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To David Coperfield / 650b haters /29er fanboys

5K views 83 replies 28 participants last post by  craigsj 
#1 ·
First let me say that I am all for 29ers. I think more choices in the biking industry is good. But I personally don't like them and it gets kind of old with people telling me that
29ers are superior to everything and it is stupid to ride anything but a 29er. This is the same argument people made about full suspension when it first got real popular, but I still have a hardtail too.

I started seriously biking in 1985 on a bmx. I rode bmx bikes for about 6 years until I was 16 and cars started to interest me more. At 18 I wanted to get back into biking, I was planning on buying a bmx cruiser, but my friend talked me into a mountain bike. I was hesitant at first, because I loved the nimble and quick handling of a bmx and wasn't sure about the big wheels and frame (mountain bikes back then had very little standover). My point is that coming form a bmx background I liked nimble, fast handling bikes. But I was willing to trade some of that for better ability to ride offroad. If I could rock a 20" wheeled bike offroad I would, but there is very little rollover ability with a wheel that small, but I love the handling. So I';ve been riding mounatin bikes ever since.

I tried some 29ers out a few years ago. They were big giant heavy slugs that handled like garbage trucks. I will readily concede that they roll over stuff better than 650b or 26". But they weren't any fun to ride because of the handling. So now there are light 29ers, and yes they have tweaked the geometry a little. But the wheels are still huge and hard to manage, the chainstays and wheelbase are still super long and its hard to get the handlebars low enough for good weight balance. Now you can talk all day about how great the newer 29ers are, but as long as the wheels are so huge there is no getting around those negatives. Now if you are more interested in rolling over stuff then you are about twisty singletrack with lots of switchbacks, then a 29er is the greatest thing since sliced bread. But 29er fanboys don't seem to get that there is more to a bike than just rollover ability.

What draws me to 650b is it works in 26" frames, but gives a little better rollover. I can use a lighter 26" fork, a lighter 26" frame with shorter chainstay and wheelbase. So basically I can maintain all the handling attributes of a 26" bike and get a little extra rollover. Basically its like having 26 x 2.7 tires, only the tires don't weigh like 1000 grams. Now I know a lot of manufacturers are hyping 650b as being just as good as a
29er for rolling over things. I think most of us know that is marketing hype. But who doesn't use marketing hype (as a 29er fanboy you ought to know all about hype since
29ers have more marketing hype than I have ever seen). So you use that marketing hype as your strawman so you can avoid talking about the real negatives of 29ers and the real positives of 650b.

I know it blows your mind, but some of us actually enjoy riding 26ers and 650bs. Their shorter wheelsbase, chainstays and light weight make for much nimbler bikes, can you really disagree with that? My rides consist of more than just riding in a straight line plowing over obstacles, do you get that?

A lot of people love 29ers. And I am happy for them. And I hope they continue to make them. But can't you let the rest of us enjoy biking the way we want without you constantly telling us that we have to own a 29er or our bikes suck.
 
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#2 ·
Before DC tears @ your post i'll mention some of his arguments : 25mm larger is nothing compared to 63mm - Math, math, math blah blah. Today's 29er's are nothing like the ones you rode an hour ago. Even 3' toddlers can enjoy 29ers. Your personal preferance ,enjoyment, desire to have fun on anything other than a 29er is fouled - if you don't like a 29er you are @ fault.
 
#3 ·
keen said:
Before DC tears @ your post i'll mention some of his arguments : 25mm larger is nothing compared to 63mm - Math, math, math blah blah. Today's 29er's are nothing like the ones you rode an hour ago. Even 3' toddlers can enjoy 29ers. Your personal preferance ,enjoyment, desire to have fun on anything other than a 29er is fouled - if you don't like a 29er you are @ fault.
Following your and DC's math and 'thought' process, if available you would ride larger wheels than 29, and they would work better period, with no size being too large. Brilliant... go buy a 36er and ride that as your main bike then.

-Schmitty-
 
#4 ·
ljsmith
Brilliant post. I have a 26, a 650B and a 29er. I have to say the 650B is my bike of choice. In the tight twisting single track that is the norm around here you can't beat it. Although my 29er rides the most comfortable it is also the least maneuverable. It is also the worst climber.
My 650B is a converted Bianchi and the extra bit of crank clearance is awesome. I've also helped 2 other guys in my local MTB club with their 650B conversions and have had nothing but positive feed back. They could have never tried the bigger 29 wheels as they are poor saps like myself and what little money they have to spend on their bikes is money they have to work hard for. So with little money and wanting to try bigger wheels 650B is the only choice for some. So for the haters out there I really don't feel like hearing the drivel come out of your mouth unless you at least try them.

