26" or 29er - help me choose

[chris222]

getting a bit confused with all this talk about 29er.

perhaps somebody could help me choose, what might be better for me, based on my riding behaviour and the bikes I have at present.

So I have a road bike - an old trek carbon.

And a Boardman Hybrid Pro - with semi-slick tyres - similar to landcruisers - suitable for fast riding on tarmac and also on forest tracks / bridleways.

Then I have a hybrid Marin Fairfax with cyclocross tyres - which I'll use for riding around the forest tracks and muddy bridleways - but clearly its not really up to the job when its gets really muddy - like it is at the moment and going really off-road is not such an option - so thats why I feel I need something that is more up to the job. I'll also use this if needing to commute in London or needing to leave it locked outside - clearly its not a catastrophe if it gets stolen.

I'm not needing another bike for any competitions/racing etc just want to go off-road / deeper into the forest a little more than I am able to at the moment.

thanks

 

[defy-one]

The choice if tyre will be of more concern than the wheel size imo. A 29er is basically a 700c wheel

 

[VamP]

There's a lot more variables than just wheel size. What kind of riding will you do? If you don't know, I suggest you get a cheap(ish) hardtail 26'' and get out riding until you figure what will float your boat.

 

[RaRa]

I recently bought a 29er - I was previously convinced they were a fad however after testing a 26" and 29 the difference was quite a shock. If you ride on trails and more open tracks and bridlepaths then the 29er will make your life considerably easier. If you like technical twisty rides then IMO they aren't as responsive and can take longer to maneuver round obstacles.

 

[Drago]

My personal view is if you're wanting an HT, and you have at least £800 to spend then 29 is the way to go. In any other price or type scenario the advantages aren't so clear cut.

Or you could go 650B?

 

[Motozulu]

Am I right in saying though that 29ers are a bit more expensive than an otherwise identical 26? so you maybe could get a slightly better blinged bike if you go for 26? I have'nt ridden one but a mate who bought one ended up going back to the LBS and swapping it a couple of months later - his opinion was it felt a bit cumbersome to him on the switchbacks on the local singletrack.

 

[lulubel]

That agrees with what RaRa said, I think. I've seen other discussions about this, and most people who've ridden (or own) both say the 29er is faster, but 26 is "more fun". Based on that, unless you're racing or otherwise in a hurry, I'd say go for 26. You'll get a bit more for your money too.

 

[Kestevan]

Oh, and if you're a short arse, you might find a 29 a bit unwieldy anyway.......

 

[Dan151]

I've ridden both and I prefer 26" to 29". I didn't see much of a difference climbing or descending until it got twisty and then the 26" was more responsive and easier to ride than the 29. My mate prefers the 29er. In all honestly unless your pushing really hard or competing i don't think it makes much difference

 

[ballyharpat]

I agree with some of the other posters, I just sold a 29er and bought a 26", the 29er was a lot faster, but the 26" is more fun, wish I could let my ego go and just enjoy the ride....

 

[3narf]

The industry seems to have decided for us. Look at next years Leisure lakes catalogue; virtually every hardtail is a 29er, and some full suspension bikes too.

It used to be the market that decided such things; now, it's apparently decided by a cartel of bike manufacturers who have invested and want their money back.

650B? There's only one of those in there, so the cartel are giving everyone time to buy a 29er before 650Bs become compulsory next year.

It's all marketing gimmickry.

 

[Cyclist33]

just a quick observation, both the boardman hybrid and marin fairfax would be up to the job, as you put it, because some people ride similar bikes hard over all sorts of terrain and conditions. what you should be saying is You are not up to the job on those bikes, for which the solution is really to practice harder and get out there, if necessary with different tyres.

apparently the latest 29ers have had their front end geometry tuned, the first crop were basically 26 ers with a shorter fork spring, but the makers have twigged that the inherent loss of manoeuvrability needs to be compensated.

 

[lulubel]

just a quick observation, both the boardman hybrid and marin fairfax would be up to the job, as you put it, because some people ride similar bikes hard over all sorts of terrain and conditions. what you should be saying is You are not up to the job on those bikes, for which the solution is really to practice harder and get out there, if necessary with different tyres.

That really depends on how much mud the OP is talking about, I would think. I've got stuck in thick clay on a 26" MTB with wide, knobbly tyres. When I got off the bike, I sank up to my knees in it. The bike definitely wasn't up to the job of getting through that.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Are you tall, such that you find yourself sitting on top of a 26-er rather than in one. A 29-er might fix that.

Are you riding bridleways and fire roads. A 29-er might roll easier on that sort of stuff.

Are you a 12th dan singletrack black belt fu-master. A 26-er might suit you more.

Are you buying new? The market has decided for you, pretty much, for now.

Are you buying secondhand? A world of choice exists.

What's your budget, and is there a decent spec 26-er available for the money?

Based on what you've said in the OP, that you want to go deeper into the woods, a second-hand 26-er, like a Spesh Hardrock or Rockhopper will help you discover if you like what you find there. Then once you know, n+1 starts.

 

[Motozulu]

I agree with the market deciding for us thing though - whilst recently looking what's out there, it all seems heavily biased to 29 ers and 100mm travel XC stuff. Very little in the way of 120 mm 26 ers at all.