[FiveDogCycling]

how many of you have left the 26" bikes for the new fad of a 29er to find yourself going right back to the 26?

this is the boat i am in as i went away from my 26" 99 GT and got an 09 GF Paragon 29er (last Trek product i will ever own) and have spent more time on my wifes 09 GF Advance that is running 26 than the 29er. The 29er is slow the corners, terrible on flats and doesn't take obstacles that much better than a 26" mtb to out weigh the other two draw backs.

Just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat as I'm looking at manufacturers to carry in the bike shop i'm opening and am dying to get back on a 26 that has nothing to do with trek in any way shape or form

thanks

FDC

 

[whybotherme]

i own both 26 and 29.

the next gen 29ers (specifically the '11 Sworks Epic) have my attention! i would definitely take one... but i don't think i will have the funds to buy one for myself.

 

[onlycrimson]

Not to start a war, but you sound a little old school with the arguments. It may just feel like it's slower and worse, but I highly doubt it is. Also, is that the only 29er you have ridden for a long period of time?

 

[noah19692000]

No way 29er is a fad nor is it really new. I'll eat my x-cal if no one is riding 29er's in 10 years. Pros who can choose any bike their sponser makes are winning races on them as we speak.

With that said--ride what you like.

 

[MessagefromTate]

I went back, although I won't be naive and say the 29er isn't superior in some ways. I am a lean, light guy and I found the add'l wattage requirement to accelerate on climbs, etc. left me fatigued quicker than on a 26" bike. I was using Stans ZTR Race 29er wheels (about the lightest you can get). In fact they may be lighter than the DT Swiss XCR1350s I am running on my 26" bike (once you factor in the Stans strip to get the DT to be set up for tubeless).

 

[snellvilleGAbiker]

If all being equal, i'll take the 29er anytime. I am SSing on a Ti 29er and a Carbon Fiber 26er in similar gear inches. Both 20lbs. I'll pick the 29er because it's "feel" more efficient going over stuff and i feel less fatique. Besides, 29er corner so much better for me

 

[FiveDogCycling]

good stuff guys and Noah...I wasnt nor am i saying that 29ers are new or a fad as I know that neither is the case. I was just wondering if anyone had come across the same situations i personally have.

For all I know it could just be that it's not the right 29er for me...i'll try to figure that out at interbike next year .

I have always loved my GT frame so I may give some of their 29ers a shot in the future.

Also I have spent some time on other 29ers here and there but no real long periods. For me the Fisher geometry just isn't set up right as i can not carry speed through corners what so ever with it and I have also gone from one problem to another since i got the bike so they have left a very sour taste in my mouth so to speak and I really just dont even enjoy riding the bike anymore and have since rebuilt my old GT frame into a 1x9 to run as my full time bike until i pick up a line and can test their bikes.

 

[JonathanGennick]

I won't say that I "went back", but after two seasons of exclusive 29 riding I did haul out my long-travel 26er with thru-axle fork. I've been riding that one a lot this season, and have been enjoying it very much.

Not giving up my 29er though. I like having different options to play around with.

 

[nathanbal]

i gave up my 29er but it was a hardtail for racing. i went to my light 26" full suss and prefer the ride. it was more of a hardtail v full suss thing more than anything.

 

[Berkeley Mike]

Kinda funny

to feel just a teensy bit of a sense of "retuning to the dark side" from the 29er guys.

 

[rob_co2]

this is the boat i am in as i went away from my 26" 99 GT and got an 09 GF Paragon 29er

You might want to look beyond the obvious wheel size. GT has a short top tube and usually runs a longer stem, where the fisher has a long top and super short stem and will be more twitchy. The way that these two bikes corner is going to very different, so if you have been riding the GT for a long time, its going to be hard to get used to and maybe never feel the same.

Also, the triple triangle design makes for some wicked acceleration and real wheel control over other 26" designs, so I'm sure both of those are even more noticeable compared to the 29.

 

[FiveDogCycling]

yeah rob you are correct now i'm contemplating on going to a GT Marathon Team or the Zaskar Team...gonna take the ole triple out this weekend and I'm more excited to ride than I have been all season

 

[rob_co2]

So the alum GTs are hard to beat over short distances, but I always found myself having stiff joints on riders longer than 20 miles, and thats when I was a youngster. I would still have mine built up if it hadn't formed a crack, for the 2nd time.

I dont know anything about the carbon zaskar.

I would love to find myself an old Xizang or Lightening frame though.

 

[briscoelab]

No way 29er is a fad nor is it really new. I'll eat my x-cal if no one is riding 29er's in 10 years. Pros who can choose any bike their sponser makes are winning races on them as we speak.

With that said--ride what you like.

FYI:
Specialized Factory riders are not allowed to race the 26" HT bikes. They can chose between the 29er HT, 29er Epic(now), and the 26" Epic though.

 

[ptfmb71]

if I could run a true UST tire on a 29er wheel I would get a 29er HT. I had a 29er SS and had Stan's build a set of wheels and had a couple of flats on the trails with standard tires with a stans tubeless setup. I have not had a flat in over 5 years with a 26 inch UST

 

[mward]

An experiment in confirmation bias. That's okay man. 2 of my very fast cat1 friends switched back. I still talk to them even.