29ers

[DEFENDER01]

Looking around i have noticed many L.B.S now stocking up their range of 29ins cycles.
Are there many advantages in going up to a 29er the craze seems to have started in the u.s.a.
So i guess its only normal to expect we will follow.
I understand that going up in wheel size helps off road ie able to ride over rough terrain more easily but what advantages are they on road i would like to get to try one.

 

[Drago]

As many disadvantages as advantages. You really need to ride one and live with it for a while on your off road routes to know if its going to work for you, although I appreciate borrowing one for a few months isn't going to be easy!

I found them terrible on the clay soil round here in Westshire, but superior to my then 26er on the better drained chalkier landscape of the South Downs near my Dads gaff.

On the road... they roll fractionally better, but take a bit more effort getting the mass rolling. Take your pick.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

My take on 29ers is completely different. I think they are stupid and an evil plot to get the entire industry to thing about "upgrading" again. 29ers are extremely bulky. If you regularly transported your bike in the boot of your estate wagon, the 29 probably won't fit. You can toss all your old wheel bags and bike bags too. The tyres are much more expensive and the wheels have issues. Not enough of them have 36 spokes. The industry seems to want to make things bigger and lighter and that's not always a good idea. 29 wheels are notoriously weak and even small wipe-outs seem to buckle the front wheel without much reason.

29ers are very slow to invade this country but has just about completely infested other places.

There is no scientific evidence that it "rolls better" or "rolls faster" or "climbs better" over obstacles. A simple sketch to scale would quickly bring you to the conclusion that the relatively small increase in diameter has an extremely small improvement in climb-over angle.

In smaller sizes they are awkward on the eye and awkward on the geometry of the bike. Those sizes are totally pointless.

I cannot come up with a single advantage of that format. And to add insult to injury, there's now a new fence-sitting in-between "standard" as well, the 650b.

The fact that the world champion wins world championships on 29er tells us only one thing: World champions are paid to ride 29ers, not 26ers. They will win on anything.

 

[marzjennings]

This craze has been going on for over 15 years with some roots going back to Geoff Apps a London boy. The latest wheel size craze is over 27.5in wheels which manufactures report have all the advantages of 26 and 29 in wheels, but none of the tests I've seen support this.

It all depends on how and where you ride. If you riding a mix of road and dirt then 29er may be right for, they do roll better over small roots and rock, maintain momentum better and I find generally faster over longer rides.

 

[Drago]

I gotta agree they've not taken off here, but I don't think they're at all well suited to our claggy soil and moist climate.

It's telling that Giant, the world's largest sickle manufacturer, have abandoned them.

What brought a wry smile to my face was the cycling media. MBR was the last bastion of anti 29 feeling, but once it became apparent they weren't going away the editorial stance changed so quickly and so totally it was embarrassing.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I gotta agree they've not taken off here, but I don't think they're at all well suited to our crafty@ soil and moist climate.

It's telling that Giant, the world's largest sickle manufacturer, have abandoned them.

I don't understand why a wheel size is suited to a particular soil or moist climate or not?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

This craze has been going on for over 15 years with some roots going back to Geoff Apps a London boy. The latest wheel size craze is over 27.5in wheels which manufactures report have all the advantages of 26 and 29 in wheels, but none of the tests I've seen support this.

It all depends on how and where you ride. If you riding a mix of road and dirt then 29er may be right for, they do roll better over small roots and rock, maintain momentum better and I find generally faster over longer rides.

How do they roll better over small roots and rock?

 

[Drago]

The (small) increase in inertia helps the roll in all circumstances, but its a tiny gain.

 

[marzjennings]

My take on 29ers is completely different.

15 years ago when the first 29er wheels came out, they did suck. Now all the original problems have been fixed and 29er parts are the same price as 26er parts. Would I ride downhill with 29er rims, hell no, that's why 26ers still rock. Same with DJ and urban, you can build a stronger 26in wheel than a 29. But for most riding you don't need DH or DJ wheel strength.

 

[Drago]

^^^good point. 29ers are more prone to flex than otherwise identical 26 rims, and when you're s heavy lad furiously changing direction off road the feeling can be a little disconcerting.

 

[marzjennings]

How do they roll better over small roots and rock?

The small benefits 29er wheels have over 26ers in regards to attack angle and inertia can actually be realized and noticed while riding. But the additional weight and inertia are things to be overcome when sprinting, cornering and lifting the bike. Again why it's key to match rider style and trail type to wheel size.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

The (small) increase in inertia helps the roll in all circumstances, but its a tiny gain.

You cannot isolate the wheel's inertia from the total kinetic energy of the bike. The intertia is the sum of bike and rider.

I still don't understand where soil types and moisture comes in.

 

[marzjennings]

^^^good point. 29ers are more prone to flex than otherwise identical 26 rims, and when you're s heavy lad furiously changing direction off road the feeling can be a little disconcerting.

I'm about 16.5 stone and I've been riding 29ers for only about 5 years because the early wheels I tested would flex against the fork legs and frame. I'm not seeing the same issue with newer 29in wheels.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

The small benefits 29er wheels have over 26ers in regards to attack angle and inertia can actually be realized and noticed while riding. But the additional weight and inertia are things to be overcome when sprinting, cornering and lifting the bike. Again why it's key to match rider style and trail type to wheel size.

Have you attempted quantify the so-called "attack angle" or perhaps even attempted to define it. I would like to hear your definition.

I would also like you to explain to me (in simple English) how the inertia in a larger wheel does what you say it does.

 

[Drago]

I'm about 16.5 stone and I've been riding 29ers for only about 5 years because the early wheels I tested would flex against the fork legs and frame. I'm not seeing the same issue with newer 29in wheels.

I'm 2 stones North of you and I can feel it on some. Been riding 29ers since 2007, owned my first (a Carve) in 2009.