The Effects of 29″ers In The Marketplace
February 3rd, 2007 by Guitar TedI think it’s fair to say that since 2005 29″ers have been an important fixture in the mountain bike market place. Many companies saw what was a ground swell of interest and growing demand for the bigger wheeled mountain bike. 2006 saw these companies jumping on board with at least one 29″er and in some cases up to four models for their 2007 line ups.
My question is this: How is this affecting the mountain bike market as a whole? Is the 29″er taking away from would be 26 inch sales or are companies actually seeing an increase in sales over the past few years due to the addition of 29″ers? Sales figures are not available publicly for a 29″er only category, but recent figures published for the industry do show a slight increase in mountain bike sales.
One thing that I do know. The smaller builders are still thriving and smaller companies are quick to capitalize on a fast changing market place. It seems that the reluctance of the top tier bicycle companies to open the door to having a 29″er in their line up is making room for all of these smaller companies to come in. In many respects, the 29″er marketplace is a reminder of what happened in the late eighties and early nineties mountain bike boom, only on a much smaller scale.
The odd “man” out here would have to be Gary Fisher Bikes. Having a comprehensive line up of both 26″ers and 29″ers, Fisher seems to have figured out a way to market both wheel sizes and have both thrive. A look at the marketing on their site shows an even handed approach to selling both the wheel sizes without alienating devotees of either.
Other companies have different approaches with varying degrees of success in hitting the mark. In my own web ramblings, I have found that generally speaking, the smaller companies and custom builders have done alot better job communicating the 29″ers traits, both good and bad. However it may be, the effects of marketing and the results on companies bottom lines will be a determining factor in the future of the 29″er.
It will be interesting to see, with the introduction of more proprietary 29″er parts and accessories, what will happen to the marketing plans of some of these companies. Will they see 29″ers as an addition to their marketing strategy, and expand their line ups? Will we see any of the “top tier” companies actually jump on board for ‘08? I’ve a feeling we will se a little bit of both.
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This is a good question. MTB sales have declined over the last several years as road has spiked and from what I now see as a durable good that is beginning to level off if not waning. The only thing that attracts people into any market is innovation. MTB sales for years had a huge run because what developed from a clunker into a true MTB continued to evolve in design, shifting, suspension, and weight. Now 29′ers are taking to the masses and it is an innovation that is needed in the off road market. It is what will drive the off road market over the next few years back up again. I don’t believe it will completely remove the 26 inch wheeled MTB from the market but I do believe there will be companies in the next few years that will start to produce lines of 29′ers that will trickle down in price just like we had seen suspension forks go from special orders, to high end, and down to entry level.
just a quick comment,about what Guitar Ted said about
“Top Tier” company’s jumping in the 29er market.this may be old news to some ,but new to me.Specialized will have a full line of 29er’s out in June/july as 2008 models. My sales rep also mentioned to me “don’t be surprised to see fox
forx on those either” yeah!
i agree GF has been a leader when it comes to large production bike companies in the 29er realm. The unfortunate thing is that they are also the leader in subpar quality frames.
Subpar frames? Anyone remember life before 29er’s were cool and trendy, im pretty sure fishers were the only ones at that party. Remember a time when Rebas hit the downtube? Fishers were right on with fixing that problem before it became a problem. The rig pretty much set the standard as far as 29er single speeds are concerned, now every company under the sun has a single speed using a EBB. Ive personally owned three 29ers, 2 of them being fishers, Ive never had an issue with them, no flex, good geometry, no issues. Yeah they may not be the prettiest welds on the planet, but no machine weld is. Oh and they carry a lifetime warrenty, where as your overpriced, niche brands usually carry an one to five year warrenty.
Fisher are better than you can expect for their dollar in terms of frame quality. Frame weight for the Cobia is similar to “scandium” frames that cost the same as the Cobia bike.
I may be a rabid zealot, I honestly do not see what 26″ has to offer a conscious consumer that doesn’t BMX, huck or Dirtjump. For XC, FR and DH, 29″ should fit most riders best, once it’s all evolved to the level of current 26″er (a matter of conviction and time).
yeah i’m with matty , fisher has set the standard as far as quality goes with a high production frame company like fisher. I currently own a paragon,but always look and consider what others have to offer. 26er’s look like juvenile bikes to me. i’ve been riding 29er’s for years now and there just the norm.26er’s although can be nice bike’s just look silly!
doug bernard: Thanks for the tip on Specialized and Fox. I will say that rumors have been rampant concerning both Specialized and Trek entering the fray with full lines of 29″ers for each. Quite frankly, I expect both of them to come online with 29″ers, especially considering the “one-up-manship” both of these companies engage in.
Fox is a shoe in for 29″er forks, and if Specialized comes out with 29″ers, they’d be fools for not spec’ing them and getting a 1 year exclusive. Even though they, …..cough-cough……have their own line of suspension forks!
No doubt, ‘08 product intros will be closely watched by 29″er afficiandos.
Ted, In the Jan BRAIN it was reported that the sales of “hybrid” bikes is up while most other categories are the same or lower.
Could the 29ers be lumped in as hybrids–because of the wheel size–instead of mtbs (which also seems to not have a rigid fork group)?
shiggy: Quite possibly you are right. I gave this some thought myself and it makes sense from the standpoint of the wheelsize, (700 c) and the fact that it’s not in the “road” category.
I’m sure the 29″er is a bit of a conundrum for BRAIN and the organizations that tally such info. Imagine the confusion that ensues over “69ers”!