DirtyJumper81

Panic rev....

I love Andreu's supermans, he gets the most incredible extension.

While the 29er is better at rolling over things there is also a greater flywheel effect caused by going bigger, the wheel would actually have to be a bit lighter than the 26 because of the greater moment of inertia from putting the weight of the tire and rim further out. In some situations the flywheel effect may have some benefit, like long straight trails with little change in direction or speed, but when you're going fast, turning, stopping, starting and constantly changing speed I think the 26 will always out shine the 29ers. I don't think the 29er will ever completely replace the 26er for that reason. However for the beginner or weekend warrior who might not be able to, or want to bunny hop, jump, manual, or simply pull up over some of the smaller obstacles, the 29er might be a substantial benefit. If that's what it takes to get more people riding/building trails its a good thing, but I don't think I'll ever own one, and it would be safe to say that they will never be a serious contender for the DJ market.

Sounds pretty lame, the progression of mountain biking is what drew me to it, this seems like a serious backwards step in sanctioned racing.

The chain jumping off really shouldn't be much of an issue just as long as the frame is stiff enough side to side. Think more along the lines of a single speed or a jump bike, since the chain set-up is more like those.