29ers Anyone?

"Gary in VA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
| I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
| unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is about a
new
| bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them. Anyone here have any
| long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?
|
| Gary in VA (and staying in VA)

Just a personal observation. With these out for a few years now, I have yet
to see a single one of these roll into my shop. Along with that, I'm not
seeing very many parts in support of these bikes being touted by parts
vendors. Now, that just may be because International Bicycle is a more
'family' type store and we don't get very many high-end MTBs in the first
place, but it suggests that getting tires/wheels, etc. may be tough.

---
__o
_`\(,_ Cycling is life,
(_)/ (_) all the rest, just details.
The Nelson Paradigm =^o.o^=
http://intergalax.com
http://intbike.com
_______
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.682 / Virus Database: 444 - Release Date: 5/11/2004

The Nelson Paradigm said:

"Gary in VA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is
about a new bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them.
Anyone here have any long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

Gary in VA (and staying in VA)

Just a personal observation. With these out for a few years now, I
have yet to see a single one of these roll into my shop. Along with
that, I'm not seeing very many parts in support of these bikes being
touted by parts vendors. Now, that just may be because International
Bicycle is a more 'family' type store and we don't get very many
high-end MTBs in the first place, but it suggests that getting
tires/wheels, etc. may be tough.

---
__o
_`\(,_ Cycling is life,
(_)/ (_) all the rest, just details.
The Nelson Paradigm =^o.o^=
http://intergalax.com
http://intbike.com
_______
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.682 / Virus Database: 444 - Release Date: 5/11/2004

That would be my exact sentiment. I don't see 29ers in ANY
of the LBS's around here. If they're prevalent in your area and
you like them, why not?

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC
(Remove XSPAM)

Gary in VA said:

I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is about a new
bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them. Anyone here have any
long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

I've demo'ed quite a few..... after we close in the house(s) I think I'm
gonna make Mark make me a 29", Disc, Single Speed Habanero (with a
bottle opener, of course ;-)

--
--
John G. in Memphis, TN Have a nice......... night.
http://www.shavings.net/images/Memphis/reflect_john.jpg

Gary in VA said:

I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is about
a new bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them. Anyone here
have any long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

Gary in VA (and staying in VA)

Congratulations on the job!

My brother has a Karate Monkey built as an SS and he loves it. It's
definitely a fast roller and it has a rigid fork.
Pretty nice if you like the feel. I like cruising on a 29er but it feels
pretty cumbersome on tight rocky stuff compared a 26er. I may eventually
have one.

Matt

"Gary in VA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is about a

new

Quoted message said:

bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them. Anyone here have any
long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

I've got one and my experience is that they are a good bike at everything
and great at nothing. While that might sound negative, it is not meant that
way. I've ridden mine on the road and not noticed much of a difference from
a road bike. I've ridden it on the trails and not noticed much of a
difference from a mountain bike. On dirt roads, it is better than both.

That opens up a whole different world of riding to me by making it fun to
hook roads, trails and dirt roads together, but it will never completely
replace either my road or mtn bike.

I got mine with a suspension fork and quickly realized, that for me, it was
not the way to go. It makes the bike too heavy and the front end too high.
Switched to a rigid fork and really prefer it.

Think cyclocross bike that is more mountain than road. That is how mine is
set up, but you may prefer it another way.

As far as availability of tubes and etc, Kelly sells them online
(www.kellybike.com , under oe and other parts). My bike shop has everything
that I need.

Hope some of this is useful and good luck!

TM said:

I got mine with a suspension fork and quickly realized, that for me, it was
not the way to go. It makes the bike too heavy and the front end too high.
Switched to a rigid fork and really prefer it.

What kinda fork?
Want to sell it?-)

--
--
John G. in Memphis, TN Have a nice......... night.
http://www.shavings.net/images/Memphis/reflect_john.jpg

"JG" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What kinda fork?
Want to sell it?-)

2003 Marzocchi 29" MX Comp, gray. Ridden <5 times. If you can use it, I'll
send it to you for shipping + whatever you think is fair. I'm not going to
be using it and it deserves to be ridden.

"Gary in VA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is about a new
bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them. Anyone here have any
long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

Gary in VA (and staying in VA)

Crappy rim and tire selection.

JD

TM said:

"JG" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

What kinda fork?
Want to sell it?-)

2003 Marzocchi 29" MX Comp, gray. Ridden <5 times. If you can use it, I'll
send it to you for shipping + whatever you think is fair. I'm not going to
be using it and it deserves to be ridden.

Deal.

E-Mail me at [email hidden]

--
John G. in Memphis, TN Have a nice......... night.
http://www.shavings.net/images/Memphis/reflect_john.jpg

"Gary in VA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is about a

new

Quoted message said:

bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them.

Me, too. Though not a true mtn bike, a few months ago I was farting around
on a hybrid and I was amazed at how incredibly fast and fun it was on the
trails. It really got me thinking about a 29"er.

Here's some eye candy:
http://tinyurl.com/2ztrn
(links to cyclingnews.com)

Quoted message said:

Anyone here have any
long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

Gary in VA (and staying in VA)

"Gary in VA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is about a

new

Quoted message said:

bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them. Anyone here have any
long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

A buddy of ours rides a SS 29'r (a beautiful Strong frame). He swears by the
bike and rides it everywhere.

- CA-G

Can-Am Girls Kick Ass!

"Carla A-G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

A buddy of ours rides a SS 29'r (a beautiful Strong frame). He swears by

the

Quoted message said:

bike and rides it everywhere.

- CA-G

Strong is the maker I'm thinking about. Trying to choose between them and
Sycip.

