20 Feckin Niners!....

IBISMojoHDamon

Is it me or is this 29'er thing getting rammed down our throats?

Just been on another forum and struggled to find anything with 'normal' wheels....

Bought a copy of 'Dirt' mag the other day and it was stuffed with these glorified hybrids!....

What is going on with the cycle industry when it rides a wave and floods us with stuff we just aren't interested in...

diy

I agree I have no interest in buying a 29er. Choice of non-29ers particularly in HTs is very limited now.

Thewaylander

yarp personally not a fan, unweildy things in comparison

There even looking at doing 29er Dh bikes aren't they.. just seems wrooooong!

ilovedirt

It's a new technology, pushing the bike industry forward. Of course they're going to market it in a way that gets you to notice, and I don't see it as a bad thing. You still see far fewer 29ers on the trails than 26" wheels, so stop complaining. If you're not interested, just ignore it. Personally I've never tried one, but they have to be catching on for a reason, right? I'd love to have a go on one, I just can't afford one for the moment, maybe when they come down in price.

cooldad

I read on the internet that 29ers are the future, they are so much better than 26ers that anyone not riding one is an idiot.
I personally want a 30er, which has to be even better.
You are all luddites.

lostboysaint

cooldad wrote:

I read on the internet that 29ers are the future, they are so much better than 26ers that anyone not riding one is an idiot.
I personally want a 30er, which has to be even better.
You are all luddites.

And nothing at all to do with marketing.

njee20

It's a new technology

No it's not. We've been slow to adopt (they're much more popular in the US), but Gary Fisher have been doing them for years.

Agree the sudden shift in our market is surprising; Specialized don't import any 26" hardtails above the Rockhopper, nor any Epics - they're all 29ers, which is a big shift from importing a couple of 29ers last year.

Allegedly 650B is going to come to the fore next year, a number of big companies on board for that.

ilovedirt

njee20 wrote:

It's a new technology

No it's not. We've been slow to adopt (they're much more popular in the US), but Gary Fisher have been doing them for years.

Agree the sudden shift in our market is surprising; Specialized don't import any 26" hardtails above the Rockhopper, nor any Epics - they're all 29ers, which is a big shift from importing a couple of 29ers last year.

Allegedly 650B is going to come to the fore next year, a number of big companies on board for that.

Well ok it's not 'new' technology, but it's new to the UK market, is what I meant.
Like I say, I don't think it's a bad thing, and I don't think there will ever be any lack of 26" bikes because of it.

njee20

Yes and no, like I say the fact there are no 26" Stumpjumper/S-Works hardtails/Epics could be indicative of other manufacturers future trends, and the fact they were very popular bikes that no longer exist. I think Spesh are unusual in their aggressive push, Scott, Trek, Cannondale etc run both in parallel, don't know of any other brands who've dropped 26" models and replaced with 29ers.

ste_t

IBISMojoHDamon wrote:

What is going on with the cycle industry when it rides a wave and floods us with stuff we just aren't interested in...

And how many people filled in your survey for you to come to conclusion that 'we just aren't interested..'?

Did you react the same way when magazines started filling their pages with plastic bikes?

IBISMojoHDamon

The Kings 'New Clothes' springs to mind....

I'm sure they are great for certain 'types' of riders.... racer's, fire road blasters, XC'ers etc.... But for all mountain, trail centre's and people that wreck wheels... I think not...

The flex that you get in a 29" wheel is scary...

Fine for some, not for me but it just annoys me that people are believing and fueling the hype.... Ignore it?.... If only I could!....

EH_Rob

I enjoy what I currently ride and don't see how having bigger wheels will increase the enjoyment.

So I find it quite easy to ignore.

bails87

EH_Rob wrote:

I enjoy what I currently ride and don't see how having bigger wheels will increase the enjoyment.

So I find it quite easy to ignore.

So you haven't ridden a 29er?


If people want to buy one then let them, likewise, if mags want to talk about them then they will. They talk about new things, that's what they're there for. If you want to be told how brilliant your current bike is then buy a mag that's a few years old!

I had a short demo on a Mach 429, it was bloody awful, the one with £2k carbon wheels was slightly better.....but £2k wheels and still rubbish.... :shock:

ilovedirt

njee20 wrote:

Yes and no, like I say the fact there are no 26" Stumpjumper/S-Works hardtails/Epics could be indicative of other manufacturers future trends, and the fact they were very popular bikes that no longer exist. I think Spesh are unusual in their aggressive push, Scott, Trek, Cannondale etc run both in parallel, don't know of any other brands who've dropped 26" models and replaced with 29ers.

Yeah i agree that it is unusual, I didn't know that about the 2012 spesh lineup actually, I don't pay a great deal of attention to XC bikes if I'm honest. Most manufacturers do tend to have a mixture of both though I think.

IBISMojoHDamon wrote:

The Kings 'New Clothes' springs to mind....

