29'ers

[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.

[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

[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."

[Tuckervill]

Would 29" wheels make a difference for someone who is extremely tall? (6'7") I've been trying to figure this out. The distance to the ground is not really the issue, but the distance to the top of the saddle to the bottom of the down stroke is. I'm guessing the 29ers don't come with necessarily bigger frames. Would you be able to put 29ers on any bike?

At least he wouldn't look like a clown on a mini-bike!

Karen

[sundial]

Hubby has a Gary Fisher Montare that allows him to put both 700 or 29'er on. For many bikes you can't put 29's on a 26 bike frame because the chain needs to be longer on the 29'er bikes.

I think tall people will like the 29'er bike but us average and shorter folk might actually enjoy the 26 better--for now anyway.

[ima_bleeder]

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."

I thought it was just me.

I ride with so many strong riders, including some single-speeders, that I start to feel like a bit of a pansy with all my tiny gears. In fact my husband doesn't understand how it's physically possible to stay upright and ride as slow as I sometimes do going up steep stretches. But that's EXACTLY how I feel. I want every last gear!

[SadieKate]

Would 29" wheels make a difference for someone who is extremely tall? (6'7") I've been trying to figure this out. The distance to the ground is not really the issue, but the distance to the top of the saddle to the bottom of the down stroke is. I'm guessing the 29ers don't come with necessarily bigger frames. Would you be able to put 29ers on any bike?

At least he wouldn't look like a clown on a mini-bike!

Karen

A 29" inch wheel is just the mountainbiker's way of avoiding calling it a 700c wheel. OK, let's not get in the details of rim width, but the diameters are the same. It's just an industry thing to use inches for mtb bikes and centimeters for road bikes.

So, the answer is yes and no about using it in the same bike. My husband has a Spot singlespeed with disc brakes. The disc brakes mean no brake pad alignment issues when swapping wheels BUT he uses skinny tires AND a rigid fork when using 700c wheels. He puts a suspension fork on when using knobbies on the 26" wheels. The suspension fork would not provide clearance for the 700c wheel. He also swaps chain ring and chain to accomodate the change in gearing with the larger wheel and the chain length. If you use disc brakes, it really comes down to clearance issues with fork and chain stays.

And, yes, 29'ers can be the way to go for tall people. If a very tall friend came to me and asked what to look for in a mountain bike, I'd certainly bring 29'ers into the discussion.

[sundial]

He puts a suspension fork on when using knobbies on the 26" wheels. The suspension fork would not provide clearance for the 700c wheel. He also swaps chain ring and chain to accomodate the change in gearing with the larger wheel and the chain length. If you use disc brakes, it really comes down to clearance issues with fork and chain stays.

How difficult is it to change out forks? Would it require strong man hands?

[SadieKate]

Nope, not at all. Though this tends to be a seasonal swap out. You wouldn't want to do it very often as it's time consuming.

Bubba runs the 700c slicks during the winter when he's riding pavement. He'll swap to the knobby suspension set up for the summer.

You can see pictures of the bike with its 700c setup here.*

PS - thanks for giving me the opportunity to brag.