29er / 26er ??? Norco / Lapierre ?

elredso

Looking for some advice about getting a new bike !!!

Am looking around at the sales at present and have picked out a few bikes I am keen on. Problem being that I have a few decisions to make, the main one being 29er or 26 ?!? I won't be getting another bike any time soon so it is a case of now or never !!!

I am 5"11 / 6 foot and tend to weigh between 11.7 / 12.7 stone - most of my riding is at trail centres (cannock / fod and occasionally wyre forest). So majority of my riding is on man made trails, but also a bit of natural riding / fire roads - I tend to do bikefest / Oktoberfest as my 2 race events for the year too.

I currently have a Marin Attack Trail - which is great, I do love it - but as it is a 2006 model it is getting a bit long in the tooth. It does have decent travel (140mm) and also full lock outs (which I do like for climbing)

I don't mind climbing, but much prefer the downhill sections, and do tend to throw the bike around a bit / am a bit aggressive at it (and tend to come off a fair bit too!) which is why I am a bit concerned about getting a shorter travel model than the attack trail, which has served me well

So basically for the type of riding I do / rider I am - what would people recommend - stick with 26 or switch to 29er ??

Looking to spend around 1500 tops, and at present the bikes I am keen on are:

Norco Revolution 29er
Main concern is short travel at 100mm - don't know if this will be sufficient, but am glad my reverb will fit it and it has cable routing for it
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... e-ec031348

Rocky Mountain Element 29er
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/roc ... 7#features

Lapierre Spicy 216
Only 26", but loads of good reviews + longer travel bike
http://www.rutlandcycling.com/42695/Lap ... ucher.html

Was looking at ghosts / commencals too from chain reaction, but they don't have great reviews online, hence looking at the above

Any one that rides them, or feedback would be great - its a big investment to make, but at the same time dont want to be kicking myself for not considering a 29er a few months down the road (if it suits my riding)

Main thing putting me off atm, is going on tight switchbacks (which there are a fair few of on the monkey trail - as every seems to agree this is where the 29ers become a bit of a pain!), and also the shorter suspension

cooldad

IMHO - the one you have.
With new bits if they're worn.

whathaveisaidnow

I'm pretty much bang on your size . .

I have a cube 29er hardtail and have a lot of fun going around the Chase, Wyre, Kinver even Llandegla on it, it's just getting used to it, . . . they just roll . . . over somewhere like Clent it kills the opposition on draggy climbs and beasting the old railway line and the cut, . . wow flies, really . . .

Depends what sort of rider you see yourself as . . ? 29ers aren't really chuck it about style?

There are some killer deals at Evans/chain reaction at the moment, on 26 ers, check out the Kona Hei Hei at CRC £1600 , lot of bike for the money. To my mind 120mm is plenty for what we do around here, . . and it will keep the weight down - bike looks lovely, great spec and I bet it's pretty light.

I think what your looking at in the Norco and Rocky could be right, rocky looks lovely. . . but i'm very much a style over substance kind of guy . .lol . .

I reckon the next couple of years 26 will die a death, 650b and 29 will be everywhere, . . its a bike company's dream,
so you may as well jump on board now.

I would try one out first if your unsure, even a test on 29er hardtail will give you a feel for what they do well and don't do quite so well.

rockmonkeysc

I'm about the same height as you (6'1") and I just don't get the thing about 29er's being better for taller riders.
I can't see manufacturers killing of 26" wheels any time soon, a lot of people don't like 29er's.
I found that the ones I tried don't suit aggressive riding, the steering is slow but doen't respond as well to being forced in to a turn as a slack 26" bike does. They also feel horrible in the air and you notice the lack of travel on landings & through heavy compressions.
Get a test ride on one, you might (or might not) like it.

The Norco Sight is the nicest trail bike I have ridden. It's a couple hundred over your budget but rides extremely well and is good value http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... e-ec031661

I have owned one of these & for a light weight xc/trail bike it is superb & responds extremely well to aggressive riding. I got up to all sorts of stupidity on mine, jumping it at every opertunity on the trail, drifting wherever I could and chasing riders on big all mountain bikes at trail centres (just to wind them up). On tight singletrack I can't think of a better bike. Good discount here http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b4s1p3505

pilch

I'm 5' 7" and I dont get the 29ers are for tall people either, thats just a load of old bollocks, why do they make them in smaller sizes then?... err - for us shorter people of course, its like saying all roadies need to be 6'+

I think 29ers are great, some people don't get them or are not interested/had a bad experience/were scared as a child by one etc etc.

Why don't you see if you can test ride a few at the Chase bike shop? Ride the trails back to back & see for yourself...

whathaveisaidnow

I found last weekend when going round The monkey trail that the best way to get round those hairpins on a 29er is to imagine there is an elastic band between your inside knee and and your inside handle bar, when you come to the point juts imagine that and don't look at the where the wheel is going, . .

worked a treat for me . . .

elredso

Thanks for the input everyone - much appreciated

spoke to a relative who rides a 29er and he has strongly suggested I get one, and then went into the physics of it (he designs nucleur powerstations so knows what he is going on about!)

hopefully there wil be a few 29ers at the cycle show to test ride - evans do offer a test ride option, but I assume this is just close to their store, and not off in a trail centre

lots of food for thought

cooldad

You still won't have a bike as good as the one you already have.

paul.skibum

elredso wrote:

Thanks for the input everyone - much appreciated

spoke to a relative who rides a 29er and he has strongly suggested I get one, and then went into the physics of it (he designs nucleur powerstations so knows what he is going on about!)

hopefully there wil be a few 29ers at the cycle show to test ride - evans do offer a test ride option, but I assume this is just close to their store, and not off in a trail centre

lots of food for thought

Bikes and Nuclear Powerstations operate on very different principles - you know that right?

I am aware of the theoretical benefits of a 29er but one mans joy of his new bike is always an unreliable review in my opinion as if you have spent X quid on a new bike you are always going to be moe inclined to praise it as the alternative is to say you wasted your money.

The description of how you ride does not say 29er to me but you can only try them - I watched some product launch videos for the new Diamond Back range and they were talkign about their lively, quick handling fun 29er - in the video the rider barely made it round a bermed corner without stalling and could only just get the bike in the air off a small roller - Whoo fun.

Mountain bikes have 26 inch wheels anythign else is a off road road bike. Fact!

rockmonkeysc

29ers do have benefits, but so do proper 26" wheels. Can't argue that for cross country racing 29ers are very good but for more aggressive riding I'm not convinced, I don't like the way they steer or feel in the air.

elredso

so from what i have been reading I am not loking at a 29er snymore, dont think it will suit my riding

As such I am considering an orange 5 - as I do mostly trail centre riding.

Have seen a few people say there is better out there for teh money - but which bikes are these ?

cooldad

elredso wrote:

so from what i have been reading I am not loking at a 29er snymore, dont think it will suit my riding

As such I am considering an orange 5 - as I do mostly trail centre riding.

Have seen a few people say there is better out there for teh money - but which bikes are these ?

Who would say such a thing? It is well known that Orange 5's are the ultimate bikes.
Or is that bridges? I forget.

VWsurfbum

elredso wrote:

so from what i have been reading I am not loking at a 29er snymore, dont think it will suit my riding

As such I am considering an orange 5 - as I do mostly trail centre riding.

Have seen a few people say there is better out there for teh money - but which bikes are these ?

Why not have both?
THats right, Ugly and noisey also comes in bigger wheel formats too

Rushmore

Beings you said you like to chuck your bike around... I wouldn't go for a 29er.

I'd only use a 29er for xc racing personally...