Tim
 
#5 ·
Schmitty said:
Following your and DC's math and 'thought' process, if available you would ride larger wheels than 29, and they would work better period, with no size being too large. Brilliant... go buy a 36er and ride that as your main bike then.

-Schmitty-
You have it backwards not my math or thoughts - I was making light of DC's rants.
 
#6 ·
ljsmith...you have a hardtail???!!!...OMG! What are you thinking?

LOL!...good post...and pretty well wraps up what most of us have been saying. Opinions are great and discussing pros and cons are fine, but religious zealotry over a wheel size or any other brand, component, or preference is limiting to say the least.
 
#7 ·
What he said!

ljsmith said:
First let me say that I am all for 29ers. I think more choices in the biking industry is good. But I personally don't like them and it gets kind of old with people telling me that
29ers are superior to everything and it is stupid to ride anything but a 29er. This is the same argument people made about full suspension when it first got real popular, but I still have a hardtail too.

I started seriously biking in 1985 on a bmx. I rode bmx bikes for about 6 years until I was 16 and cars started to interest me more. At 18 I wanted to get back into biking, I was planning on buying a bmx cruiser, but my friend talked me into a mountain bike. I was hesitant at first, because I loved the nimble and quick handling of a bmx and wasn't sure about the big wheels and frame (mountain bikes back then had very little standover). My point is that coming form a bmx background I liked nimble, fast handling bikes. But I was willing to trade some of that for better ability to ride offroad. If I could rock a 20" wheeled bike offroad I would, but there is very little rollover ability with a wheel that small, but I love the handling. So I';ve been riding mounatin bikes ever since.

I tried some 29ers out a few years ago. They were big giant heavy slugs that handled like garbage trucks. I will readily concede that they roll over stuff better than 650b or 26". But they weren't any fun to ride because of the handling. So now there are light 29ers, and yes they have tweaked the geometry a little. But the wheels are still huge and hard to manage, the chainstays and wheelbase are still super long and its hard to get the handlebars low enough for good weight balance. Now you can talk all day about how great the newer 29ers are, but as long as the wheels are so huge there is no getting around those negatives. Now if you are more interested in rolling over stuff then you are about twisty singletrack with lots of switchbacks, then a 29er is the greatest thing since sliced bread. But 29er fanboys don't seem to get that there is more to a bike than just rollover ability.

What draws me to 650b is it works in 26" frames, but gives a little better rollover. I can use a lighter 26" fork, a lighter 26" frame with shorter chainstay and wheelbase. So basically I can maintain all the handling attributes of a 26" bike and get a little extra rollover. Basically its like having 26 x 2.7 tires, only the tires don't weigh like 1000 grams. Now I know a lot of manufacturers are hyping 650b as being just as good as a
29er for rolling over things. I think most of us know that is marketing hype. But who doesn't use marketing hype (as a 29er fanboy you ought to know all about hype since
29ers have more marketing hype than I have ever seen). So you use that marketing hype as your strawman so you can avoid talking about the real negatives of 29ers and the real positives of 650b.

I know it blows your mind, but some of us actually enjoy riding 26ers and 650bs. Their shorter wheelsbase, chainstays and light weight make for much nimbler bikes, can you really disagree with that? My rides consist of more than just riding in a straight line plowing over obstacles, do you get that?

A lot of people love 29ers. And I am happy for them. And I hope they continue to make them. But can't you let the rest of us enjoy biking the way we want without you constantly telling us that we have to own a 29er or our bikes suck.
Thank you for posting this. I think a lot of us have been thinking the same thing!
I don't even really have a problem with people like D.C having such unyielding opinion's
But it's kind of like going into the middle of catholic mass on Sunday and telling everyone there they need to convert to the protestant church. You know damn well coming in the door your not there to convert anyone, your just there to start a riot!
There is a perfectly good forum called 29'r or for that matter why not go prophesies in the beginner forum. That way you can indoctrinate them before they get to many of there own idea's.:nono:
 
#9 ·
What he said too.

carverboy said:
There is a perfectly good forum called 29'r or for that matter why not go prophesies in the beginner forum. That way you can indoctrinate them before they get to many of there own idea's.:nono:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Perfectly said Tom.....and you are figuring out this forum stuff i am glad to see ;)

BTW, great ride yesturday...man i am still feeling it tonight.
 
