Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Chumba 29er Spy Pics

Jump to Latest
21 - 32 of 32 Posts
#22 · (Edited)
Looks like a great frame, and I hope this isn't turning the tone too negative but I have to agree with the above comments that 29" SS hardtails aren't exactly an under-served market these days. By my reckoning:

- Only four of 22 production steel hardtails on the market (Gunnar Rock Hound, Haro Mary Geared, Vicious Motivator and Zion 737 Geared) are geared-only with no EBBs, sliders or fork ends.

- Only 10 of the 19 production aluminum hardtails are geared-only. Even that figure is misleadingly high, because half of the 10 (Astrix Rook, C'Dale Caffeine, Jamis Dakota, On-One Scandal, Van Dessel Jersey Devil HT) aren't available yet.

- There are only about a dozen production FS 29"ers out there -- despite the fact that in the 26" world, that's where all the money and action is. Only two of these bikes (Behemoth, El Cap) have 5" or more of travel.

I make these comments despite the fact that I am interested in neither geared hardtails nor in 5+" travel FS bikes. But the reality is those two categories make up a huge share of mountain bike sales. Seems like the bike companies are going out of their way to cater to niche SS freaks like myself, but I don't need any more SS-compatible hardtails beyond the two I already have. If they really want to get my biz, someone should make a SS FS 29" frame for a grand.:crazy:
 
Save
Like Like
#23 ·
In the cycling industry it's common practice to copy what others have. Surly in 2003 was the first with a frameset offering, and it was SS/Geared. A strek of SS's followed.
Surprise, in the current 29" market the money sits in the yet undevelopped corners : long travel and hardtail that are NOT SS-prepared.

Bold statement : Today, there are probably more 29" SS(-ready) frames sold annually, than there were off-road singlespeeders 2 years ago. This is thanks to the wonderful 29" SS offerings luring in riders to the double darkside, but also a clear sign that manufacturers have been artificially keeping overall 29" sales low by not endorsing it to be used with gears.
 
#25 ·
Interesting, I like the machined parts. However, I don't understand why anyone would ride an aluminum hard tail. (just my opinion, and that of many I ride with) I jumped on a friends Fetish the other day and could tell right away it was aluminum. Ouch. I will say it makes more sense on a 29" bike, with the inherint cush of the tires, but still not my bag.

That aside, looks pretty sharp. I'm a SS guy, but have to agree, there are plenty of SS options out there. A nicely set up geared 29er could have quite a draw.
 
#26 ·
Cloxxki said:
manufacturers have been artificially keeping overall 29" sales low by not endorsing it to be used with gears.
Click to expand...
Maybe they're trying to quarantine the big wheels before the bug reaches epidemic proportions. :skep:
 
#27 ·
one1spede said:
Interesting, I like the machined parts. However, I don't understand why anyone would ride an aluminum hard tail. (just my opinion, and that of many I ride with) I jumped on a friends Fetish the other day and could tell right away it was aluminum. Ouch. I will say it makes more sense on a 29" bike, with the inherint cush of the tires, but still not my bag.

That aside, looks pretty sharp. I'm a SS guy, but have to agree, there are plenty of SS options out there. A nicely set up geared 29er could have quite a draw.
Click to expand...
Dude, you are not getting a good indication of a quality Aluminum hardtail by riding a Fetish. Those things are built to drop off houses. Like a 5lb aluminum frame. Ride one of the nice Kona or VooDoo Sc aluminum frames, very supple and smooth riding.
 
#29 ·
Good point. Guess I had thought they were decent frames. I used to have a Schwinn Homegrown a while back. Nice and stiff, but definitely not a comfortable frame and it didn't stick to the trail well. Then I rode a Surley 1x1 and liked it quite a bit more, though it was a tank. I also had a Look aluminum road frame with carbon stays. Again, didn't care for it, though it was a really nice frame.

Now on the flip side, a friend had a Calnago Dream Plus that I took for a spin. That was admittedly different. Though I didn't ride it much, it felt really smooth, not what I expected. I'd be interested in trying one of the nicer scandium frames at some point, just out of curiousity.
 
#31 ·
My next 29er will be a hardtail (probably steel) without sliders or EBB. I noticed lately that my Voodoo Dambala rear end needs to be tightened occasionally. Just one more thing to mess with and go wrong in my book.
I do not understand why almost every new 29er seems to be geared (pardon the pun) towards the single speed crowd. If you look at the 26er market a very small percentage is single speed oriented. In my opinon the 29er market should mimic the 26er market with regards to gears, FS etc.

Also the "pro toe type" looks like it will have clearence issues if the world famous REBA is installed on it.
 
Save
Like Like
21 - 32 of 32 Posts
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
About this Discussion
31 Replies
25 Participants
Last post:
Vermont29er
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
posts
16M
members
534K
Since
1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Discussion Downhill - Freeride California - Norcal Shocks and Suspension Passion