lap times around Follow The Dog are within 20 seconds of my very geared up Meta*.

I wouldn't want to have a 29er as my only bike though in all honesty, the Meta is far more fun and inspiring for jumping off things. Maybe it's just the racey build of the Scandal, but the wheels certainly don't feel as easy to heave around. We're heading up to Scotland in a month and it'll be the Meta going along. That said I'm going to Mountain Mayhem tomorrow and it'll be the 29er going! It slaughters the Meta up hills.


* the 29er was 2 mins faster until tuesday, when I took the meta out and beat it, curses.

Fenred

Toasty wrote:

I've had a rigid 29er Scandal for a month or so now, it was a bit of an impulse buy. £124 frame second hand, ~£100 carbon forks from On-One, £100 wheelset with Nevegals that they used to do, fairly budget bits, comes in at about 26lbs.

The ride is fantastic though, absolutely loving it. While the rigid fork obviously throws you about on the rough, on small bumps I'd literally go as far as saying, combined with the wheel size, it's as smoothing as the suspension fork is. Lap times around Follow The Dog are within 20 seconds of my very geared up Meta*.

I wouldn't want to have a 29er as my only bike though in all honesty, the Meta is far more fun and inspiring for jumping off things. Maybe it's just the racey build of the Scandal, but the wheels certainly don't feel as easy to heave around. We're heading up to Scotland in a month and it'll be the Meta going along. That said I'm going to Mountain Mayhem tomorrow and it'll be the 29er going! It slaughters the Meta up hills.


* the 29er was 2 mins faster until tuesday, when I took the meta out and beat it, curses.

Thats a good post! *credit card waving at me from inside wallet*

VWsurfbum

Fenred Do it dam you, you've been talking about it far too long here let me help you.
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOO29SCST/ ... l-29er-slx

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOO29SCXT/ ... er-xt-race
or my preference
** edit *** http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOO29RACEF ... er-xt-race
Found it

Fenred

VWsurfbum wrote:

Fenred Do it dam you, you've been talking about it far too long here let me help you.
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOO29SCST/ ... l-29er-slx

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CBOO29SCXT/ ... er-xt-race
or my preference
.........I was going to put the link for the FRM race but it seems to of disapeared off thei website?

I know man!

Hear's the state of play...Do I :

a) wait for the end of the month and get the new swap-out inbred 29er
b) Wait until September 'tll the new Scandal 29er frame comes out
c) Go for a Kona Unit / Kahuna

Decisions, decisions!...My OH is constantly telling me I over-analyse EVERYTHING!
...Dont know WTF she's on about :roll:

VWsurfbum

I know what its like I do it every day in sainsburys buying my lunch, the older I get the worse I get!
My scandal was awesome and light, but I budget dependant that carbon one looks awesome

Fenred

The guys at OnOne mentioned the soon to be released carbon "Lurcher" is going to be orsum!

Ahhhh, SHOOT another one in the mix.

Dude its not easy being me!

Fenred

Found a link....Anyone else just trickled a little sex-wee out??

http://www.on-one.co.uk/news/products/q ... hes-report

Northwind

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Epic win!

It was a S-works Epic 29 8)