Gary in VA

(JD) said:

Gary in VA said:

... Anyone here have any long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

Crappy rim and tire selection.

Yeah, but there's enough. And more all the time.

For tires there are too many semi-slick-ish tread patterns and precious
few more aggressive treads. But there is at least one decent rear tread
pattern (the WTB MotoRaptor 2.1) and one really pretty good front tread
(the Bonty Jones ACX 2.2). Traction tends to be better and more reliable,
even with relatively low or worn out knobs.

There are really plenty of rims. Not just beefier road rims, but also
offroad specific and disk specific rims.

They aren't for everyone. The rotating part of the wheel is biggger, so
given the same rim type, tire thicknes, etc, it's all going to be heavier.
You can make a pretty lightweight 29" offroad wheelset, but it's going to
tend to be flexier and more fragile than an ultra-light 26".

They ride differently. Different in a way I like. I bought a third-hand
Fisher Supercal29 last fall to do a long-term experiment. For my kind of
riding, they work. It really only took a few weeks for me to decide.
Just received my new custom Curtlo 29er last week. The only 26" bike I
have now is a beater early-90s StumpJumper that serves as my no-lock
townie bike. Cornering on dirt on a 26" bike feels skittery to me now.

Give a 29er a test ride if you get a chance. They are pretty interesting.
Especially if you are a big rider anyway, like 6'1" or more, the wheels
fit proportionally into the frame design at least as well as "baby wheels".
And they do have a more robust way of rolling. You've really got to feel
it for yourself. Some people don't notice any compelling difference from
26", but clearly others do.

And there are downsides. There *are* tire and wheel choices (and we may
get a new 2.35" bigwheel tire this season!), but the fact that lots of
regions have NO bigwheel retailing presence is a real problem. When I
travel to ride with my big wheel, I make sure I have all the rubber
products I'll need when I leave home. You can't count on being able
to find the bigwheel stuff at a randomly chosen LBS.
--
Tom Purvis - http://www.arkansasvalley.net/tpurvis/
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so
certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts."-Bertrand Russell

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article <[email hidden]>,

JD said:

"Gary in VA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is about a new
bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them. Anyone here have any
long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

Gary in VA (and staying in VA)

Crappy rim and tire selection.

_ While there aren't 800 roughly identical tires, there are
enough to be getting on with. You will probably have to deal with
web/mail order to get what you want. One thing to keep in mind is
since the contact patch is longer, you can generally run a
smaller tire than you might on a 26 in wheel. Personally,
44m WTB nanoraptors seem as big as I'll ever need, but
my 29'er is a Surly Cross-Check with flat bars.

_ Booker C. Bense

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.6.2

iQCVAwUBQLDDjWTWTAjn5N/lAQF4oQP9G+H397GskjyPWErHLkN/Zqk1dJW0Uf8e
0jXDxzO+ThAamuPmqsgQO68EMnPXXsQdRY3Yr+4uCSh3N6FS7PY6u9Mm5IJ+3VL1
b5k9UyCyw6tkOtazk6i/iBNFpp0Ak5A8lLEG0ieuTJ1h7KEzhuODMl4TIwlEheIF
dfCiwW1sHPY=
=YyGC
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

Does my 700c X 40 count.

I MTB 2004

I don't see any in LBS but the wrench is building a 29
GF Sugar. Really all you have to if you got the clearance is bring up
the brakes up one inch on the frame and fork or use disc brakes.

I MTB 2004

[email hidden] wrote:
| Does my 700c X 40 count.
|
| I MTB 2004

I dunno, but I've got 700c x 45 on my full XT 'hybrid'!

---
__o
_`\(,_ Cycling is life,
(_)/ (_) all the rest, just details.
The Nelson Paradigm =^o.o^=
http://intergalax.com
http://intbike.com
_______
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.682 / Virus Database: 444 - Release Date: 5/11/2004

Quoted message said:

Strong is the maker I'm thinking about. Trying to choose between them and
Sycip.

Gary in VA

Must be a damn good job you landed there, Gary. As others have said, on more
open rolling terrain, these things haul ass. Tire availablility really isn't a
big deal, although you'll probably have to a bit of mail order. And while you
might not necessarily want one as your only bike, we know that isn't the case
here. Go for it.

Cheers and congrats,

-Andrew

Booker C. Bense <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article <[email hidden]>,

JD said:

"Gary in VA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I start a new job on Monday (after 18 months of
unemployment/underemployment) and of course my first thought is about a new
bike. I've ridden a couple of 29ers and liked them. Anyone here have any
long term experience on them? Pros? Cons?

Gary in VA (and staying in VA)

Crappy rim and tire selection.

_ While there aren't 800 roughly identical tires, there are
enough to be getting on with.

For you, but not for me. Subtle differences in tires are noticed by
an experenced rider. Barneys see tires as "roughly identical".

Quoted message said:

You will probably have to deal with
web/mail order to get what you want.

Not in my 'hood. There are plenty of good LBSs that will get them for
me if I wanted.

Quoted message said:

One thing to keep in mind is
since the contact patch is longer, you can generally run a
smaller tire than you might on a 26 in wheel.

So, you've bought into the hype hook, line and sinker. You obviously
don't ride where I do. I want fat tires.

Quoted message said:

Personally,
44m WTB nanoraptors seem as big as I'll ever need, but
my 29'er is a Surly Cross-Check with flat bars.

That means, "you can disregard all I've had to say because I don't
ride a 29inch wheeled mountain bike".

As far as what Tom Purvis had to say, he can ramble on all he wants
about 29ers. I'm (as most other mountain bikers) not buying it.

JD