#10 ·
This is great news! I don't mean its great that you guys have chubbies for the 650b, but that David Copperfield is spending more time in this forum than the 29er forum.:thumbsup:

To be perfectly honest, I don't think the guy even owns a 29er, let alone a MTB. Guys, DC is all yours to enjoy.....
 
#13 ·
I find it hard to believe you actually responded to DC. He is, after all, the biggest troll on this site and you just fed him a meal fit for a king. Congratulations.

Just so you know, there are plenty of us out there -- myself included -- who spent the coin to try 650b. I absolutely hated it after months of trying to justify my expenditure. To me it was the worst of both worlds. And that's coming from a guy whose main ride is a Titus El Guapo, so I'm not a "29er zealot."

That said, if the size works for you, rock on. I don't personally think it'll catch on in the industry, but that's neither here nor there. For your sake I certainly hope it does.
 
#15 ·
kapusta said:
Wow, DC has his own dedicated 650b thread.
Yes he does! I was getting tired of his off topic rants in other legitimate threads. So I thought I would give him his own thread here so he can post his ignorant comments here instead of filling up good threads with garbage.

A little more seriously, DC is not a troll, he is a zealot. A troll writes dumb crap to get people worked up. DC spends way too much time trying to use math and argument to convert people to be a troll. I would not be surprised if he slept with his 29er. I get a little tired of all the zealots on mtbr. Whatever bike people are riding they have to make it out to be the best and or only choice out there. There are so many different flavors of mountain bike, HT, FS, SS, fixed gear, 26er, 650ber, 29er, 69er etc, etc, etc. I think each bike has its merits, and variety is what makes things fun. Like it drives me crazy when people post a "I want to upgrade to FS" thread. As if its a progression where a HT is for beginners and FS is for hardcore riders. Anyone who owns more than one mountain bike and gets to decide which one to ride understands that each bike gives a different riding experience. For instance riding my hardtail on a trail gives a totally different experience than my full suspension, not better, not worse, just different. I am all for people explaining why they like their type of bike, but what I am not for is people telling other people that their bike is obviously superior and you are stupid if you are not riding one.

The bottom line: Try out different types of bikes, ride what you enjoy and let others do the same.
 
#19 ·
Good post. Plain & simple - I can and now run 650b on my current 26" frame. Used the same hubs, bought new rims & tires - done. All the advantages I needed over 26 without the investment for 29er. I really like 26 and the jump to 29er was not realistic for my type of riding.

You can argue this every which way, for the few that ride 650b and are very happy with them, your opinion/data doesn't matter. Personally, I'll never ride a 29er.
 
G
#21 ·
TNC said:
craig, sometimes there comes an individual who actually deserves a little whacking...and frankly...DC strikes me as the kind of person who might actually enjoy it.:eekster:
We all deserve it from time to time. ;) Not in this way, though.

Subforums are for posts on specific topics; too many use them as home bases for tribes. This thread wouldn't exist if not for that failure of behavior. DC has strongly held opinions which he defends. Engage him if you disagree but don't resort to this kind of disrespect.
 
#23 ·
craigsj said:
We all deserve it from time to time. ;) Not in this way, though.

Subforums are for posts on specific topics; too many use them as home bases for tribes. This thread wouldn't exist if not for that failure of behavior. DC has strongly held opinions which he defends. Engage him if you disagree but don't resort to this kind of disrespect.
You've got to be kidding. DavidCopperfield is a 2nd username for the user to air out his wacky ideas without muddling up his professional appearance. If someone is going to post using an alternate alias i see no problem with bashing the crap out of it. DavidCopperfield is no more a person than Stephen Colbert.
 
#26 ·
scottzg said:
You've got to be kidding. DavidCopperfield is a 2nd username for the user to air out his wacky ideas without muddling up his professional appearance. If someone is going to post using an alternate alias i see no problem with bashing the crap out of it. DavidCopperfield is no more a person than Stephen Colbert.
Stephen Colbert really is a person. The persona he portrays on his show is not so much.
 
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