Seriously PB users, so many spray hate on a bike when over half of you have never ridden in Utah and less than half of you could ride at that level on ANY bike.
Own a 29er and rode it. Just purchased a 26er trail bike, love it and will never go back to 29er unless I'm going on a 2 hour xc ride with men in tights riding cycle cross bikes.
all im sayin is it looks the the bike failed the test. nate adams looks like hes working super hard to ride at the speed he is going. does niner really believe i will be convinced that their bike is capable of descending like a "true downhill bike"? utah ha been shredded harder on kona stinkys since 2003.
@insanemntbiker A pro bike can go pro on anything almost, but why amatours should make it harder buying the wrong size? @zorba73 I think for cross country like purposes only.
So it is getting more and more clear now that 29ers for xc, 27,5 for trail, 26 for downhill. The more you roll the larger the wheel, the more you fly the smaller the wheel to choose.
I don't really give a crap about wheel size, I think you should ride what suits you. But I think that only exemplified why 29er's aren't ideal for FR or DH. 29er's have a place in XC or trail riding and can offer some advantages, but they have too many constraints to meet gravity oriented needs.
He definately had some nice lines, when you see someone riding more aggressively like that it puts the 29er in a different light. It didn't look too awkward, but videos with 29ers do look more natural with taller riders.
@gmcgurk: wow dude sorry. I'm kinda new to mountain biking and still learning and trying to gain some confidence, i guess ill stay away from pinkbike then
@Jimmy0 I'm 5'8' and I ride a medium, Stumpy Comp 29er. I feel completely comfortable on it. I started on a rigid 26er and just decided to give 29er a try. In my two years of riding I've had two 29ers, one for XC and the Stumpy for trail riding. I just think it's preference and what you feel comfortable with. Riding whatever size wheel you want and having some fun while you're doing it will boost your confidence in no time!
How many of you bashing 29-ers have actually spent a decent amount of time on a modern " long travel" 29-er rig? My guess is almost none of you. I have a 26-er and a 29-er and all I can say is that the 26-er is gathering dust. Sure it corners a tiny bit better and it's a bit more playful but when it comes right down to it a 29-er is just faster ( a f*ckload faster!)......to me faster is funner. I'd almost put money on the guy on the 29-er down that trail for sheer top to bottom speed compared to the guy in the other vid on the 26. Big wheels are the future. Deal with it and make friends with them. I can't wait for DH to go 27.5! Since when did wheel size dictate how you protect your noggin? That is the most moronic, fashion victim statement I've ever read on PB!
@Protour actually that would be really interesting to watch. It'd be cool to see how the line choices and styles change as the wheels get bigger. Obviously there are more variables than that, but from my own experience I think the difference would be noticeable. In my experience (xc/trail) the 29ers are more about point-and-shoot straight line choices and 26ers are about jerking and weaving through stuff; which might also be why people here are saying the 29er looks "weird" here. I'd love to see a video like you're talking about.
@ Worm-Burner, totally agree. You could do it on a transition covert since it offers all 3 (and close geo) with the same rider. Would be great to see how it changes line choice and speed.
I definitely think that it depends on the rider. I worked with Logan at a bike shop and he is really into his 26. @dirtslayer157 he is riding the Giant Faith in this video, not a cruz.
I think this is a great video and I never get sick of Utah, except mabye when I'm stuck in PA under 2 inches of pure ice- then I just get jealous. It's really nice to see Ian's use of the video mode on his big cameras! Nate rode that bike well and I know it's not a DH bike, but it demonstrated some nice versatility. Sometimes I get sick of shuttles and a 29er does cruise up the hill better than my 26ers. They really are a nice addition to a quiver of mountain bikes if you have diverse riding tastes.
@Spinteck thanks! And I think your point that it's not a DH bike is something most people missed. The WFO isn't a DH bike and isn't intended to be one. It's an AM bike, something that you pedal up and ride down...
Every time I see a Niner I can't help to think of a quote from a certain MTB Mag. The RIP 9 goes through tight sections of trial with the grace of a Tractor trailer going through a McDonalds drive through
I can tell you from a good amount of time on the RIP that it SLAYS tight corners and does not go any slower than a 26 through them. I was totally blown away to have it's geo feeling good when I thought it would suck. In fact, the 125mm bike handled awesome where I was running 150mm 26" bike.
Well honestly I think it was a pretty cool video, but I am just not a 29er kind of guy. I can see the 29er being more comfortable with someone tall on this kind of terrain but I still think 26 rules as far as DH and freeride go.
"The first bike I've ridden that really bridges the gap between a trail bike and a true downhill bike." I guess you've never ridden... I dunno, any long travel trail bike.
Same old arguement....like mountain bikers against roadies. Now the arseholes are trying to create a mountain bike devide in this community based on wheelsize. If you want huge air get a motocrosser, if you want a little air get a 26er, downhill rig, if you want Enduro with a hard mix of up's and downs, even European or world travel 26 or 27.5 will be ideal. If you want an all day comfortable ride, long distance, marathon/race, long fire roads with ups and downs, less jumps, just a fast run from A-B, you need a 29er. It ain't rocket science? I'm 46, been around from the start, rode everything from Brooklyn Racelinks down to budget bikes. I'm a large bloke and at the moment ride a Turner Sultan 29er...she can do everything and anything I need? She is a superb ride here in Wales UK, there is no mountain or trail this bike cannot run on...so stop the winging, and just get a bike you are happy with, and stop disrespecting the rest of the biking community, we are all supposed to be one family, ship up, or ship out if you ain't happy !!
Why do all of Niner's bikes have '9' or in the name? Doesn't the name - and ethos (if I'm recalling some rather lop-sided cross-talk style PB articles on wheelsize) - of the company make the extra 9s redundant?
A lot of wobble on that front wheel. Wheel wobble not for me. My 29er is very unstable at speed. It's for sale now that i have 650b trek slash 8. Slash 8 very stable, very fun. Probably more stable than 26er with 20mm axle and 40mm stanchions. #trollforlife
why don't we just make 2 more wheel sizes that will solve all arguing: 28.754163 and 26.5894732 I hear it will make a huge difference in my skill level and will double how fast I go up and down the mountain.
You mean like....don't protect your head because you chose a particular wheel size? You should tell the Enduro champs they are doing it wrong. Or holler at Gwin and tell him he shouldn't have won Sea Otter in 2013 due to his choice in wheel size + Helmet.
@zorba73 I think for cross country like purposes only.
So it is getting more and more clear now that 29ers for xc, 27,5 for trail, 26 for downhill. The more you roll the larger the wheel, the more you fly the smaller the wheel to choose.
I have a 26-er and a 29-er and all I can say is that the 26-er is gathering dust. Sure it corners a tiny bit better and it's a bit more playful but when it comes right down to it a 29-er is just faster ( a f*ckload faster!)......to me faster is funner. I'd almost put money on the guy on the 29-er down that trail for sheer top to bottom speed compared to the guy in the other vid on the 26.
Big wheels are the future. Deal with it and make friends with them. I can't wait for DH to go 27.5!
Since when did wheel size dictate how you protect your noggin? That is the most moronic, fashion victim statement I've ever read on PB!
www.pinkbike.com/news/Legacy-of-Grafton-video-enve-logan-whitehead-video-2014.html
Interesting to see both. Big difference in riding style, but is that rider or wheel size?
looks like enve rims and maxxis tubeless rubba
28.754163
and
26.5894732
I hear it will make a huge difference in my skill level and will double how fast I go up and down the mountain.