26 vs. 29'er

[Shaman]

I think that the 29'er revolution is a sale ploy brought upon the cycling consumer.
Sure, it can be faster on certain tracks, but most of the time, the 26'er will win because it's more nimble.

The fact that something like 90% of specialized sales in the US are now 29ers suggests that your first comment is just plain wrong...sorry. I'll temper my statement by saying that I have had the pleasure of testing a couple of 29ers for a magazine here in Aus and have always found myself wanting to get back on my 26er despite being a taller rider who does marathon's (i.e the type of person a 29er should suit perfectly).

You're second comment is closer to the mark though in that 29ers are just another option that people can consider when looking at a new bike purchase. In the same way that some prefer the feel of a hardtail over a dually or a 4" over a 5", some will just prefer the feel of a 29er and there are so many variables which affect the riding experience that hard statistical data is going to be very difficult to gather if not irrelevant in the first place.

Buy what suits you best and its hard to go too far wrong.

[Shaman]

Please, no "I feel like _______"; I understand the things to theoretically weight against one another but would love to see some hard proof either way!

Unfortunately its going to be very hard to get any reasonable data to back up either claim as there are so many variables to consider that its virtually impossible for it not to come down to a "on the trail it feels like _______" type statement.

Besides one person thrashing two comparative bikes around the same loop and comparing times (a 'test' which is so fraught with potential problems that it could hardly be considered as a reasonable scientific comparison by any measure you'd care to name) what data would you like to see exactly?

The 26er dually vs hardtail debate has been around longer than the 26 vs 29er one and to my knowledge there is still no hard data to support the claim that either is significantly faster than the other such as to warrant one not being developed by bike manufacturers any more.

How about the fact that the actual difference between the angle of attack of a 29er vs a 26er is only barely within the realms of what is able to be detected by human perception (~5% IIRC)?
Or that the shape of the tyre means that the contact patch will be slightly longer but in order to maintain the same size, slightly narrower too. This means that it will be better in longitudinal directions (whent the bike is upright) but not quite as good laterally (cornering)?


Ride both, decide which is best and then enjoy the crap out of it I reckon!

[jghall]

I'm partial to 29's. The again, I'm also partial to hardtails.

The only place I feel 26's may have an advantage would be very tight single track trails. Though it may just be the rider(me). The bike feels a bit more "flickable".

[Westifer12]

what data would you like to see exactly?

http://sauserwind.com/diary.asp

http://singletrack.competitor.com/2011/ ... -dead_3050

[743power]

I went on my first ride on my new 29 hardtail yesterday on my standard before work loop. My other bike is a 4" fs 26. It's not worth comparing times just yet because I am coming off a two week illness, but there were some glaring advantages I noticed with the 29er. The main reason I built this bike was for smoother, more pedaly races where momentum is important. I noticed the ease in which this bike carries speed, even through rough sections within the first 5 minutes. The bike climbs really well up lesser grade climbs, but I think my 26 would still have the edge on steeper climbs. It's hard to directly compare these bikes, because I have the exact same gearing on both, which obviously isn't fair in all situations.

[Shaman]

what data would you like to see exactly?

http://sauserwind.com/diary.asp

http://singletrack.competitor.com/2011/ ... -dead_3050

Both are interesting pieces of one riders opinion I'll agree but hardly conclusive scientifically justifiable proof of anything other than the fact that

a) Sauser seems to like them (although it could be considered that he's under contractual pressure to say so - not saying he is but its a consideration!), and
b) on that day, in those conditions, under that rider who is clearly biased against 26ers the numbers seem to suggest a 29er took slightly less effort.

Neither are conclusive by any margin and without a proper double blind type experiment with rigidly controlled environmental factors, a proper test plan...etc there's nothing available at the moment other than "I've ridden both and I reckon..."

The world XC champs were won last year by and old (relatively) bloke on a 26" hardtail. Clearly they still have a place.

