[paramountz]

YO! - Yao Ming?s Custom, 80cm, 29? Wheel Gunnar Rockhound!

West U. Cycles, Inc., owner Jeff Nielsen (5'8") presents Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (7'6") with a custom-made Gunnar Rockhound 29" wheeled mountain bike Friday morning, Feb. 25, 2005, in the Toyota Center training room in Houston. Rockets players and staff bought Yao Ming his former form of transportation for a Lunar New Year gift. Yao Ming went on to joke that he would put his car up for auction on eBay.

This frame, built with custom True Temper OX Platinum tubing, not only has 29" wheels but is actually a 29" mountain bike - possibly the largest ever built! Thanks also go to Vicious Cycles of New York for building a similarly ambitious front fork.

((Note from Gregg. Images of Yao and the big bike were removed due to copyright infringement, as notified to me by the photographer. Please do not post these images as attachments. If you are interested in seeing the images, please link to the original article. Thanks in advance for your compliance. -g))

 

[slowrider]

Wow

I'm used to seing him standing next to other "freaks" but standing next to a average or a little shorter guy is allmost shocking. It wouldn't look right for him to ride a 26" bike.

 

[MikeyVT]

Damn...he needs like 36 inch tires. He makes those tires look like 20 inchers

 

[paramountz]

Burro

He makes it look like a burro bike

 

[slim_pickens]

He makes it look like a burro bike

I can never decide which is dumber - the Burro bike or the Christini/Jeep 2WD bike.

 

[ncj01]

29er Are Only For Big Dudes

YO! - Yao Ming?s Custom, 80cm, 29? Wheel Gunnar Rockhound!

Why would you say 29er's are only for Big Dudes?

What does that claim have to do with Yao's bike?

If you're going to come out swinging with a claim like "29er Are Only For Big Dudes" please present your logic or argument so it can be discussed.

I wouldn't go over to the DH forum and start a thread titled 'DH's are only for nose-pierced dropouts" then put the contents as something nebulous like a famous guy on a DH bike. A) I don't beleive it, and B) there's no relationship between the claim and the post.

 

[brewdog]

Looks like someone hooked into a "big" one...

 

[ernesto_from_Wisconsin]

old news

YO! - Yao Ming?s Custom, 80cm, 29? Wheel Gunnar Rockhound!

West U. Cycles, Inc., owner Jeff Nielsen (5'8") presents Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (7'6") with a custom-made Gunnar Rockhound 29" wheeled mountain bike Friday morning, Feb. 25, 2005, in the Toyota Center training room in Houston. Rockets players and staff bought Yao Ming his former form of transportation for a Lunar New Year gift. Yao Ming went on to joke that he would put his car up for auction on eBay.

This frame, built with custom True Temper OX Platinum tubing, not only has 29" wheels but is actually a 29" mountain bike - possibly the largest ever built! Thanks also go to Vicious Cycles of New York for building a similarly ambitious front fork.

old news. Saw it and touched it at Interbike. Saw it featured a week later in the local Milwaukee news. He uses 29" tires because he's tall and it makes sense. But overall, 29" tires are not much superior than 26". I prefer 29" though.

 

[RobW]

Dude!

You are so right! 29ers suck for anyone under seven feet tall. I highly reccomend that you stay far away from any bike that sports 29" rubber.

 

[paramountz]

Just Kidding

Damn everybody takes everything so personal. I own a KM and love it I was just messin around. I had no intention of starting a fight. Sorry

 

[phaty]

Why would you say 29er's are only for Big Dudes?

What does that claim have to do with Yao's bike?

If you're going to come out swinging with a claim like "29er Are Only For Big Dudes" please present your logic or argument so it can be discussed.

I wouldn't go over to the DH forum and start a thread titled 'DH's are only for nose-pierced dropouts" then put the contents as something nebulous like a famous guy on a DH bike. A) I don't beleive it, and B) there's no relationship between the claim and the post.

I am sorry but I have to ask. Maybe I don't find any irony in your post because I am German (and we don't have any humor anyway!) ... or was that a serious answer to an obviously not so serious posting? In that case I think you are German ... !

please present your logic or argument so it can be discussed

This is actually my favorite part, so you are not German, you are a teacher!

phaty

 

[Bigwheel]

He lives. Greetings from across the pond.

I think 29" fanatacism is just running a tad high these days as it has in the past for others also. It is just a matter of getting over it. Some do, some don't.

