Educate me on the wonders of 29ers!

[wookiee]

My first big-wheeler arrived today...



Hoping to get out and give it a good thrashing tomorrow afternoon

Must admit Mark having had a look about, the ol "Canyon" brand is hard to beat for value for money and seem to get good write ups for the bikes albeit slightly mixed after sales care....is yours the Alu model? Was looking at their carbon 29ers maybe a low spec one that I could upgrade over time...

...you say it weighs in a 25lb is that a manufacturers claim or by your own scales?

 

[makster]

My first big-wheeler arrived today...



Hoping to get out and give it a good thrashing tomorrow afternoon

Must admit Mark having had a look about, the ol "Canyon" brand is hard to beat for value for money and seem to get good write ups for the bikes albeit slightly mixed after sales care....is yours the Alu model? Was looking at their carbon 29ers maybe a low spec one that I could upgrade over time...

...you say it weighs in a 25lb is that a manufacturers claim or by your own scales?

Mines the grand canyon al, and it weighs in at exactly 25lbs on my scales!
Just ordered some formula RX's to get rid of the horrid avids.
I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for discounts on some crossmax slr's once next years wheels come out, and I'll also probably switch to 1x10 (as the granny ring is for losers )

 

[highlandsflyer]

Cracking bike Makster, but surely you would be better shoving a bash ring on instead of losing your granny ring in hilly Dorset?

 

[Joe of Loath]

I wouldnt touch a £600 29er. You need to be around the grand mark on frame, forks and wheels to get a stiff frame and non flexy wheels. A cheap 29er is dire, but a decent one can be fun, in the dry at least.

Yup, bought mine for £765 (Trek Cobia, 10% off) and then put another £300 into making it worthwhile (for me, I'm a bit heavier and harder on bikes than most). New wheels, seatpost (bent three before I got a thomson), bars, brakes and tyres. It's now a fantastic machine.

Or should be, I went OTB at Haldon Forest and tacoed the front rim.

 

[makster]

Cracking bike Makster, but surely you would be better shoving a bash ring on instead of losing your granny ring in hilly Dorset?

I'm going to test it on the steepest hills I ride and then make a decision from there.
I get up everything on my 1X9 rigid rock lobster though, so I'll be surprised if I cant do the same on this.
It just makes me have to commit and climb faster

 

[greenstiles]

I used to ride one of our hire 29 ers but just didn't like it, i think very tall people will like them, just as the size of wheel goes up in hight for child, toddler, teen etc..........some short people we used to sell 24 inch wheel bikes to as it was more '' managable '' for them.......still think 26 inch wheel is good for most peeps and no reason to change it apart from getting more sales out of people ( oh i need a rigid, a full sus xc , a full sus DH, a single speed, a 29'er etc )..........a lot of it is wanting to be different but for minimal gains and minimal losses.....have to agree though, cheap ones aren't good, you need a light one to help that slower steering etc.

 

[wookiee]

Anyone have any experience of the Specialized "carve" range??

 

[dbmtb]

Wheels are weaker for sure than 26".

Spend a lot more time at the shop straightening 29" wheels than I've ever had to do on 26".

 

[monty dog]

Whilst waiting for my new custom titanium frame to arrive, I managed to squeeze some Surly Knard 29x3" tyres onto my P29er - effectively creating a P31er! Accepting I've only got about 1mm tyre clearance on the back so thankfully local conditions are dry and sandy - took it for a spin last night and wow, there's so much grip and the suspension effect of the big fat tyres is really noticeable. Managed to ride up the 'downhill' singletrack - no need to consciously avoid tree roots, simply point an go. Yes, tyres are a kilo each, so take a bit of effort to wind-up, but as an all-day, go anywhere rig it puts a huge grin on my face! FWIW wheels are Velocity P35 rims on Hope hubs.

 

[Dead Rats]

well worth a read:

http://mbaction.com/Main/News/26er-Vers ... -4713.aspx

horses for courses!