Most nimble 29er
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"nimble" is subjective. What do you mean by that?
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Specialized Stumpjumper ST feels very nimble to me.
I'll second this. Nimble and controlled.
I'll try. Has short chainstays, for quicker slow-speed maneuverability (in theory anyway). And the tradeoff is it loses stability at higher speeds.
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Expressing your perspective is not a philosophical exercise, it's clarifying the question so we are on the same page.
I feel like a lot of the modern bikes have super long front ends, slack head angles, and low bottom brackets for stability at high speed, so they don't have the kind of "nimble" you're looking for. I rider a Karate Monkey because it's the opposite of that, but still has short chainstays. A Nimble 9 or Trek Stache might fit the bill.
"Hardtail or full suspension?" is the important question.
I feel like a lot of the modern bikes have super long front ends, slack head angles, and low bottom brackets for stability at high speed, so they don't have the kind of "nimble" you're looking for. I rider a Karate Monkey because it's the opposite of that, but still has short chainstays. A Nimble 9 or Trek Stache might fit the bill.
"Hardtail or full suspension?" is the important question.
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Santa Cruz V10 XXL
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Downnimble bikes are the best.
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I agree a more detailed explanation of what qualities you value in a bike would be helpful.
Kind of a tough question when referencing a 160/140 bike. AM/enduro bikes are designed to be stable at speed. Longer wheelbase, slacker HTA, lower offset fork, etc. There's a trade off.
IMO a bikes ability to be "nimble" comes from geometry not wheel size.
I'd look for bikes with a slightly steeper HTA and short chainstays which adds some instability and makes for a more nimble feeling.
Kind of a tough question when referencing a 160/140 bike. AM/enduro bikes are designed to be stable at speed. Longer wheelbase, slacker HTA, lower offset fork, etc. There's a trade off.
IMO a bikes ability to be "nimble" comes from geometry not wheel size.
I'd look for bikes with a slightly steeper HTA and short chainstays which adds some instability and makes for a more nimble feeling.
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I suppose the XC oriented short travel 29ers would be nimble, such as the Blur, SB100, those sorts of bikes. It also sounds as though the new Ripley V4 was designed with that in mind.
A quick look at the Norco sight, with 130mm of rear travel doesn't strike me as a bike designed to be, primarily, nimble. But, it might be quite nimble FOR a 130mm travel bike.
Here's where you have to define what you are looking for. It's not just a philosophical exercise at all.
A quick look at the Norco sight, with 130mm of rear travel doesn't strike me as a bike designed to be, primarily, nimble. But, it might be quite nimble FOR a 130mm travel bike.
Here's where you have to define what you are looking for. It's not just a philosophical exercise at all.
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My 429SL is very nimble, it's nimble because the wheels and tires are light and the HTA is steep. This means I can whip it back and forth like crazy in tight terrain and I can pop off all sorts of little stuff that you wouldn't normally think could give you "air". I find the wheels and tires to contribute greatly or have the biggest difference. Compared to my specialized enduro 29er, which had significantly shorter chainstays and slacker HTA, the enduro was a dog comparatively. It was ok for an enduro bike, but it was not comparatively nimble. The wheels and tires were so much heavier and accelerated like I was dragging bricks. Harder to get up to speed for a little obstacle, even though the bike would handle the obstacle better. At high speed medium radius turns were hard, because the gyroscopic force would want to make the bike keep going in a straight line. The 429SL does that too, but not as bad, because the wheels are lighter. To solve this problem, I use a 27.5" bike for aggressive trail/enduro/DH riding. Even though I can still feel it, it's orders of magnitude less and far easier to rip that bike through the tight stuff than a 29er of the same build.
People put way too much emphasis on short chainstays, reach, slack angles, etc. Sure, these can help make for a comfortable ride, but I passed people like they were standing still on the XC race last weekend during the 1000'+ descents (there were several), being able to "insert" my bike into a pass on a whim, brake-check and whip the bike back to avoid an obstacle, etc. Nimble means quick handling, and it allows me to do these things. If I'm "endoing" on a 29er, it's not the bike, it's me, because a 29er already avoids wheel-catchers and endos magnitudes better, so they don't have to be slacked out to ridiculous 63° HTAs.
People put way too much emphasis on short chainstays, reach, slack angles, etc. Sure, these can help make for a comfortable ride, but I passed people like they were standing still on the XC race last weekend during the 1000'+ descents (there were several), being able to "insert" my bike into a pass on a whim, brake-check and whip the bike back to avoid an obstacle, etc. Nimble means quick handling, and it allows me to do these things. If I'm "endoing" on a 29er, it's not the bike, it's me, because a 29er already avoids wheel-catchers and endos magnitudes better, so they don't have to be slacked out to ridiculous 63° HTAs.
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but how do you reach this nimbleness rating? What measurements do you factor in? How do you weight those measurements to reach your index value? what is the scale? your rating is useless unless it can be applied to other bikes!
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...and anything useful....I like it! It's perfect for this series.
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