I don't think I like my new bike 29er

adamangler

Hi.

So I used to MTB about 4 years ago for a brief period, I owned a few hardtails and a full Susser. All 26 inch wheels and typical xc bikes, pretty narrow bars etc.

Anyway I ended up getting rid of them all and becoming a Roady for the last few years.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to get back into MTB.

Anyway I fancied a 29er, don't know why really just did.

Bought a specialized rockhopper expert 29er last week. Felt fine in the shop and in the car park.

Anyways after a couple of rides I've realised I really don't like it much. Firstly the bars seem really wide, I think hey are 720mm and whilst the ride feels really stable and rolls nicely on the flat it immediately struck me how cumbersome it feels in the corners or when trying to throw it about doing manuals and bunny hops etc.

The bar width makes it feel like driving a tractor and doesn't feel like I can get over the top of it if that's makes sense like my weight is too far back.

In the corners it doesn't feel "Chuckable" or nimble almost like I'm at the mercy of it rather than having it under my control.

Have I made a mistake ? Will I get used to the 29er?

Has anyone else rode one and gone back to a 26 ?

I've never ridden a 650b , are they more similar to a 26 or 29

Cheers

cougie

A new set of narrower bars won't cost much.

adamangler

Yes I'll try narrower bars first and see how it feels

The Rookie

Just start by moving the controls and grips inwards, once you are happy you can cut the bars shorter, no need to splash out on new bars, even if you want them, at least this way you find the right width first.

Start at about 2cm each side and then in 1 cm steps.

The front tyre on that bike is a pretty heavy old lump and will certainly make the steering feel more sluggish.

The stem also looks quite long for that width bars, it doesn't give the length but it looks like it could be a 100mm stem when normally you'd be looking at 50-70mm with wider bars like that.

slc123

I started with a 29er, which was great for climbs but wasn't the best for nimble single track work. I swapped over to a 27.5 bike as my 29er got stolen.

For me it was the perfect option, it climbs well and gains good speed on the flat but also gives you some good handling. It had a 100mm stem and 680mm bars, which I've swapped over to a 50mm stem and 760mm bars. I've only just made that change, but I can feel it's made a massive impact already for my riding. Admittedly it felt really strange to start with and you have to be a bit more careful on tight tracks with trees!

I also changed to a slightly wider front wheel, which I believe has also helped.

The best bit of advice I had off the more experienced guys on here was take your time with the changes, see one by one of they work and make sure you give enough time to see whether it helps. Change will always make things a bit "strange" to start with... Ultimately, it's about finding the right setup for you and your riding style!

fat daddy

I didnt like 29" at all for the riding I do

There is a difference between 26 - 27.5 .. you can tell the wheel is bigger but it isnt a hinder on the twisty stuff, it feels more positive, less twitchy and I didnt notice it was any harder to turn in, but possibly due to the jump to a 760mm bar making the steering feel different anyway.

But the jump to 29" I didnt get along with at all, I found the twisy work painfully hard and was continually over shooting burms, over braking trying to get back on line, then having to pedal more to get up to speed ... really really didnt like the wheels size. ........ on the fireroad trails though and long straight rock sections the 29" flew .... but I dontdo much of that, so kind of pointless.

You will get used to the bars ... and the next time you sit on a 400mm road bike it will feel wrong !

SamSally

Don't think much about the mistake. There is another way to reduce this. You can change your handlebar with narrow one & it won't cost too much. Maybe you can think this way.

JGTR

I'd say the opposite, wider bar and shorter stem, will sharpen up the handling and you'll get used to wider bar (shorter stem will compensate). Transformed my Specialized 29er, making it feel more nimble.

You also probably need time to adjust, I found I needed to put more effort into riding, manhandle the bike a bit more to get the best out of it, have just bought my second 29er now, much prefer the larger wheel sizes now I know how to ride them.

slc123

JGTR wrote:

You also probably need time to adjust, I found I needed to put more effort into riding, manhandle the bike a bit more to get the best out of it

I would really agree with this. I think you will just need to get used to it as the bike will need to be "driven" a bit more in terms of steering. What you will notice is that with wider bars and shorter stem the bike should be a lot less twitchy when things get technical, which I tended to find when I had that setup.

cycleclinic

It may also depend on the bike. I don't find my 29ers cumbersome. One has wide bars the other doesn't. The wider bars are a pain though on narrow trails with close trees. I have narrower bars 660mm to swap over.

02gf74

It also depends on the person`s build. I'm not the narrowest of people so I'm loving them wider bars. They won't suit a spindly built cyclist.

I guess I don't either ride really twisty trails or fast enough to find wider bars a hindrance.

davidradar

I love your honest post. Most people don't want to admit they don't like their new stead. I love my 15 year old 26" I can spin the wheels up faster, pop it and it is generally more playfully. I also have a 27.5 for racing but always prefer the 26 for fun rides as it feels like a bmx compared to the 27.5 (obviously the new bike is faster therefore my need of it)

I'm always unsure about which to throw money at but the 27.5 always wins as I love to race and bigger wheels are faster. If I ever stopped racing my dream would to purchase a brand new 26" with all modern standards (components), this would bring me lots of enjoyment. I hear they still make some 26" bikes - even a top end one from a few years back would bring me lots of joy My pal also got a 27.5 and he does not race, he mentioned to me that it does not feel right and he misses his old bike. I guess the market is pushed by racing and speed but that is not why everyone buys a mtb..

thistle_

I'd second trying some narrower bars before writing the bike off. I've tried a few bikes at demo days and the bigger bars feels really odd compared to my narrow 26er's bars.

I have the same problem with my new road bike, it just seems rubbish compared to my old one.

pigglet

The whole 29er lack of chuckability thing has got blown way out of proportion IMO. Going from narrow to wide bars will probably have a bigger impact on how a bike feels and handles than wheel size. Throw into the mix the fact that reach has grown on most bikes and the bike will simply feel longer when coupled with wider bars. It's a balance between stability from a longer bike and chuckability from a shorter bike.

I would seriously consider putting on a 40 to 50mm stem if the bike has anything longer on it and riding it for a few weeks to see how you adapt. chain reaction has some cheap short stems at the mo. On my first 29er (old GT Karakorum) going from an 80 to 50mm stem transformed the handling and made hefting the front wheel so much easier, particularly going downhill.
You can then adjust bar roll and saddle position. Cockpit set up will have a big impact on handling. Adjust one thing at a time and ride a few times as said above.

720mm bars are quite conservative by todays standards. A lot of bikes now ship with 800 wide bars (too wide for me).
Don't rush to cut them down.

How comfortable are you with counter steering? basically to go right you nudge the RH bar end away from you as you lean the bike over to speed the tipping in process up. It's one of those little things that you should really be doing automatically but if you are not then try it to see if it helps.