Are 29ers really trail worthy?

PB Forum :: 29ers
Are 29ers really trail worthy?
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flag Philbran
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 16:38 Quote
Well, I've thought about this constantly and have gathered different opinions. After such, I'm basically given in to the obvious truth. 29ers are not quite trail bikes. Please, express your thoughts and experiences!
flag Philbran
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 17:08 Quote
I think 29ers are useful for very strict places. I've only played on a few casually so I'm not the person to give true cred either way. Novice at best. I sport a 26 still and am baffled they are put to an end..
flag thumsup
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 17:11 Quote
Define trail bike.
flag Philbran
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 17:14 Quote
Trail bike:
Light jumps, many roots/gravel.. Tight turns. Med climbs.
flag Philbran
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 17:15 Quote
Trail bike:
Light jumps, many roots/gravel.. Tight turns. Med climbs.
flag Philbran
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 17:15 Quote
My personal definition.
flag north-shore-king
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 17:18 Quote
Yes but anything more and their crap.
flag Philbran
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 17:28 Quote
north-shore-king wrote:
Yes but anything more and their crap.
Really? I was doubting them on that alone. Explain your xp, ser
flag Philbran
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 17:35 Quote
I've found them tall, bulky and difficult to manage. Clearly a ride that's made for going straight. Maybe only for mountain or downhill.
flag whistlerbound
Posted: Dec 22, 2015 at 18:44 Quote
Hey I recently found out the secret to 29ers is to downsize your frame then use a longer stem and seatpost, Yes they are big and bulky. Downsize your frame and use light parts. Probably want to use clip in pedals as well . Now you're ready for some jumps. If your interested in 29ers chances are you have to do some climbing. Heres a video that explains it. The jump comes at 54 seconds into the video,copy and paste link to play video

http://www.redbull.com/en/bike/stories/1331742825445/val-di-sole-xco-world-cup-track-explanation-video

basically the epitomy of trail riding.Salute
flag ric0
Posted: Dec 23, 2015 at 8:07 Quote
First time I set foot on a 29er was a scott demo all carbon, can't remember the model but it was like $9,000 retail, I turned on strava and set a TON of new PR's. This being on what I consider my home trail which has roughly 2,000ft of climbing if riding for 2 hours.
I was riding a full suspension 26er and never new I could have that much fun and or speed on a 29er. Was blown away at how well it did at everything.

All I do is ride XC but can also bust out jumps if need be and have no issues in doing anything on my Tallboy.

The ONLY thing that sucks is tight twisty trails which make up about 5% of all and any trails I ride.
It took some seat time to get comfortable but there is no doubt a 29er is VERY much trail worthy.

2 weeks ago I went from 100mm fork to a 120mm and holy crap did that wake this thing up.

If it sucks then I guess some people don't have the legs or skills to ride one.
flag jrathke
Posted: Dec 23, 2015 at 9:06 Quote
Yes, they are awesome for singletrack. But if you want to get air off a jump, forget about it. Im thinking i need 3 bikes, because one does not do everything. remember that and just have fun.
flag Facingtraffic
Posted: Dec 23, 2015 at 12:17 Quote
Just like 26 and 27.5, there's a wide range of 29ers available from strictly XC to aggressive all-mountain.

I'd hardly think that anybody would say the Evil Following, Canfield Riot, Canfield EPO, Transition Smuggler, Kona Process 111, Kona Honzo, Spec Enduro and Stumpy, Trek Remedy, etc. aren't worthy trail bikes just because they sport 29 inch wheels. I'm not saying that any one of those would be right for you, but they're definitely worthy of consideration.

I have an aggressive 29er hardtail, a Diamondback Mason. I can tell you that roots don't bother it at all and that the larger wheels do a lot to silence normal trail chatter, which is important here in the NE. It jumps well. I wouldn't go taking it to a legit jump line but that's probably more down to my ability rather than the bike.

It's a bear in really tight, slow turns. The larger wheels also take a bit more effort to get going again once you've slowed down. It likes momentum and makes you pay when you lose it. Feels great through berms.

I love it. I did just buy a 2016 Commencal Meta AM V3, but I have no intention of selling the Diamondback. Different horses for different courses so to speak.

Basically, go out and ride a 29er that's meant for the type of riding you actually want to do and see if you like it. Don't go throw a leg over something like an Epic and expect it to be loads of fun over jumps/drops/etc. And it's cool if you don't like it. To each his own.
flag north-shore-king
Posted: Dec 23, 2015 at 12:46 Quote
Philbran wrote:
north-shore-king wrote:
Yes but anything more and their crap.
Really? I was doubting them on that alone. Explain your xp, ser
Far to flexy,cumbersome, and heavy for my liking.
flag amarmurthi
Posted: Dec 23, 2015 at 13:04 Quote
Like FacingTraffic said, there are many trail worthy 29ers. Bikes like the enduro 29, stumpjumper 29, evil following etc are really capable. I've ridden my stumpjumper evo 29 on dh tracks and its handled amazingly well. Obviously different wheel sizes have their areas where they shine and also have areas where there are drawbacks, same goes for 29. 100% trail worthy though from my riding experience.
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