UCI World Cup Downhill round 1: Pietermaritzburg

[DavidT]

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

[Rudolf]

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

[DavidF]

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..

[don]

[BarryB]

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.

[DavidC]

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?"

[DavidF]

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!

[don]

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

[DavidF]

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..

[DavidC]

...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