Racing 795 Member Forum

For when you've a spare 2 hours:
http://live.redbull.tv/events/25/ucistop1-1/

Deadly!!. looks like a great track. plenty of pedaling

have a look at the men's xc

most of them are on 29'ers, Absalon is the only top guy still riding a 26er

Schuter won on a 650b (or 27.5") wheeled bike

The wagon wheelers are coming!

Marty Allen and Paddy Mackey, winners of S1 and S2 at our race last week were both riding 29ers..

Not to worry don it's simply a way for the bike manufactures making our current bikes obsolete and convincing us we need new ones. Golf clubs are similar adjustable removable weights and the like !! I for one am not falling for it.

Most mountain bikes today have 26 inch wheels (26ers). The industry wants us all to buy new bikes with 29 inch wheels (29ers). In 5 years time they will probably want us to buy fashionable "retro" 26ers. I may well be ahead of the fashion curve on my old 26er!

Seriously I have not ridden a 29er so I don't actually know what they're like. When the time comes for a new bike I'll certainly try one and my decision will be based not on speed or fashion but "Will I have more fun on a 26er or a 29er?"

BarryB wrote: I for one am not falling for it.

Of course you're not, you'll be buying my old fashioned small wheel bikes from me so I can fund the purchase of a wagon wheeler!

Reckon by the sounds of it, I'll be more than versed on all aspects of MTB'ing, Down Hilling, 26ers, 29ers and any other technical aspect by the end of the 2 1/2 hour spin on Sunday

DavidC wrote:Seriously I have not ridden a 29er so I don't actually know what they're like. "

I had the pleasure of having a spin on Marty Allen's (winner of S1 last weekend) 29er last week

Now first thing was it's a featherweight at only 21lbs, by some way the lightest bike I ever rode

I rode the last part of the racecourse backwards ie up by the hut, through the dabbage patch and up to Tully's Gully, about turn and back again

Here:s what I thought:

Accelerated quickly up hill, once you get those big wheels rolling they sure do roll
Felt more like a full sus through the rough stuff
Going down through the Dabbage Patch i put my front wheel through some stuff that I would be over the bars on the regular bike
In general, definitely rolls quicker/better through that type of terrain

I'd like to see what it'd be like on steep stuff, i'm not so sure..

DavidF wrote:...so I can fund the purchase of a wagon wheeler!

They're not wagon wheelers! That's just you falling for the hype and making macho associations with intrepid pioneers forging west.

Everyone else calls them "clown bikes."

I can kind of understand how they'd roll nicely up a smoooth fireroad and down the rough stuff, but I can't see how they would be any good at twisty technical climbing