 

[phaty]

He lives. Greetings from across the pond.

I think 29" fanatacism is just running a tad high these days as it has in the past for others also. It is just a matter of getting over it. Some do, some don't.

Yeah that is the problem - probably too damn mainstream now this whole 29er thing!
For crying out loud it is just another wheel SIZE!!!! (oh my I feel a Cloxxki-lecture coming!)
I just get one build by the way - steel, filled brazed, non-corrected geometry ... !

It is about time a new bandwagon comes along.

 

[nightfire]

Do we all remember the post where that bike was shown at Interbike.

It sparked a debate about how big our wheels could go and lead to me and Clokkxi going off and designing 36er MTBs.

Not at the thime I thought this Gunnar looked strange. I tried to find some Stats on this guy to find out how big he is. I knew his Hieght (7'6") that is 12" bigger than me, but Usually these guys are bigger in the body and not much longer in the leg (I have a freakish 40" inseam)

I wondered how big his bike needed to be! How long were his legs. I put the original picture from the show into bikeCAD and estimated (by scale using the wheel size with Bonty tyres) that the saddle to BB height was 120cm at least (48" ish). 30cm (12"0 higher than my own at 90cm.

This made me think that if his legs are 12" longer than mine, and he is 12" taller than me his body is about the same!

Now my body is short, and my 29ers need to run with toe overlap to be the right length so if his body is the same as mine at 7'6" he must be a weird shape.

Now these pictures clear it all up. The bike is far TOO big for him!!

How big must you be too ride a 29er ;-)

P::..

 

[benwitt11]

You are so right! 29ers suck for anyone under seven feet tall. I highly reccomend that you stay far away from any bike that sports 29" rubber.

Wow, that was harsh. Can't we all just get along. And who are you to claim that 29s suck for basically anyone? Around here, unless you're a pro level cc racer, (my 29 weighs 22lbs I win there too!) or a bmx insired street or dj rider, there's not much of an argument to not getting a 29. Grow up, if you're going to blast something like that, at least give some legitimate reasons. Other than showing us your IQ by just leaving the complaint at "Dude!" that is. winner!

 

[Cloxxki]

But, his total height minus inseam seems to already be as long as the guy standing next to him! I wonder if you're correct. His torso looks huge to me, seat height not too freakish. Maybe one day I'll do the same you did, and run some numbers.
One thing is clear, if we manage to design 36" bikes for our midget selves, for him it'd be business as usual.

Especially for Phaty, I'll keep it short: When kids outgrow their 24" bikes, they move up to 26". When teenagers outgrow their first 26" bike, they get a larger frame or seatpost/stem.

 

[willtsmith_nwi]

AWD isn't dumb ...

I can never decide which is dumber - the Burro bike or the Christini/Jeep 2WD bike.

I can see the advantages. But as it's a "niche" product anyway, I think Christini should switch production over to 29ers. They could call it the ultimate traction bike then.

 

[Cloxxki]

I've once pedalled a Christini for a super-short bit on a gravel parking lot. The guy riding it was freakde out by my KM, while I figured out what he was riding. Bike was onwed by Yahama or Honda I think, bought for counter-research, weird story.
anyway, the idea works, but I see some flaws, the bike needs a sophisticated clutch. I'd like to try it with a slightly oversized front wheel, see how that track, always some wheelspin going to the front wheel. Might be catastrophic of course.

Would it be rude to contact Yao's management to offer to build him a proper bike for him, 36" wheels? His teammate's are going to really be jealous, and the chicks are going to love it.
A bike for him, really into proportion, imagine that. 230mm cranks, 15"BB, 21" chainstays, that sort of thing. And a normal frame layout, too, no 2-foot headtube over a CX fork. Gustav M brakes, of course.

 

[Singlespeedpunk]

Have you got Yao's phone number?

I would love to give it a go! Wonder if I would need a new jig? oh, and a wheel stand....36" damn!

SSP

Would it be rude to contact Yao's management to offer to build him a proper bike for him, 36" wheels? His teammate's are going to really be jealous, and the chicks are going to love it.
A bike for him, really into proportion, imagine that. 230mm cranks, 15"BB, 21" chainstays, that sort of thing. And a normal frame layout, too, no 2-foot headtube over a CX fork. Gustav M brakes, of course.

 

[Cloxxki]

Hey, if I make the deal, ask a small fortune, hire you, and have some cash to spare, I might order a second one for myself!