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Pantera 29er?

1153 Views 8 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Soupboy, Jun 30, 2006

onepivot

Discussion Starter · Jun 29, 2006 (Edited)

Yesterday, after a ride on my Pantera I was looking at the bike & it dawned on me that there was a lot of room in the rear triangle & I wondered if a 29" wheel would fit.

I go home, drop in the rear wheel from my Niner & there's plenty of room (aside from the front derailleur) Since I ride my single speed almost all the time these days I have been thinking of going with a 1x9 set up with this bike anyhow. There also appears to be enough room for suspension travel.

This fine bike is sitting in the garage way too often, so I wonder how well a Pantera 29er conversion would work, or if it would work at all.

Am I the only crazy person out there who's thought of this? Would there be a clearance issue with the down tube and a Reba 29er fork? (it's a 21" frame)

I emailed Sherwood with this question but have not yet heard back from him (he may still be laughing)

So, has anyone heard of a 29er conversion on a Pantera (or any other bike)? Feel free to call me crazy, but be gentle about it

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bogmonster

· #2 · Jun 29, 2006

Good idea.....

Be cool if it works, i am in the same boat, ride my 29er hardtail all the time while the pantera just sits there!! would also gladly buy a 29er pantera new if sherwood would make one, always been a single pivot lover.......

bog

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Chewieez

· #3 · Jun 29, 2006

Neat idea...

It sounds like you've already thought of the first two things to come to my mind:

1) is there room for the rear tire to cycle through all 4" of travel?
2) would a 29er fork have room for suspension with the downtube.

As a fellow Pantera owner this idea is very interesting! I love my Pantera as a 26er and really have no plans or ideas of going to a 29er any time soon. About the only thoughts I've had about tire size on the Pantera are wishes of a smaller more compact 24" tire frame for more urban riding. I'll admit I have yet to wish for a longer, larger tire Pantera. Still though, knowing I have a bike that could be converted would be nice!

I hope Sherwood replies with good news and definately keep us updated!

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Ciclistagonzo

· #4 · Jun 30, 2006

Ok, I am in no way advocating converting you're pantera to a 29'er. But an easy way to check the rear suspension clearance is to release all the air pressure in your shock and bottom out the shock. If there is MORE than 14mm of clearance between the rear tire and the seat tube, then at least the rear is ok.

(Fox Air shox have a 5mm thick bottom out bumper 2.65:1 X 5mm = 13.25mm)

Good luck??

-Aaron
(You 29'er folks are funny

)

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xl_cheese

· #5 · Jun 30, 2006

the bike would sit WAY too high off the ground.

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onepivot

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 30, 2006

Well guys, Sherwood has opined & his word is gospel

He's not tried any such foolishness & he also mentioned the BB would be at least 1.5" taller (I had thought of this) and of course the handling would be slower. However, since I am 46 years old and 6'2" @ 240 lbs, "quick handling" is not normally mentioned in the same sentance with my name.

My bike is running a coil spring Romic shock so letting the air out to check tire clearance is out. It is an idea that is intriguing but in the end probably not a good way to go. Just thought that MAYBE there was a slim chance of this silly idea actually working

Sherwood promised he'd quit laughing at my question when I traded in my Pantera for a brand new Ventana 29er frame!

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Fat Elvis

· #7 · Jun 30, 2006

onepivot said:
So, has anyone heard of a 29er conversion on a Pantera (or any other bike)? Feel free to call me crazy, but be gentle about it

I say go for it; it could make a good laugh for the rest of us out here.

I'm actually kind of surprised that no one's come out with some sort of goofy mod that you can make on frame and fork dropouts of 26" bikes that will allow you to convert them to 29" bikes, kind of like the Shockster.

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Chewieez

· #8 · Jun 30, 2006

There is already a company that makes a front hub that will let you use a 29" wheel on a 26" fork. The axle is offset in the hub.

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Soupboy

· #9 · Jun 30, 2006

Chewieez said:
There is already a company that makes a front hub that will let you use a 29" wheel on a 26" fork. The axle is offset in the hub.

Is it available for sale to the public yet? My understanding was that Devin made only a few for personal use.

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