29er guys

Triple-B

Triple-B

Member
I'm thinking about buying a Niner air 9, now I like to ride fast alot of these bike frame reviews claim how "fast" these bikes are and all that junk, does anybody have a Air 9 who can give me some feed back or recommend a well built supposedly fast 29er frame. And how true is this 80mm only front fork travel on a 29er theory ? Any help or feedback is apprecciated thanks.
 
I'm not sure about the air 9, but I have a Fuji 29er and I feel it has made me faster. I have a local trail that my best time went from 28 minutes to 27 minutes on my first ride on the 29er.
 
Not a 29er guy yet but my buddy let me try his for a day,niner air single speed, only used it at 6 mile I was :):):)for the entire 2hr ride.
 
I quickly learned that a fast rider makes a bike fast. Not the other way around. But, yes, a stiff hardtail is going to be very efficient. You'll probably be fastest on a bike that fits you well, more than anything.

I've ridden a 29er HT with both 80 and 100mm of travel. Honestly, It's hard for me to tell the difference. After you set the sag properly, the difference is like half an inch. But if you are planning on racing, 80mm is fine.

Good luck.
 
Do people actually race using SS ?? not really looking to race just have fun and find some really fun trails.
 
Triple-B said:
Do people actually race using SS ?? not really looking to race just have fun and find some really fun trails.
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Lots of people race using SS. In fact, there are even SS classes to race in at most races. Some people even race SS bikes in the geared classes. I will do this for a few races where I think I'm faster without gears.

Not sure if you know, but the Air 9 is a geared frame (although I guess you could use a singulator to make it SS). Their SS hardtails are the Air 9 Carbon, One 9 (scandium), and SIR 9 (steel).

Also, Niner states on their website that all hardtails are optmized for 80-100mm suspension forks.
 
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davidcarson48 said:
I quickly learned that a fast rider makes a bike fast. Not the other way around. But, yes, a stiff hardtail is going to be very efficient. You'll probably be fastest on a bike that fits you well, more than anything.
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+1
Bikes are not fast, riders are fast...or slow.
Buy a bike that fits you well and that you feel good on. Select a shop that takes the time with you to help you narrow down your search.
 
pooriggy said:
+1
Bikes are not fast, riders are fast...or slow.
Buy a bike that fits you well and that you feel good on. Select a shop that takes the time with you to help you narrow down your search.
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true. true.

well, mostly true.

you put a guy on a 22-lb race mtb and he WILL be faster than if you put the same guy on a p.o.s. 35-lb Walmart bike - everything else (fit, etc.) being equal.

just sayin'

but, yeah, if you want to go faster you simply need to get faster YOURSELF...the bike aint gonna do it for you. ;)

and agree with above, I wouldn't worry so much about getting a "fast bike" worry more about getting the "right bike" considering your body, your fit preferences, your riding style, the places you ride, etc.
 
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Also agree w/ many said about being more about the rider than the bike. I changed from a FS 26er to a Niner Air 9 not too long ago and it does feel faster. However, I think the "faster" feeling has to do with many things (FS to HT->better efficiency, 29 wheels that allows you to "plow" through more things, much better fork in my case and a lighter bike as well). All these things you can get from different 29er HT bikes. Having said that, I love my Air 9!

As Pooriggy said, the fit is very important. I first got the wrong size and could not hit my rhythm or have the same level of confidence I had w/ my 26er. Then I changed the frame size and transfer all the components and it was like a whole different bike. Instant good feeling.
 
whtbread said:
I'm not sure about the air 9, but I have a Fuji 29er and I feel it has made me faster. I have a local trail that my best time went from 28 minutes to 27 minutes on my first ride on the 29er.
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After reading the other posts on here I think I should mention that the 29er I have fits me much better then the 26er I used to ride.
 
not sure how much "faster" I am on my 29er since I dont have a computer on it but you definately roll over (obstacles) and up (climbs) with less effort than my Top Fuel. The bigger wheels absorb enough of the bumps that were bothering my back on my old 26 HT. The Niner Air should be a great choice as long as the geo works for you and with the bigger wheels 80mm probably would be fine, my diSSent is set up with a 100mm Reba RL and that feels really good.
 
my two cents

a lot of great info from everyone. I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

This year I went from 26" to 29", and I won't look back. Being on the taller side (6'), the bigger wheels just seem more proportional.

I'm a bit of a data junky, and before buying a 29er, I demo'd/tested several bikes and did some "time trial testing" on my favorite loop. If I maintained the same level of effort, I was faster on the 29er. For a 17 mile loop, I was about 4 minutes faster on the 29er (I think, I'd have to look back to verify, but I know it was significant). Each ride I did my best to maintain consistent effort (based on HR) and similar conditions. The rides were only a week apart, so my fitness didn't change much.

I think each bike is a tool for a different job, but overall I believe the 29er hard tail is the best for me.

In the end I decided to get a cannondale carbon flash 29er. I love this bike. it begs to be in the big ring and go. Maybe it's all mental, I don't know...
 
I rode 2 diff bikes yesterday on very short trail rides and realized I was more comfortable on the bike I had originally wanted. I'll be riding tomorrow afternoon and putting the new ride to some good fun use. Thanks for all the advice.
 
I felt significantly faster when I switched to my 29er last year.

Now of course, the only possible explanation here is the wheel size. It isn't the fact that I went from linear pull to hydraulic discs, from steel to aluminium, and from max one day a week in the saddle to minimum three. It is totally and exclusively due to the wheel size upgrade.

[/sarcasm]
 
Triple-B said:
I rode 2 diff bikes yesterday on very short trail rides and realized I was more comfortable on the bike I had originally wanted. I'll be riding tomorrow afternoon and putting the new ride to some good fun use. Thanks for all the advice.
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what did you try and what did you buy?
 
MikeP said:
what did you try and what did you buy?
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I tried a Niner Air 9 and a Turner Sultan the niner was a large and the Sultan was a medium. Me being 6'2" felt better on the large and I've always liked HT's for my preferred style. The Niner it is and I'll be riding tomorrow afternoon. SIKED !!!
 
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