thormightythor said:G'day all, my first post here! I'm in the market for a hard tail mountain bike for less than $2,000.00AU that will handle sand tracks and beaches at low tide. Also flat road riding but not more than 10km per ride. Not many hills at all.
FWIW. In part because it is what I want, but can't justify, I would recommend a RALIEGH XXIX ... there is a Single Speed version & one with a front suspension fork + gearing ($600US & $1000US, retail, respectively, the last time I looked [last year]). The frame is CroMo, so it will weigh about a pound more than a 29er with an alloy frame.
The functional reason why you MAY want to give serious consideration to a 29er instead of a "regular" MTB with 26" wheels is because the larger wheel size really will make it easier to ride through the sand -- wet hard pack & the looser stuff. The early miners in Death Valley figured THAT out back in the 19th Century when the wagons with smaller wheels got stuck in the sand.
The 29er tires are NOT any fatter (unless you are running narrow tires) ... just a larger circumference (700x58 is common).
Of course, the 29er may still be an American phenomon ... I don't know how much they have proliferated, yet ... but, if you can find any, you may want to consider one.
BTW. Depending on how your current MTB's rear stays are shaped (the seat stays are probably wide enough apart; so, it's really a matter of the chainstays), you may be able to fit a 700x58 tire inside the rear triangle. If your MTB has a suspension fork, then the 29er tire probably won't fit, but a solid MTB fork will probably have the necessary clearance ...
To over-simply the difference in a 26" MTB frame & a 29er frame, a 29er's BB will have more "drop" (similar to what you would find on a ROAD bike) than a MTB's BB ... so, you could cobble up a DIY if you can snag some 622-17 (or, wider) "touring" rims + 29er tires & tubes so you could try-before-you-buy a new 29er bike.
