29ers ?

imacnz

I visited a cycle shop today and was introduced to a 29er for the first time. Until now I had been totally unaware of them and I felt a moment of disbelief. The salesman was telling me how they roll well, go over bumps more smoothly and he seemed convinced that this was the way things are going.
I actually looked at one of these, a sort of hybrid (not my thing - I'm more of a road man) and thought it looked totally wrong. A bit like looking at 'Pegs' when you've been used to flares. We're generally all happy with the bikes we have. There is always the slightly lighter bike with the newer style and more upmarket components but you get to trust your bike as an old friend and become 'at one' with it. After all, you've been through some tough times and up some tough hills together and emerged victorious.

I don't like to consider myself as resistant to change or set in my ways but these bikes don't look right. I can't help thinking that this is just the industry's way of stimulating an already bouyant market.

Does anyone else have a view on this? Is it a fad or the way forward?

t.m.h.n.e.t

Is it possible that you are in the wrong section?

ShutUpLegs

imacnz wrote:

I

I don't like to consider myself as resistant to change or set in my ways but these bikes don't look right. I can't help thinking that this is just the industry's way of stimulating an already bouyant market.

Any views on electronic shifting :?:

99thmonkey

Ive put around 1000 miles on a 29er Hardtail and dont bother riding my full susser anymore, it rides like a low travel (110mm) rig and has alot more traction uphill and rolls smoother on the flats, a marginal decrease in agility in the twisty stuff but that makes me ride better.

And the added bonus is the weight and lower maintainance, Im sold on them personally

Defyand

Yes yes yes

woolwich

Getting the aesthetic of a 29'er right is a complete nightmare. So yes, they tend to look dreadful.

Due to the big front wheel and the need for clearance for big tyres and room for suspension travel or suspension adjusted fork. You end up with a head tube both way up in the air and also very short or the bars would be in the sky.
This also means you have to have an incredibly long downtube to reach from the bottom bracket, way longer than a standard bikes downtube.
Even when made from hugely thick tube they always look long and whippy and out of proportion. On-one even use a 35mm thick top tube on there latest and they still look like they will snap.

They do ride brilliantly though. If the salesman was steering you towards a 29er but you can't bear the looks, get a cyclocross bike.

dw300

Board index ‹ Road ‹ Road General

imacnz

I'm happy with the forum I selected - And as it happens I do have a view on Electronic shifters. Although it's only a small step it requires a battery and is still motorisation. I would prefer a mechanical solution otherwise, if that's the direction you want to take then why not supply power to the cranks?

diy

Surely this is a 26er v 29er MTB discussion best had in the non metric part of the forum. I.e Mtb general? Personally I am cynical about 29ers. I think it's a way to stop people extending the life of their bike by doing small upgrades. I won't be switching any time soon. It's a solution to a problem I don't have.

MattC59

650b please.

mattshrops

Betamax anyone?

thefd

imacnz wrote:

I'm happy with the forum I selected - And as it happens I do have a view on Electronic shifters. Although it's only a small step it requires a battery and is still motorisation. I would prefer a mechanical solution otherwise, if that's the direction you want to take then why not supply power to the cranks?

Surely you can see that the reason your choice of forum is being questioned is because you are asking road bikers if they have a view on MTB wheel size!

I for one have no view on it at all, and would agree with the others that this is not a road general discussion!! :?:

imacnz

Ah details! The bike I saw was a hybrid and there isn't a hybrid forum. Plus, you can ride these bikes on the road too. I would have thought the wheels were too big for safe manoeuvreability on a rocky track - centrifugal force and all that.

mattshrops

A hybrid will have 700c wheels. A 29er is an mtb with 29" wheels. Yep same size but if its a hybrid with hybrid/road tyres then its not a 29er and would certainly not look out of proportion- even though it has the wrong shaped bars on it.Also if its a hybrid it definitely not a new thing to have that size wheels.

Monty Dog

Sounds like the bike shop is hyping up the hybrid by calling it a 29er! Built myself a rigid 29er singlespeed this year for riding the local trails and singletrack - once you get the big wheels rolling is soaks up the rough stuff really well and far better than a 26" wheel, particularly coping with roots, ruts and rough stuff.

wheezee

Road bikes have been perfected over a period greater than a hundred years, whereas MTBs only really date from the 70s. In that world, 29ers are what you might describe as a fairly mature design.

How they look is less important than how they perform. FWIW (not much), I think they look great.