Musings On 29″er Myths
March 21st, 2007 by Guitar TedHello again! I’m back from a brief vacation and illness to give you a few things that I have been mulling over during my time off.
I was able to ride my Dos Niner on a really rocky, technical South Western trail last week which brought to mind a few interesting things. One: That 29″er wheels are weaker compared to their 26″er brethren. Okay, in theory I can’t argue the point. Not at all, but it just doesn’t prove out in real world situations for me. I rammed, slipped, stalled, and wrenched on the 29″er wheels harder than ever on that rocky track last week and the wheels have survived just fine. In my opinion, the angle of attack to trail obstacles with the 29″er wheels is to be credited here. The blows are more glancing, and not as harsh as the 26″er wheels. Good for the rider, but also good for the wheels too.
The second thing that I thought about was how some say 29″ers are not good in tight, technical situations. Well, at least in my experience, I find 29″er wheels to be more stable at slower speed stuff than the 26 inch wheels I used to ride. It gives me more time to correct, decide, and take action in a tight turn. Steep climbs don’t end because I loose to much momentum, they end now because I don’t have enough leg! Traction is enhanced too, so I guess I just don’t see the complaints I hear from others being something holding my riding back at all.
Then there is the “myth” that probably bugs me more than anything else. The “Myth of the Zealot”. You know, the argument that gets raised about how 29″er rides “drank the Kool Aid”, are close minded, and too evengelistic. Hmmm…..last time I checked, there were folks like that in every facet of cycling. Ever talk to a recumbent rider, for instance? So, to pin the label on 29″er guys and gals is just not fair, first of all. Then I have to point out that alot of 29″er fans also own other bikes with different wheel sizes! Yes! amazing isn’t it. Some are even (gasp!) road bike riders!
The bottom line for me, and for alot of you, is this: 29 inch wheeled off road bikes just work. Myth or no myth, “scientific test” or no, 29″ers have revolutionized the way alot of us see offroading and have enhanced our ride. We have more fun than we were having. And that’s no myth at all!
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I agree with the argument for the 29er doing just fine in tight sections. I do a lot of cyclocross racing. I started out 4 years ago using a 26″ mtb…thought that would be advantageous on technical courses. Much to my surprise, it was the opposite. The 700c wheel seems to take tight corners with much more stability and speed (cross courses are well known for being full of 180 degree turns).
I also don’t see why everyone is using such beefy (heavy wheels) for XC 29ers. I’m about to put on a set of Neuvation M28 aero2 road wheels (1700 gms/set). They are inexpensive and supposedly John’s strongest wheel (see his web site (www.neuvationcycling.com) I’ll keep posted on how they perform…
Dave
Hey Ted, I totally agree with you on the 29″ wheel in the tighter terrain.
I was talking to some friends and thats the first point (myth) they brought up to justify not liking 29ers, then the heavy bike, heavy wheels argument was trotted out even though my ride/wheel set was comfortably lighter than their race bikes.
And as for the Zealot myth …… Change is just too hard for some people and changing their minds is even harder.
Humans resist change. That is a fact. We become entrenched and comfortable in our situations, we feel more secure in known surroundings with known and familiar things around us.
But change is inevitable. Everything moves on, and we as riders can sometimes feel as if the changes are coming too fast. We resist those changes, we make up excuses to stay where we are now in our comfortable and secure-feeling enviroment.
The move to bigger wheels is like that. Something new and different, challenging our minds and ideas of what a “real” mountain bike should be.
Some of us resist this challenge, we don’t even want to try it to see if we like it.
We just make excuses to ourselves and others so that we don’t have to step outside our own little comfortable world and take the risk to find out if it really is better.
Life is all about taking risks. If we don’t do this, we never learn new skills and have new experiences.
Sometimes we find that the new thing is not for us, but at least we can say that we tried it out.
29′ers need to be tried out, need to be ridden before making opinions about them.
Who knows …. maybe, just maybe …. you might like them, like I do…
R.
I love my road bike
I love my 26″ Full Suspension
I love my SS 29er.
What is the big deal? Each ride is different and I like and loathe different things. Guess what!? I like chinese AND sushi, this despite China and Japan’s historic differences….HAHAHAHAH
Anyway.
Bikes are cool. ’nuff said.
BunE: “Bikes are cool. ’nuff said.”
Word!
p.s., you don’t happen to be a Cheap Trick fan, perchance? Just curious.
Was it the sushi reference?
Hells yes I am a Cheap Trick fan.
BunE: Me too! Best band ever, and especially the most under appreciated. Someday I still endeavor to own a checkerboard Hamer Standard. Oh yeah!