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To 29er or not to 29er?
I am going to do some longer adventure races and want (need) a new bike. I have decided i want dual suspension but now the question is do I go for a 26 or 29"er. Im 5'6" and my riding ability is average and prefere Terry Hills type of riding versus the dam (which I do occasionally). I have tried the Fuel ex9, Specialized Cambo, Giant Anthem all 26ers. My preference was the Anthem as I felt comfortable riding it. One very confused purchaser.
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Hi Vic. We can offer heaps of advice (including not bothering with dual suspension for 29ers!) but the best way to decide is probably going to be trying out a few.
Do a ride on each of your options and you'll end up with a really good idea of what works for you.
It's a reasonable commitment, so it's worthwhile a bit of time an effort to get right.
There'll be a few bike shops that have demo bikes,. Brookvale Bike Factory (Sydney northern beaches) is one, I believe. City Bike Depot another.
Phone around a few shops and you should get a decent range of bikes to choose from.
no need to be subtle - 26er.
Advantages and disadvantages to both - if you are over 6', the 29er is easy to get a good position on, for 5'6" 26ers have been getting optimized for years - the small frames in the 29ers are a bunch of compromizes in frames.
Personally, I'm not a fan of demoing bikes - I'm not qualified, nor do I have the hundreds of bike experience required to differentiate between designs on a long term basis - i'd end up buying what feels nice for a 30min ride - thats a bit random for me (as in the how I feel on the day, 30min isnt 3 hours etc).
given 26ers, give merida a thought too - see quite a few at the pointy end in enduros (possibly sponsored?), couple of anthems in capital punishment at the front - though i was looking for them in the photos to prop up my own decisions....
for longer (2-3days) adventure races i think that a 29er hard tail would be better, as there are less things to go wrong!
I think you will be best to call around the bike shops and see if they have a 29er that you can take out for a day, and do your favourite trails, and see what you think.
First off, I'm 6 ft 2, so a 29er doesn't look so much like a BMX under me.
I have a Giant Anthem X Advanced SL1 26er, Niner One 9 SS 29er and a Yeti SB-95 29er. I feel the Giant is best for short track XC events at tighter places like Ourimbah, Awaba and Mt. Annan, but I now feel so much better on a 29er. Especially on rockier, ledgier terrain, I just feel safer knowing that my front wheel is less likely to get stuck in a hole. Definitely feel more comfortable climbing rockier terrain on a 29er. Did the Capital Punishment on the Niner fairly comfortably even with only one gear.
My two cents - not worth much.
did someone say 650b?
There are a lot of 26" frame and forks that will accommodate 650b wheels, thus giving the less tall riders the benefit of the 26" frame with some of the benefits of the bigger wheels.
I'd like to say 5'8 and the 29er Superfly fits me perfectly, feels a lot more compact than my 26er duallie.
Get on a few and see for yourself. I personally don't think there are many compromises on the frame of a Superfly (go the carbon).
Just my penny's worth!
Cyclery Northside, Chatswood, will let you take a bike home for a day or two (for a fee) so you can a good feel for the bike at your local trails. I own 2 dual suspension bikes, a 26er and a 29er and both are excellent bikes. My 26er however has been relegated to the indoor trainer these days.
I am 5"6, weigh about 58kg. I currently have a 26 hardtail. I have just done the 50km Convict, and will be doing the Husky 50 and plan to keep doing these type of events. Will I see an advantage going to a 29er hardtail or should I stay with the 26? Only info/advise I have found so far has been for the guys. Your input would be great.
I think for a 29er to be beneficial to you, you'd have to have a super light one with super light wheels.
Unfortunately, with superlight, comes a huge price tag!!
Built up a HT 29er especially for the convict race after getting passed last year by so many. Swapped my 5" 26 dually of last year to the HT 29 for this year. Did 2:25 this year, am I any fitter than last year? no, probably did more training last year, weather didn't help this year. For races like the Convict with open trails, I feel the 29er has a advantage. Tell you the truth I prefer the 29er to the dually for all my riding now.
There is a body of thought that under 5'8"/5'7" a 29r is less effective than an equivalent 26r for the average rider. However, I'm 5'7" and wouldn't swap back to a 26r unless I was only doing XC tight single track. Everywhere else, for me, the 29r is quicker and easier to ride. Nor would I swap back to a hardtail for doing the 40+km rides. I have a S-Works epic FS 29r, so can't get a much lighter or better handling 29r. If you can only afford a heavier 29r, especially with heavier wheels, then I suspect a 26r would be better. UNLESS the events you enter have more open trails and only moderate tight single track. I've lent my epic to a female and she found it nicer and quicker than her own high end 26r, but didn't use it on tight single track. Generally IMO a 29r is quicker and easier to ride everywhere but on tight single track.
Like most of the threads on this type of topic, we'll suggest you borrow one from the LBS and try one out on your favourite trails, but make sure the bike is set up for you, including suspension settings.
Thanks, that's great advise. That is what I was trying to weigh up, wt vs size and budge. Like the previous post, I should probably go lighter, but $$ is an issue. Sounds like the 26 is probably the one to stick with for the short term....shame I didn't buy a ticket in the lottery tonight!