26 vs 29....

[DRM]

But only in ideal dry conditions.

Exactly, but the article, imho was just hype to get people to dump perfectly good MTB's for a 29" bike, marketing nonsense at it's best

 

[Ming the Merciless]

We await the OP coming back to prove major loses from the longer chains on 29ers.

 

[Drago]

We await the OP coming back to prove major loses from the longer chains on 29ers.

I've kept my diary clear through to July in anticipation.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I've kept my diary clear through to July in anticipation.

Funnily enough, I’ve cleared out my dairy, through to July.

 

[Mike Ayling]

Funnily enough, I’ve cleared out my dairy, through to July.

What did you do with the cows?

 

[Drago]

What did you do with the cows?

He discards the empties.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

What did you do with the cows?

Gone to the seaside.

 

[8mph]

Well I hope the new build isn't a total waste of time! Same company, same tubing, different wheel sizes. 29er is getting a low gear of 15 gear inches.

 

[Milzy]

Is the recent 29" craze all hype? Yes a 29" wheelset on a mtn bike may help rolling over obstacles...... but physics and engineering tells me that it is going to make climbing hills more difficult and a longer chain makes a major loss of energy! Not nearly worth the trade off in my mind. I'd like to hear input? Am I an old goat stuck in the past, or a wise old man stating the obvious?
Cheers

Stuck in the past. 29 is miles faster. I know a guy who rolls his 29er XC bike at speeds close to his road bike. There are gimmicks in cycling true but wheel size isn’t one of them.

 

[raleighnut]

Ah but which size of 26 inch wheel AFAIK there are 5 different sizes all called 26"

 

[mustang1]

I suppose we can talk about theory all day long. Best thing to do is goto a MTB trials day and check it out with a few test rides.

I moved to 29 some time ago and love it. But I also loved my 26 bike too. However, I love my 29er not just for the wheel size, but also newer geometry feels better, hydro disks (my 26er was from the 90s).

Does a 29er roll better, is it smoother? The truth is I cannot recall what it was like to ride a 26 but if I was to buy another new MTB today and choosing between 27.5 or 29, I would choose 29.

Ps: I'm not a fan of mullet bikes, not having different tread-pattern tyres front and rear.

EDIT:
I forgot to mention that I wouldn't mind 27.5 wheels, but having really tall tyres to mimic the circumference of a 29er. But id probably get a bike like that without any suspension forks, a fat bike.

EDIT 2:
Depends how tall you are as well.

 

[mustang1]

It is "recent" for some of us. When I bought my 26" Thorn bike, they were extolling the virtues of the then "new" (at least for serious bikes) 26" wheels over the traditional 700C (which itself replaced the 27" of my youth) Seemingly 26" is now considered almost obsolute.

It seems smaller wheels were better, but nowadays bigger wheels are better !

Wow, I did not know about this. Or maybe I forgot or wasn't interested at the time. History certainly repeats itself! I wonder what the then-equivalent of GCN was!

These bike companies have a field day at our expense!

 

[Jameshow]

It is "recent" for some of us. When I bought my 26" Thorn bike, they were extolling the virtues of the then "new" (at least for serious bikes) 26" wheels over the traditional 700C (which itself replaced the 27" of my youth) Seemingly 26" is now considered almost obsolute.

It seems smaller wheels were better, but nowadays bigger wheels are better !

Obsolete in the west, but I'd bet that the rest of the world Aisa and Africa especially 26" is much more common?

 

[oxoman]

Having had 26 and got 27.5 my times at cannock for the tighter section are best on the 26 whereby other sections are firmly my 27.5. I did try a 29er but as I'm only 5, 8 found it cumbersome, however I might consider one for more gravel / offroad touring in the future. Personally I'll ride any bike within reason. I do feel though that bars have got to wide especially when riding older trails.

 

[fossyant]

Tyres and suspension make the biggest difference depending on conditions. You'll also find technology has moved on so your 29er will have more upto date suspension compared to a 26. I have two sets of tyres for my FS, some faster XC tyres and a heavier set of grippy tyres.