The only problem with 29ers
June 27th, 2005 by Tim GrahlThoughts from off camber on the 29er:
Maybe they are a little boring? Seriously, like you don’t have to do anything. It’s like playing tennis with an oversized racket. Don’t get me wrong - I dig ‘em, especially when conditions turn more “mountainbikeryish.” I’ve been cleaning climbs never before surmounted with the little-wheeled bike, and rough descents are like plowing downhill on a lazy boy. Note, this is with a fully rigid. But they are also a little less go-go-gadgety than your typical 26″ ride.
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problems with a 29er….
I find that the 29ers suffer some problems similiar to a snowboard going down a skier’s line…
over the years trails have developed and evolved
the tight winding single track may have been created by the line of many riders on 26 inch wheel bikes
then when a 29er comes down that same path it is difficult for them to make those same tight winding turns…
there are trails where I feel that I would move more nimble if I were on a 26 inch wheel bike…
but for a man of six feet four inches tall…
riding a 26 inch wheel bike is like trying to put my size 13 foot into a size 12 sneaker….
I can do it?
but why?
I don’t have any problems in tight singletrack. I probably pay a small price in terms of acceleration, but overall I am faster on the 9er than I was on my 26″ bike. Even in the twisties. Especially downhill. It’s kinda strange that there are so many different opinions about how 9ers ride, just goes to show that in order to make an honest evaluation you need to ride one for yourself.
With my 39.2″ inseam I can’t take other people’s lines anyway. The times I tried to stay with riders 2 sizes smaller, I ended up ripping up my jerseys at the shoulders and scratching my hips on trees.
On a 29″ bike at least, I can hold the lines that fit me better, more easily. If before the trail didn’t match my lines, the 29″er allows me to cross over the ideal line more stabily, keeping a higher pace.
On more open trails like fire road systems, in the lead of a group, I find that I can open significant gaps in typical 90-120º corners. I keep a pace that the #2 in the group is not comfortable with, forcing him to close the gap to me and waste some extra energy.
Heck, I’m a 6′4″ rider as well. Even if I would lose time in corners, 26″ still is a bad, bád plan for me.
29ers boring? There’s nothing boring about being able to ride faster. If 29ers are boring, then suspension is boring. That helps you ride faster too. By this logic, slower must be more exciting. Hmmm….
As for 29ers not being capable of riding the same lines as 26ers, this is not comparing apples to apples. At a long-limbed 6′2″ (not a wishful guesstimate used to impress girls) on a 21″ frame size, it doesn’t matter what kind of bike I ride, I simply can’t take the same tight corners as my 5′5″ riding buddies. Those guys never rub shoulders with trees and get their helmets hung up in branches. What I CAN do is stay on my bike over nastier terrain and keep my speed up more consistently.
And regarding the statement, “you don’t have to do anything”, the author is missing the whole point. The bigger wheels increase the possibilities of what you can do. Technological advancements that make more things possible on a bike have never made riding less fun. If that were the case, we’d all be riding fully rigid cro-moly lead-sleds with solid rubber tires. The reality is that the trails we ride have evolved with the bike technology. What was considered a hard-core trail fifteen years ago is perceived as a beginner trail now. Today’s casual downhill trails would be called unrideable by the standards of 1985. If better equipment is making your current trails seem a little tame, then it’s time to step it up and find some trails that are more challenging.