Topic: 29'ers

[EllsRider]

Who has one and what up wit dat? How would you describe the ride? Higher bottom bracket? *pit feel comfortable? Too high? How does it track through the corners?  Overall characteristics? I'm getting  the bug to get one and am curious.

[steve]

Awesome ride,great feel,sluggish to turn but you can learn that several friends and racers will have nothing but,I have two leftys one caffeine and the 2008 f1 w/carbon fork

[EllsRider]

Is this the F1 ?



 What does the bike weigh, approx.?

 It seems like some people try them out and love them,  riding nothing else.  The single speeds were/are the same way.  Myself, I like the single speeds but still prefer the FS geared bike.  I'm going to have to try one out.  I like the bigger power gears instead of the  higher revolution spin gears so I think the 29 might be suited for my style of riding.

[steve]

Negative it is just 29'er1 page 30 in 2008 catalog black with flourescent green looks better in person,will probably bring it sunday to Alafia

[slowfatguy]

I rode one around some and just didn't care for it. It slowed the steering down too much for my taste.

[BeerCan]

WOW . . . Anyway 29ers are like any other bike.  Each bike will have its own handling quirks based on different geometries.  I do not find the steering sluggish on mine at all.  In fact this is the best handling bike I have ever owned.  In addition if you wanted to change the steering characteristics of your bike you could get a fork with a different offset.  This will "quicken" or "slow" your steering depending on what you choose.  Something not as easily accomplished on a 26er.  I will say that I had to "relearn" some of my riding techniques but it is not inherently better or worse than a 26er, just different.
FYI --
(Edit: moved list to bottom for readability)


Carrying on, like I said earlier there are so many 29ers with so many different geometries that they are impossible to sum up with blanket statements.  Some have high BB's some are low.  Some are HT, 2", 3", 4" softail, etc. etc.  Here is a small list of pros and cons and are strictly my opinion (and copied from ncj01)


29" Pro's:
Rolling resistance (by some 10%)
Bearing resistance and wear (by some 10%)
Tire wear (by at least 10%)
Roll-over stability climbing and descending
Overall comfort over a ride
Grip and cornering balance
Traction
Pinch-flat resistance

26" Pro's :
Weight (300-400g lighter on the complete hardtail bike, all else being equal)
Due to this weight advantage : faster acceleration, by around 2%
Wheelies are easier, the front lifts more easily.
Flickability in extremely tight corners (where walking would actually be faster)
Wheel stiffness, at least when using hubs of equal flange spacing
More available parts

Bottom line is as always it comes down to fit and preference.  People who know me saw how I went through 5 bikes in 1 year before I found one I totally liked (Pacific , Cake, Heckler, Motolite, Sultan)  I am a better rider on my 29er not because the bike is better but because I am more comfortable on it, therefore I have more confidence and I am willing to try harder things.

Anyway I am running out of steam.  I think if you want to race with a 29er the ones you should look at are the Salsa Dos Niner, Asylum, Titus RacerX, Lenz Leviathan, Niner Jet9, GF Supercaliber Etc.  If you were looking for an all around bike I would add the Turner Sultan, Ellsworth Evolve, Ventana El Ciclon or one of the many Fishers (HiFi, Super Fly)  Of course all of those bike but one are FS 

BTW you can ride my Sultan any time you like.

Manitou Minute 29 TA 120mm travel: 48mm offset, 530mm a-c
Manitou Minute 29 QR 120mm travel: 41mm offset, 530mm a-c

Reba 80mm travel: 38mm offset, 489 mm a-c
Reba 100mm travel: 38mm offset, 509 mm a-c
Reba (Fisher G2): 51mm offset

Maverick DUC32 29er 115 mm travel: 47.3 mm offset, 517 mm a-c
Maverick SC32 29er 94mm travel: 39.7 mm offset, 494 mm a-c

Fox F29 80mm travel: 44 mm offset, 481 mm a-c
Fox F29 100mm travel: 44 mm offset, 501 mm a-c
Fox F29 (Fisher G2) = 51 mm offset

WB F135 135mm travel: 43 mm offset, 535 a-c
WB IMV 100mm travel: 44mm offset, 500mm a-c
WB IMV 80mm travel: 44mm offset, 480 mm a-c

Lefty max: 45mm offset

RST M29: 44 mm offset

Pace RC29 100mm travel: 40mm offset, 510 a-c

Marzocchi 29er: 43mm offset.