I'm sure they are great for certain 'types' of riders.... racer's, fire road blasters, XC'ers etc.... But for all mountain, trail centre's and people that wreck wheels... I think not...

The flex that you get in a 29" wheel is scary...

Fine for some, not for me but it just annoys me that people are believing and fueling the hype.... Ignore it?.... If only I could!....

This is the thing, it's a new technology. 26" rims were probably crap 10/20 years ago (i'm only 21 so I wouldn't know), however that's the great thing about new technology, people invest, and manufacturers are able to invest more money on R&D and pushing the technology further. The more people buy 29ers, the more money will go into their development. I'm sure that in a few years time (if not now, i don't know too much about 29ers in all honesty) We'll be seeing lightweight 29er rims that are strong and light as well. Yes they'll be expensive, but give it a few more years again and prices will come down. Look at mountain biking as an entirety, it's amazing how far the technology has come in the 20 years or so that mountain biking has been around, and I think it has a good deal further to go.

njee20

We already have Edge carbon 29er rims which are far stiffer than most 26" rims.

They have gone for the XC type bikes first, but I suspect we'll see evolution into longer travel bikes. There are issues with silly long wheelbases because you need room for the swingarm to compress, but they'll get around that. Or 650B will become more prevalent on longer travel bikes.

I sincerely doubt we'll see the death of one or t'other in a very long time, if ever, they'll co-exist just fine.

ilovedirt

That's what I'm hoping. I've started to see a few mid-travel 29ers online, mostly in the USA, but it's exciting stuff!

IBISMojoHDamon

[/quote]

And how many people filled in your survey for you to come to conclusion that 'we just aren't interested..'?

Did you react the same way when magazines started filling their pages with plastic bikes?[/quote]

Like I filled in a survey..... Do I sound that boring????,......I ride and share info with a group of 30+ riders and read stuff on the Internet and magazines and people that come into and work in my local bike shop so agreed, Not everyone is not interested but out of the people I have spoken to, maybe one / two people said they were interested in 29'ers.

I love it when magazines fill their pages with 'Carbon bikes'..... I like to read stuff that I aspire to own... I care not two big piles of horse sh*t about sub £500 bikes made from glorified scaffolding poles...

And 'plastic bikes' to use your terminology, is an exciting chapter in Mountain biking, especially when World Class riders like Brian Lopes / Steve Pete use it in rims, bars and DH frames.... Not sure that we would get excited about seeing them on a 29'er...

IBISMojoHDamon

njee20 wrote:

We already have Edge carbon 29er rims which are far stiffer than most 26" rims.

They have gone for the XC type bikes first, but I suspect we'll see evolution into longer travel bikes. There are issues with silly long wheelbases because you need room for the swingarm to compress, but they'll get around that. Or 650B will become more prevalent on longer travel bikes.

I sincerely doubt we'll see the death of one or t'other in a very long time, if ever, they'll co-exist just fine.

Agreed.... But at what cost?... ENVE rims are a bank full of money and out of reach to 95% ish of the biking community

(75% of all statistics are made up on the spot)

larryb

ilovedirt wrote:

It's a new technology, pushing the bike industry forward. Of course they're going to market it in a way that gets you to notice, and I don't see it as a bad thing. You still see far fewer 29ers on the trails than 26" wheels, so stop complaining. If you're not interested, just ignore it. Personally I've never tried one, but they have to be catching on for a reason, right? I'd love to have a go on one, I just can't afford one for the moment, maybe when they come down in price.

+1

delcol

Thewaylander

I think there is an issue though when a manufacturer as big as specialised gets rid of a large amount of there most popular ranges for 29ers...

They really aren't a replacment there an alternative. I mean i don't like them to ride hugely so the lost of entire ranges of bikes to 29ers is startling.

ste_t

IBISMojoHDamon wrote:

Like I filled in a survey..... Do I sound that boring????,......I ride and share info with a group of 30+ riders and read stuff on the Internet and magazines and people that come into and work in my local bike shop so agreed, Not everyone is not interested but out of the people I have spoken to, maybe one / two people said they were interested in 29'ers.

I love it when magazines fill their pages with 'Carbon bikes'..... I like to read stuff that I aspire to own... I care not two big piles of horse sh*t about sub £500 bikes made from glorified scaffolding poles...

And 'plastic bikes' to use your terminology, is an exciting chapter in Mountain biking, especially when World Class riders like Brian Lopes / Steve Pete use it in rims, bars and DH frames.... Not sure that we would get excited about seeing them on a 29'er...

That is the explanation I was fishing for! You stated ...'WE....' which did not explain anything. But why are they not interested? Ridden them and not liked them? Ignorance? Not available for their chosen discipline?

I did originally type 'carbon' but changed it to emphasise the point, which I think you missed. Aren't 29ers coming to the forefront of top level xc racing? Much like carbon is in dh?

