29'ers

[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.

[emily_in_nc]

Lessee, I ride a Bike Friday with 20" wheels, a road bike with 650c wheels, and a mountain bike with 26" wheels. I am 5' 1-1/2". I simply can't imagine how I would begin to fit on a bike with 29" wheels without looking and feeling ridiculous, not to mention having major handling issues. Fortunately, I have no need to replace my MTB, so it's a non-issue, just one that makes me say ...huhhhhh?

I would love to see a photo of a gal my size riding one!

Emily

[ima_bleeder]

I've never thought of myself as tall, but based on the responses here I must be a giant. I'm 5'4", and I absolutely adore my 29er.

My standover clearance is the same (more actually) than my last 26" MTB, and the overall fit is better too. Of course that just points to a poor fit on my first bike, and isn't a statement on 26" bikes in general. But at 5'4" I was able to comfortably fit on, and test-ride, several 29ers. I think 5'3" / 5'4" is about the limit though to comfortably fit on a 29er.

From the moment I got on my 29er I felt more comfortable and confident. I love the way it handles, and I saw an immediate gain in my riding. In fact I didn't really start riding consistently until I got my Niner. Now I'm so in love with it I ride 3 - 4 days a week.

I do have one criticism though. It's mostly me, really, but due to my lack of strength (I'm still building my base) and a bad knee the gearing was too high. The crankset on a 29er is the same as on your 26" bike, but the wheels are bigger. So effectively your gearing is higher, and I lost my really low gears for the long steep climbs. We tried replacing the small 22 tooth ring with a smaller 20 tooth ring, but kept having problems with the chain. Turned out the chain was hitting the part of the crank that houses the bolts. We were able to fix it by shaving down those knobs, so I've got all the gears I want, but if you're a slow climber like me it's a consideration.

[sundial]

I do have one criticism though. It's mostly me, really, but due to my lack of strength (I'm still building my base) and a bad knee the gearing was too high.

Ima, I'm glad you posted this because I have a bad knee. I'm curious, what 29'er do you have? Was it easier for you to ride a 26" with the bad knee?

[emily_in_nc]

I actually have a bit of toe overlap on my 650c bike since it's got quite a short top tube, which I need. But I would never, ever ride a MTB with toe overlap since sharp turns at slow speed are often necessary. And that photo, well, it looks like a woman riding her husband's or big brother's bike to me...but I'm sure I look equally out of proportion when riding my Bike Friday, so live and let live!

I must admit, the advantages of the 29" wheel are many, now that I've read the list, but at my height, I'm still not tempted. Nor do I have the money! And I need my low gears....

Emily

[sundial]

Emily, I'm kinda attached to my 26'er too.

[ima_bleeder]

Ima, I'm glad you posted this because I have a bad knee. I'm curious, what 29'er do you have? Was it easier for you to ride a 26" with the bad knee?

A lot of people wouldn't even notice a couple of gears. The only reason I did is because of the wonky knee. But now I'm doing PT to strengthen it, and my PT showed me how to tape it for rides (it doesn't track properly). So I find now I don't even need that super-low granny gear quite so much anymore.

So certainly on the steep steady climbs the smaller gearing made it easier on my knees. But I don't know if I'd say it was "easier" to ride a 26er. The 29" wheels made all the technical stuff easier. And now that we've changed the small ring on my 29er, I have my low 26" bike gears back. I told my man that I wanted it all, and he made it happen

Oh, I have a Niner e.m.d.

[sundial]

That's a really classy bike. You have a GREAT place to ride, too. Since I don't have the technical trails that you do, and my knee is crappy from lack of cartilege, I guess for now I'll stick with the 26'er.

[SadieKate]

A lot of people wouldn't even notice a couple of gears.

I'd notice one gear. Only the ignorant wouldn't notice because they'd assume all bikes are that way.

As a pro racer I know said, "God made those gears for a reason."

[PscyclePath]

I would love to see a photo of a gal my size riding one!

Emily

If your bike doesn't fit you (frame size, saddle height, reach, etc., it's not going to be comfortable, and you're not going to like it very much.

I'm not one of the cool kids, but I do have both a Fisher 29er and a 26" Specialized hardtail, and I much prefer the 29er. I'm not a real technical MTB rider -- mostly cross country, and I can go places and cross obstacles and seemingly bottomless pits with my 29er where the 26" would have me dead in a ditch somewheres. As Emily notes, if the frame fits you, it doesn't matter much how big the wheels are.

That being said, the 29er wheels take a little more motor, or oomph to get them rolling, but once you do it's not a lot of extra effort to keep your momentum. And I like the ability to pretty much float over most anything that gets in my way.

Depending on your riding style, you'll probably like it if you try the big wheels. I know I wish I'd listened to Odell over at the bike shop when he tried to guide me over to the 29er rack when I first took up MTBing....

[horsemom]

Hi Gals. I started looking for a MTB a couple years ago after not biking since childhood. I rode many many different bikes with the idea that I wanted a hardtail to learn on - never really thinking about the size of the tire. One astute bike shop owner put me on a Gary Fisher Cobia 29er, and within a few minutes, I knew I had found my bike. I am 5'8" with a powerful leg, and like a previous poster, I found that it took a little more muscle to get going, but once on the way, the larger wheels took less to power and smoothed out the bumps, rolling over things I had trouble with on a regular size bike. The stand over is the same as with 26 inch wheels. One difference may be the length of the top tube to accomidate the wheels. I have fairly long arms, and prefer the longer reach, even on my road bike.

Anyway, I love my bike. 'Sally', btw. Mustang Sally, because she ain't no A-rab (the breed I ride in endurance races).

Laura