[EllsRider]

Good info Beercan. This would be a second bike, or uhm, a fifth bike for me, so I would be looking at the lower end models to try out. If its the do all bike for me then I would get a better one later. As far as shortening the offset on the front fork to make it steer quicker, I would leave the slower steering offset  to maintain downhill characteristics (is that correct bike geometry thinking?). Less chance of doing superman imitations. Any recomendations on cheapo 29'ers?  The Gary Fisher maybe?  I'm surprised the weight difference isn't more compared with 26'ers. 

[SandPine]

Good timing of this thread... I've been a bit curious lately.  I can bearly afford used tires on my current 26'er so no plans on jumping onto a 29'er soon.  But wish I could get another 26'er then another 29'er.  Maybe Santa will hear me.   

[Bucki29r]

On the 2008 Fisher 29er' line, the G2 geometry will take care of the sluggish or over steer problems a lot of riders feel on a regular 29er without G2.  And weight wise I have my Paragon at 23.5 lbs and the new Superfly will come stock around 22.5 lbs out of the box, unless you ride 19" or 21" . Bike fit is a bit different and I have noticed that if you normally ride a 19" 26er then you may be a 17.5" on a 29er' .  And if you can't decide between the 29er or 26er then check out the Trek 69er' .

Here's a write up from my blog site below:

 Why 29ER ?

There's a few very good reason's why so many of us ride and race 29er mountain bikes. It's all about the big Mo, Momentum, that is... You see, 29" wheels are bigger than 26" wheels. And the bigger the wheel, the smaller (relatively speaking ) the stuff the wheel rides over, thus decreasing your angle of attack. Why is this important or why should you care? Reducing the angle of attack lets you roll over obstacles faster, smoother and easier than you can with smaller wheels. Another great thing about the 29er wheel is how it creates a longer contact patch with the trail. (think snow shoes) Now the longer-contact-patch is very key, this helps you float through mud, sand, SNOW, and also improves traction when climbing. Not getting bogged down helps you maintain your momentum, this is a very good thing. Which brings us back to momentum. The great science type people of Pepperdine University found that 29" wheels ride 6 percent faster on uphill courses and 3 percent faster on cross-country courses than their 26" cousins.* This happens because 29er wheels are less affected by dips, bumps, roots, rocks and soft terrain than smaller wheels. Oh, and the Fisher design helps stability by lowering the rider's center of gravity in relation to the axle. (Complements of Fisher Genesis geometry - a tale for another post. So, to summarize , 29er wheels equal increased momentum. Increased momentum equals more speed. More speed equals profound joy and happiness due to more singletrack ridden by sundown. And to clear up one myth, 29er bikes fit riders of all sizes, tall or short. After all I should know and I'm not tall!

*Source : Summary of the Gary Fisher Bicycles Two-Niner Project by Holden S-H. MacRae,

[BeerCan]

Good info, but I have to ask you.  What the hell is SNOW? 

[Gregg]

Good info, but I have to ask you.  What the hell is SNOW? 

Main Entry: 1snow
Function: noun
Pronunciation: 'snO
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English snAw; akin to Old High German sneo snow, Latin niv-, nix, Greek nipha (accusative)
1 a : precipitation in the form of small white ice crystals formed directly from the water vapor of the air at a temperature of less than 32°F (0°C) b (1) : a descent or shower of snow crystals (2) : a mass of fallen snow crystals
2 : something resembling snow: as a : a dessert made of stiffly beaten whites of eggs, sugar, and fruit pulp <apple snow> b : a usually white crystalline substance that condenses from a fluid phase as snow does <ammonia snow> c slang (1) : COCAINE (2) : HEROIN d : small transient light or dark spots on a television screen
- snow·less/-l&s/ adjective

Pronunciation Key

[Bucki29r]

Ah there's nothing better than riding in 6 inches of snow and ice when its  -5 wind chill and you front derailleur freezes up....yea, I won't be missing that.

[Jimbo]

Oh my!  I'm glad I know what snow is now.

[Gregg]

Oh my!  I'm glad I know what snow is now.

I am glad I could help. Growing up in Buffalo, I gained expert knowledge.

[SandPine]

Here in FL, we are expert "ice" riders.  I am not kidding you on this one.  We deal with ice all the time.  We just call it "brown ice" 

Brown Ice = Dead brown pine needles combined with dead brown oak leaves then you add a bit of loose sugar sand with the morning myst or rain water from a typical afternoon shower and you got brown ice. 

Leave the slicks at home and bring on the nubbies to grab on to whatever it can grab before you slide out on it.