26 v 29r

my story is the same as norm and kush so i won't rehash it.

went from an FS trek to rigid, SS 29er (mary, the gateway bike) to what i'm on now, an SS SIR9 with a reba.

just ride a few bikes and decide for yourself. there is no civil war though. just a lot of passionate people with real world riding experience.

coincidently, and i'm surprised norm didn't point this out, the fastest guy on the board rides a 26" hardtail.

carry on.
 
Mr_T said:
Not sure I agree with that; I'd say more than half the active posters on this site provide incredibly useful and helpful information.


You are right. I am going to deletethat line. I come here all the time looking for info. I guess its the 26 vs 29 debate that sets me off.
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lmckee said:
What the hell do I care what everyone else rides and why should they care what I ride?
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You can't really mean this, otherwise you would never read the board. The value of a message board is the diversity of experience. While I do agree that the "ride what I ride" mentality is mind-numbing, when someone can put together a cohesive and sound argument why they chose X or avoided Y, I feel like I've gained something from it.
 
Crap! This topic really pushes the buttons within the family here. :hitsfan:

All of the comments are great; especially Kush, Norm and Walter! Thanks!

I took the stumpy out again this morning at CR. And the low bottom bracket pissed me off. I can only imagine how I'll feel a year after that purchase. With that said, I'll never be ultimately happy on the rig. So, b'a-bye stumpy; with all do respect. I know a lot of you have hard core experience, especially with the local parks, so I will combine all of your wisdom and do the following:
1. I WILL try an HT 29r!
2. I WILL open my eyes to a new world and demo the crap out of everything
3. I WILL take my time on the purchase and buy a box of tucs for my taint
4. I WILL make sure the shop I procure the big stead from will be a GREAT shop

On a side note, I disagree to those that say that there are too many opinions on this board :wedgie:. The community here, has helped me in many ways in the past, and have already passed some of this knowledge down to other newbies.

With that said, thanks to all! Someday I will post my decision and the reasons for it.
 
While I ride a 26" FS which I'm fine with right now, I will probably eventually get a HT (not sure 26 or 29 yet) that climbs better .. I think about it this way .. 80-90% of my time is spent going uphill.
 
Casper said:
I took the stumpy out again this morning at CR. And the low bottom bracket pissed me off.
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If the stumpy's low bottom bracket pissed you off - make sure you check the geometry of any bike especially HT 29ers. Several years ago I looked into buying a 29er but found the bottom brackets on them to be even lower than most 26 FS trail/AM bikes. A GF X-caliber, for instance, is 312 mm which translates into 12.2 inch - yikes.

The reasoning behind the lower bottom brackets on 29ers, as explained to me, is the bottom bracket sits below the wheel axle to lower the center of gravity on the bike. For obvious reasons, a lower center of gravity is preferred. Good riders will compensate for the lower BB just like good riders can learn to float the front tire on a 26 so it glides over rocks and obstacles.

Good luck and whatever you get, enjoy it and remember its never about the gear or the specs but about you, on the trails, pushing whatever you're riding to new heights
 
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everyone knows where I stand on this issue. I find it kind of silly that people say they got a new bike and then went back to the old one and it didnt feel as good. Ofcourse it didnt feel as good, otherwise you would have never looked for a new bike in the first place. If you ride one bike for long enough, getting on another one is just going to feel weird, unless your position is exactly the same.

So like others have said, try the demos and make you own decision and then try and cancel out all the kool-aid bs and just ride. But then again, what do I know, I just bought a 26er HT after riding 26 FS for a few years and love it.
 
hey im a newbie so my opinion is coming from a lot less exp than most of these riders.

i got a 26 ht fisher hoo koo e koo last year and loved it. i wanted to get more aggresive so i decided to look into a full squish. i finally got a rocky mountain etsx 30 (07 26).

i never heard of a 29er until someone on here told me i was buying a "dead bike". i love the rocky and didnt look back. it actually climbs better than my hardtail and if feels as if i get more out of each turn of the crank vs. the fisher. and i dont have to tell you how much better it is on the dh. i'll really be able to tell when i hit north jersey.

what does this mean to you? i dont have a clue! you need to find the bike that bests suits you and your pocket.

the best piece of advice i got on here was "i usually do the exact opposite of what everyone on here tells me" -author withheld- this made me realize that these are jus peoples opinions and i have to make the decision for myself.

good luck!!
 
