Anyone else gone to the dark side? Confession: I’ve just bought a 29er..

[ibbz]

I’ve never ridden a 27.5 nor a 29er.

I don’t race - i do like riding fast at times and just having fun - sometimes on longer rides. I don’t want to do or try anything reckless or dangerous and have learned to trust and know the bike I ride most - hence I find it hard to chop and change a lot.
Just like I know the car I drive - I know it’s limits. But at the same time I don’t want anything boring which just cuts through terrain - I might as well start road riding again.

I like the outdoors - I also like to have a bike I can pick up with a couple of fingers and lift over a gate stile or fence - and one I can easily lift uphill or out of the muck -

Most important to me is handling, braking and weight.
Plus
I want a more modern bike because I want discs and could do with a more plush longer suspension at times - but I doubt I’d look for anything over 26”

I can’t judge as haven’t ridden one but surely handling is better on the smaller wheels - weight is less with smaller wheels - ability to lift and carry - and good brakes suspension tyres and shifting ease out any offsets ?

 

[Tootyred]

Im really not putting down anybody's choices.....your free to do whatever you like....but don't expect me not to fight my corner.....

Or play devils advocate......

Or ride a 29er!

Its only because im jealous that you all live in places where over 18mph is possible and have hills and rocks......i have flat and dirt....

However, 29ers are physically bigger which at my height would be nice....and if i did have obstacles, roll over them easier and have boingy boingy bits.....hummmmm...HANG ON! I NEED A 29ER!

You all go steady out there whatever you ride and I think im going to keep my financial powder dry and wait for the 31er to come out in 2 years.

 

[ibbz]

And what’s with the electric MTB ?
I saw some idiot riding through epping forest going up tree humps and shit.
I mean if riding through all and everything is the key then why not an eMtb?
Don’t mean to sound dismissive - but I was intrigued - he was just riding up and down stuff - for the sake of it - having fun but he was a large chap and I guess it requires little effort
Like along a track a few weeks back - i thought I was zooming along when behind me another guy in an obviously expensive 29” electric MtB zoomed past effortlessly

 

[sparkybhp]

For me personally when you’re electrically assisted then you’re not really comparing like for like then.
They have their place I suppose, people argue that they get you further without knackering yourself out so you can ride longer etc but not for me.
And the price of them! Jeez - I’d rather have a ktm and do it properly!

 

[legrandefromage]

26 only came about because of the lack of availability of big knobbly 700c all those decades ago

i'm not averse to the big wheelers but the huge amount of 'standards' means that I'm not going anywhere near them.

And whilst I'm still having fun on the old kit and drowning in spare parts that are all compatible with each other across 3 decades, I'm not about to dump them all for a 5 minute thrill

 

[ibbz]

26 only came about because of the lack of availability of big knobbly 700c all those decades ago

i'm not averse to the big wheelers but the huge amount of 'standards' means that I'm not going anywhere near them.

And whilst I'm still having fun on the old kit and drowning in spare parts that are all compatible with each other across 3 decades, I'm not about to dump them all for a 5 minute thrill

 

[ibbz]

For me personally when you’re electrically assisted then you’re not really comparing like for like then.
They have their place I suppose, people argue that they get you further without knackering yourself out so you can ride longer etc but not for me.
And the price of them! Jeez - I’d rather have a ktm and do it properly!

But someone mentioned evolution and riding style etc
So I guess this is the next stage
Bicycling is strange - to some just about transport - to others about speed - to others to pose in snow off or to be part of a crowd - to others it’s a statement etc

Personally I think it’s all marketing and making money on new product -
They probably got bored and stale and with decades of items stacking shelves they thought they’d try something different.
We are obviously going to have race champs and Olympics etc winning on new shit - as they get paid to ride and promote etc. and ultimately it’s to sell product. It’s never about anything else.
Modern bikes and components are supposed to be ‘upgraded” and replaced. Same with other consumer items.

 

[legrandefromage]

When I bought mt GT new in 1993, I 'upgraded' it there and then, just over a year later it got hydraulic discs instead of cantilevers, it got DH forks instead of Mag21, within around 18 months only the front mech and BB were original

But then also it was my only bike, my only form of transport - pub bike, commuter, tourer, woods bike, cross country machine and I rode the tits off it. Parts wore out or got bent - everything was compatible within reason, a 600 'tricolour' road mech was the beezneez on an MTB

I'm sure the same thing would happen now if I was 17 again and buying my first decent bike, it would be non factory spec within about 5 minutes of arriving at the house - I'd be scouring the internet for the best parts for a bike that would have already been highly specced just to make it my own

- and it would be a 29er of course, because all I can see around me is the 700c wheel size - the big wheelerz simply didnt exist beyond the hybrid when I was yoof

 

[ibbz]

When I bought mt GT new in 1993, I 'upgraded' it there and then, just over a year later it got hydraulic discs instead of cantilevers, it got DH forks instead of Mag21, within around 18 months only the front mech and BB were original

But then also it was my only bike, my only form of transport - pub bike, commuter, tourer, woods bike, cross country machine and I rode the tits off it. Parts wore out or got bent - everything was compatible within reason, a 600 'tricolour' road mech was the beezneez on an MTB

I'm sure the same thing would happen now if I was 17 again and buying my first decent bike, it would be non factory spec within about 5 minutes of arriving at the house - I'd be scouring the internet for the best parts for a bike that would have already been highly specced just to make it my own

- and it would be a 29er of course, because all I can see around me is the 700c wheel size - the big wheelerz simply didnt exist beyond the hybrid when I was yoof

when I said upgrade I meant scrapping the bike for the next manufacturers update in a few years

 

[legrandefromage]

when I said upgrade I meant scrapping the bike for the next manufacturers update in a few years

Yeah, that does seem to be happening a lot just lately