[chrisocr]

I can understand all the theories of 29ers , it make all sense, better roll over terrain , faster on descents. but i still feel 26 climb better without having to shift into lower gears due to bigger wheel and possible weight. I just did my first race and i saw alot of these theories play out on the track , it consisted of short to medium steep hills , on descents no doubt the 29ers were fast but coming up
to the climbs the key to 29ers is momentum and when momentum runs out i saw riders shifting to lower gearing , as i was able to ride my momentum on my 26 carrying a taller gear , thus closing the gap and passing. On the single track switchbacks 29ers were over shooting the sharp corners loosing speed. Not everone can afford a high buck light weight 29er to compare to a lightweigh 26, your average trail rider is on a 25 to 30 pound 26 mtb bike , so an average 29er owner will probably be on a similar weight 29er thus have to deal with heavier setup. With all this said , i want a 29er they look like fun for trail riding , and not for racing , it is no different than someone wanting to try a singlespeed , or a hardtail , they all have a place in this optional world of mountain biking. Look at the national racing circuit , 29ers are growing , but look at the elite world cup xc circuit , looks like the 26 is still the dominant choice. You wont see julien absalon or nino shcurter on 29ers. Ride what feels natural to you wether a single speed , cross bike , downhill or 29er , just ride.

[pumpkins]

29ers feel really heavy for noobie like me if goin to climb steep

[UpFromOne]

FWIW, I have 29er frames in which I run a 650b (27.5") rear wheel (i.e. a "79er").
This slightly lowers the BB and therefore C/G, and gives a slight slackening of head angle.
IMHO, this one change makes both bikes feel alot more neutral and stable, in both climb & descent.
But I don't do technical trails, just mostly logging trails & fireroads.
This not as radical as a 26" rear in the 29er frame ("69er").
Solves my wheelsize dilemmas!

[S1mmo]

FWIW, I have 29er frames in which I run a 650b (27.5") rear wheel (i.e. a "79er").
This slightly lowers the BB and therefore C/G, and gives a slight slackening of head angle.
IMHO, this one change makes both bikes feel alot more neutral and stable, in both climb & descent.
But I don't do technical trails, just mostly logging trails & fireroads.
This not as radical as a 26" rear in the 29er frame ("69er").
Solves my wheelsize dilemmas!

I hate to join the 'hype' of 650b... but they do roll faster than 26, albeit not as fast as 29.

But the bonus is they don't feel any different to 26" wheels. They're agility and weight feels nigh on identical when on the bike.
Grip levels is hard to pinpoint with different tyres.

Although these are very small differences. Decent hubs and fast rolling tyres would arguably make a similar difference. But if you have those as well.... 'aggregation of marginal gains' and all that

[Roundabout]

My vote goes to HT 29er and dropper post for 95% of XC racing (at least out here in CA). Acceleration and larger wheel allows you to continue progress, while the dropper lets you get far enough back to get steezy when necessary.

[veloflyte]

Has anybody come across anything formally comparing the differences between 29ers and 26" bikes

I personally feel like my 29er rides much faster than my 26" bike but it has been brought to my attention that it could simply be a matter of perception and seeing as how my 26" bike is on the other side of the US I can't exactly ride the same trail back to back and see how I do...

Please, no "I feel like _______"; I understand the things to theoretically weight against one another but would love to see some hard proof either way!

Logic dictates that the larger wheel is indeed faster. The main reason being that a larger wheel overcomes bumps with less lost energy than a smaller wheel. The only reason you might choose a 26 inch wheel over the 29ers is because the smaller wheel will be stronger. I think in the not too distant future, we may actually see larger wheels on time trial bikes in the big tours.

[weenie]

the other reason i like 29er's better is that i generally bike quite a bit on the road to get to my bike 'playground' and on 29er its very noticeably faster on the road for me (same for gravel etc.)

[Jrock831]

But the bonus is they don't feel any different to 26" wheels. They're agility and weight feels nigh on identical when on the bike.
Grip levels is hard to pinpoint with different tyres.

Here's what the pro's are saying...
"We had some tests here in South Africa in December when we had the 26, the 27.5 and the 29er all built up exactly the same with the same wheels and everything," Frischknecht told BikeRadar just prior to the start of the race.

"We tested them in a group of three pretty intensely over 14 days and we came to the conclusion that the 27.5 feels like 26 in tight, technical and slower stuff but rides more like a 29er on faster singletrail and gives you almost the same safe feel. Our conclusion after those tests was that it's not a compromise – it combines the best of both worlds and we're totally convinced this is the way to go."

Taken from: http://www.bikeradar.com/us/news/articl ... els-33467/

I guess we're all wrong. Nino Definitely knows his bikes

[jooo]

Don't kid yourself. The reason Nino is on 650B is that he's a short guy and didn't want to keep riding a bike like this: