[ntlarson]

Hey all,

I am curious if there is an appreciable difference in the needed frame size when going from a 26er to a 29er. I came accross a listing for what appears to be a nicely upgraded Redline monocog that I am considering looking at but its a smaller frame than my Chameleon. My question is, does the increase from the 26" wheel to a 29" wheel have a corresponding decrease in needed frame size? I am currently riding an extra large Santa Cruz Chameleon which is a 20" seattube. The standover on the two bikes are about the same but the seattube, obviously, is less on the monocog. Any thoughts/comments/input is greatly appreciated.

 

[mike_d_1583]

29" wheels need bigger frames to accommodate the extra 3 inches. I've noticed the rear triangle is usually bigger, the axle sits farther back. If they were the same size, the larger wheel would not have enough clearance at the downtube . They also make 29" specific forks as well.

 

[boomn]

Hey all,

I am curious if there is an appreciable difference in the needed frame size when going from a 26er to a 29er. I came accross a listing for what appears to be a nicely upgraded Redline monocog that I am considering looking at but its a smaller frame than my Chameleon. My question is, does the increase from the 26" wheel to a 29" wheel have a corresponding decrease in needed frame size? I am currently riding an extra large Santa Cruz Chameleon which is a 20" seattube. The standover on the two bikes are about the same but the seattube, obviously, is less on the monocog. Any thoughts/comments/input is greatly appreciated.

the frame designs take the different wheel sizes into account so fit can be the same between 26ers and 29ers. Key word is "can" because there is enough variation in fit and sizing between any bike company and their different models of bikes regardless of wheel size that a test ride is always a good idea.

to get into more detail, bike designers generally try to keep the same bottom bracket height between similar 26" and 29" wheeled bikes, so standover height should be similar as well. Companies also tend to design their 29er models to have the same reach

 

[mitzikatzi]

I have a 19inch Monocog centre to top of seat tube (or 17inch centre to centre). With the standard seat and post, the max height is 31.5 inches (from the centre of the bottom bracket to top of seat) with the min insertion line just showing. So if you are looking at a 19 it may well fit you the ETT of the 19 Monocog is 24.5 the same as you current bike. I run a 400mm seat post to allow an extra 1 inch of seat height.

 

[common_man]

there's a trade off...

29er: higher up handlebars, lower stand over clearance
26: lower handlebars, greater stand over clearance

this is why with trek bikes 29ers come with flat bars whereas 26 come with riser bars. i personally opt for the handlebar due to the geometry itself and not some high angle stem. higher handlebar = comfort = rivendell / grant peterson. applies to mountain bikes too imo.