Casper said:
And the low bottom bracket pissed me off.
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The problem is not in the low bottom bracket... I just recently started riding FS and have to learn suspension behavior in different situations. Your bottom bracket floats up and down and you have to deal with that.
 
just get a 69er the best of both worlds.:)
$2000 for the trek 69er single speed.
im joking
could be good though you never know
 
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alex_k said:
The problem is not in the low bottom bracket... I just recently started riding FS and have to learn suspension behavior in different situations. Your bottom bracket floats up and down and you have to deal with that.
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DITTO!
It's not the BB. It's how the rear suspension is setup. If I were you I would play with that a little.

I too just purchased a FS bike and I had that issue as well. I thought I was running my air pressure correctly BUT I was running it waaaay too low. I brought it up to my specs and I haven't had the issue as much. Get a bash ring too. Also, ride your FS on the terrain it's made for and laugh at all your HT friends when you blow past them downhill ;)

I have a 26 HT. Then, got a 29 SS HT. I rode that for a few months. I liked it but when it came to downsizing it was the first to go. What does that mean to you? Absolutely nothing! :D But I will tell you this, my 26" FS is the bike I have the most fun on.

Some ppl even say go 29er so you can run low pressure and make it 'feel' like it has rear suspension. BS! 29HT and FS are two different things. The lower pressure will only take the small stuff. IMO a FS is the better climber and descender on the technical trails. It is slower and heavier of course and if your friends can't wait for you at the top of the hill. FVCK 'EM! Get new riding buddies! :) And if you're riding the smooth stuff just lock your rear out.
 
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Norm said:
While I do agree that the "ride what I ride" mentality is mind-numbing, when someone can put together a cohesive and sound argument why they chose X or avoided Y, I feel like I've gained something from it.
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I agree... To a point. Just because someone comes on here and says "29ers are the best bikes ever!!!" doesn't mean I'm going to rush out and buy one. Until I get the opportunity to try something for myself I take all opinions with a grain of salt. The truth is that if I wanted to have a 29er I would have one, and if I wanted to be on a 26er FS I would still be on my bmc. I really enjoy my moto-rapido right now but if I decide tomorrow that I want to ride something different I will. It really doesn't matter to me what everyone else rides, I post here because I like being a part of NJ's cycling community.
 
agree with above...get what suits you, your riding style, where you ride, and your budget.

a rigid SS 29er fit ME perfectly. I ride in the shore area so I, personally, didnt need gears. I have been riding for about 20 years and am still a relative wuss on downhills and technical sections (so I have no desire for FS...actually going rigid gives me an excuse for going slow when it gets hairy :D...to be honest). plus, I like the rigid feel...i.e., I like getting knocked around a little. finally, I am a big guy (6 ft/ 200 lbs) so bigger wheels feels natural. finally the Mary SS price fit my budget nicely.

if any of these factors were different, I'd be on a different bike.
 
another thought here - and not on wheel size.

you aren't loving the low BB - do you have a bash ring on your ride? if you don't, try taking off that outer ring (worthless IMHO) and put a bash ring, it should help with clearance.

low BBs aren't all that bad. sure you may have more pedal strikes at first, but some technique, like stutter pedalling at certain times, can offset that. i like lower BBs; lower center of gravity makes for faster DH's generally, due to a less 'top heavy' feeling.

i had a FS for a while, and loved the ride. then i messed with it, and popped some extra suspension on it and picked up a BETD link to boost the rear travel. my BB was stupid high, and i endo'd a lot on that bike once it was set up that way. i thought that extra clearance would help but have come to realize that it was my technique that was lacking, and adjusting the bike around my poor technique (in my case) only amplified my shortcomings as a rider.

back to the monkey-business - go with a hardtail.26" bikizzles ROOLZ yo
 
I could ride both, but I like to be a bit more technical, and the smaller 26'er give me a slight edge on quickness. It comes down to personal preference and where you'll be riding. Best thing is to just go to you LBS and ride both or even find a demo program and take it for a long ride.
 
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