Your expressed view on 29ers is much the same as some expressed at the pointless fad of 'plastic bikes' some years back.

I am in no way biased, having never ridden/owned a carbon bike nor a 29er. They could be for me in the same way they suit lots of other people, maybe not, but I just can't be arsed to find out.

njee20

I mean i don't like them to ride hugely so the lost of entire ranges of bikes to 29ers is startling.

How can you make such a sweeping statement though? The range of 29ers is as diverse (almost) as 26" bikes, it's not as straight forward as liking one and not the other. Do you like every 26" wheeled bike you've ridden? You've said many times that you'd hate riding mine :-)

Like I said the only company I am aware of who are offering them as a replacement rather than an alternative is Spesh, all the others are doing both.

And 'plastic bikes' to use your terminology, is an exciting chapter in Mountain biking, especially when World Class riders like Brian Lopes / Steve Pete use it in rims, bars and DH frames

They've made serious inroads into XC racing, following FS bikes in the last 3 years or so and carbon in the last 10, and each has been just as 'exciting' for want of a better word. It'll follow in DH I'll wager.

larryb

So may haters..wonder if they have tried to ride them. What was theie thoughts when bikes strated going full suspension?

Id love to try them, there is no smoke without fire if as crap as these lot say its strange they are taking of bigtime!! Not met a rider who has riden and disliked one???

Neal_

I don't see why both wheels have to be big, mix it up!




I've had a quick blast on a HT 29er and it still felt like riding a mountain bike but just turned slower, I can achieve the same effect on my 26er by turning less.

mrmonkfinger

ilovedirt wrote:

It's a new technology

No it isn't.

"Wheels" are a technology.

"Different sized wheels" are the same technology. But a bit larger or smaller.

There are more exciting things happening with MTB tech.

larryb

IBISMojoHDamon wrote:

Is it me or is this 29'er thing getting rammed down our throats?

Just been on another forum and struggled to find anything with 'normal' wheels....

Bought a copy of 'Dirt' mag the other day and it was stuffed with these glorified hybrids!....

What is going on with the cycle industry when it rides a wave and floods us with stuff we just aren't interested in...

WE? You mean you!!

larryb

IBISMojoHDamon wrote:

And how many people filled in your survey for you to come to conclusion that 'we just aren't interested..'?

Did you react the same way when magazines started filling their pages with plastic bikes?[/quote]

Like I filled in a survey..... Do I sound that boring????,......I ride and share info with a group of 30+ riders and read stuff on the Internet and magazines and people that come into and work in my local bike shop so agreed, Not everyone is not interested but out of the people I have spoken to, maybe one / two people said they were interested in 29'ers.

I love it when magazines fill their pages with 'Carbon bikes'..... I like to read stuff that I aspire to own... I care not two big piles of horse sh*t about sub £500 bikes made from glorified scaffolding poles...

And 'plastic bikes' to use your terminology, is an exciting chapter in Mountain biking, especially when World Class riders like Brian Lopes / Steve Pete use it in rims, bars and DH frames.... Not sure that we would get excited about seeing them on a 29'er...[/quote]




Plastic bikes are exciting chapter? Been around for years...

29ers NOWTHATS AN EXCITING CHAPTER IN MOUNTAIN BIKING!!!

ilovedirt

mrmonkfinger wrote:

ilovedirt wrote:

It's a new technology

No it isn't.

Yes it is, presumably new technology is going into the actual frames and wheels to make them as stiff as 26" but not silly heavy at the same time. Why are people so set against them? Until you've tried them, you literally have no argument against them.

And before you say anything, I'm sitting very comfortably on the fence right now, I just find it incredible that people can call something crap before they've even tried it.

ste_t

I admire your enthusiasm, but your quoting skills need a bit of work.

In my opinion, carbon bikes are a more 'exciting chapter,' for want of a better term, than 29ers.

Carbon = lighter/stiffer/generally better looking

29ers = a bit, well, different. Like saying singlespeed is 'exciting' really.

Edited due to shocking quoting work.

campbellrae1

I've been lucky enough to ride a few in the last year or so. I think they work pretty well in an XC race bike, not so sure when it comes to trail/all mountain bikes, but I could be persuaded as the tech involved moves on. They do really well on fast flowing stuff, like you find on a lot of trail centre red runs, but I detested them in the tight/steep/rooty/slow natural stuff that I like to ride most of the time as they take a bit more effort to accelerate and stop than 26" wheels.

Having said all that, they are a massive improvement over 29ers from 2 or 3 years ago that just felt like barges. So given the improvements in such a short period of time it will be interesting to see where we are in another 2 or 3 years!

I think. like everything else, it just comes down to personal preference, I ride a carbon hardtail with 80mm of travel and love it, others ride full sussers with 150mm for the same trails, at the end of the day, ride what you want and bollocks to what people think of you.