29'ers

[sundial]

You know, my hubby has a Gary Fisher 29'er and I rode it. Honestly, I would rather sit closer to the ground and feel the road. I guess I'm a masochist.

[SadieKate]

Why does that make you a masochist?

[sundial]

I guess I like bouncing and getting jarred.

[7rider]

Seems like all the cool kids these days ride 29'ers.
And if you're REALLY cool, you ride a rigid, singlespeed 29'er.
I've heard - but have not first hand knowledge - that the steering/handling is more sluggish on a 29'er.
I'd love to try a REALLY cool bike...but my LBS says "Try it first. You may not like it." So if they're lending, I'll be trying. But I guess I won't be buyin' before ridin'.

[madisongrrl]

This point might be up for debate, but I'm of the opinion that there is zero advantage to riding a 29er for people who are shorter like me (5'3"). And I've seen some short women on these bikes and they look ridiculous; their bikes do not fit them.

Toe overlap on a mountain bike....forget that. I don't even have toe overlap on my CX bike....

People could easily cushion up their hardtails with a set of tubeless tires and run some lower tire pressure.

I'm lucky, I live in WI. We have the similar types of terrain as people in Colorado do, but we don't have the sustained climbing. So there is not much advantage of racing with a hardtail over a full. So no 29ers or HT's for me!

[sundial]

This point might be up for debate, but I'm of the opinion that there is zero advantage to riding a 29er for people who are shorter like me (5'3").

I've heard the same from my LBS. I think Gary Fisher designed the forks on the 29'ers so that there wouldn't be any toe overlap. Specialized is slowly introducing 29'er and I'll be interested to read the reviews.

Right now I'm thinking about the practical side of a 29'er. Tubes may be hard to come by in a pinch, as well as rims. It may take me longer to cover the same amount of distance, but at least I'll be more nimble on turns.

[madisongrrl]

I've heard the same from my LBS. I think Gary Fisher designed the forks on the 29'ers so that there wouldn't be any toe overlap. Specialized is slowly introducing 29'er and I'll be interested to read the reviews.

The room for standover height and wheels decreases as the size of the 29er frame decreases. Sometimes when frame builders make corrections for toe overlap on these smaller sized frames, it comes at the compromise of something else. This can result in the bike handling completely different or squirrelly even.

I'm still not sold on the 29er concept for short people, but I'd certainly be interested in testing a few of these bikes off-road.

[Voodoo Sally]

Some of my fellow chicks here got 29ers last year. They really seem to love them. They like the less-bumpy feel and they say the roll over the rocks and roots (mostly what we ride on in these parts) with less effort. These gals are on the medium to short side, and they seem handle the bikes well.

[SadieKate]

You guys should read the FAQs in that link I provided. It specifically addresses problems for short folk. I've yet to see a 29'er that I didn't think would create other problems while only offering one benefit.