Stepping on twenty-nine inch landmines
March 16th, 2006 by Tim GrahlOne of the most heated debates in bike technology at the moment is between adherents of the relatively new “29-inch” wheel size for mountain bikes and users of regular wheel sizes. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be taking a look at the pros and cons of the new format. To start with, Cyclingnews mountain bike editor Steve Medcroft looks at the passions stirred by a recent article on the topic.
After we published a short feature about Durango-based ultra-endurance mountain biker Dave Harris’ performance test between his 26-inch and 29-inch format bikes, Harris received a lot of feedback. “I got quite a few comments on my blog,” he says. “There were a hundred-ish emails in my in-box too (all but a couple are positive, thank goodness), and the (mountain biking) forums are going nuts over it.”
Cyclingnews received its fair share of feedback too. Ryan Atkinson, assistant brand manager for Gary Fisher, Lemond and Klein Bicycles, wrote that he felt Harris’ study lacked scientific credibility. He alluded to way Harris’ went about his comparison of the two formats with a point summed up pretty well by reader Jay Parkhill of Menlo Park, California. “…it sounds like this test was run between a full suspension bike and a soft tail. It is very nice that Mr. Harris tried to normalize gearing and tire choices, but the difference in frame designs seems like a huge uncontrolled variable.”
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There will always be debate on this, as long as there are different sizes of bikes and wheels.
All I can say is: If you want to know why we 29′er riders love the big wheels so much, just ride one for a few days and find out for yourself.
R.
Agreed. A 26″ bike was easier to flip around, lighter and felt quicker. My 29ers (I have no 26″ bikes now) feel more sturdy, reliable, and comfortable. A 24″ wheeled bike has its place too. Ride whatcha want. Which is why magz like Bicycling, Bike, Mountain Bike Action, etc. are in the business of giving you product to purchase….. Because every bike has merit if it serves a purpose of some sort. And yes, I’ve had an entire bottle of wine at this point….
Too much talk, too little actual trying it out. Most of the talk is by people with loads of experience and those without. Throw a leg over it and see how (your)theory matches practice.
Look how the average attitude in the press on the topic has changed over the past 7 year. Imagine how in can become another 7 years on at the current rate…
Way to go, guys! That’s exactly the attitude that needs to be expressed. Go ride one and decide for yourself! Isn’t that what most of us did anyway? Let the format speak for itself. If it is so slow, unwieldy, and limited in fit options then it will go away on it’s own. It’s as if there is some sort of conspiracy to twist everyones arm till they say “uncle” and we make them ride 29″ers! Which is absurd. Ride what makes you smile! If it’s a 26″er- so be it!
How something to obvious can become such a debate… Only the bike industry, really! Bikes don’t make money, so less smart people are driving it. Smart people are into cars and airplanes. In bikes, people design to make a point, prove their right, enlarge their ego. In cars, they secretly develop new BETTER stuff because the other guy may be doing just the same, and with a head start.
In cycling, we’re stuck with the equivalent of the 3-wheeled Jeep for a quarter century
In cars, a new rubber compound or rim size available for a car model sees motorist hurry to the dealership to get a test drive. In cycling, we start debating how well the other stuff has served us the part decades, and how obviously stupid the new thing is and how it will never work, and we’ll always run what we’re running today, as it’s simply the best mankind will ever produce.
Aluminum, Carbon, Suspension, Disc brakes…if cyclists were running the world, we’d never have adopted the bicycle to begin with. To far-fetched a design, obviously the horse and carriage is the superior transportation and sporting device.
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Hey Cloxxi- put down the caffeine coffee…they are only bikes …we are not talking world peace …global warming here, are we?
Don’t get me started about global warming, I haven’t skated on ice for 10 years. Snow hardly happens anymore either.