Two Nine
It finally arrived. My opportunity to see and feel what all of the supporters have been praising and what the nay-sayers are claiming is overrated. I have spent my entire mountain bike riding life on 26" wheels because that is what existed. Working with Guitar Ted has given me the chance to listen to all of what is "good" about a 29" wheeled mountain bike. G-Ted rides nothing but 29ers and I hold his opinion very high due to the extensive research and testing of all types of frames, forks, handlebars, and combinations of all of the above. In my opinion, he is one of the most knowledgable 29er people that I am aware of.
I was invited by G-Ted to participate in a 29er demo weekend with Mike Reimer and Jason Boucher of Salsa Cycles. They brought with them, four 29ers which represented the three 29ers that they sell. We also had G-Ted's Raleigh XXIX and The Smackdown's Cannondale Caffeine F29. Since I have never had the opportunity to ride a 29er outdoors I took the time to ride a couple of different bikes in order to get a decent feel for the 29er as a whole. I will have a more extensive review of the Cannondale F29 after I take it from Kerkove. He is a bike hog and I do not have a mountain bike at this time. Anyway, my initial impressions of 29ers on a basic platform are that they do more of the things that they have been praised for and fewer of the things that they have been dumped on for. At 6'1" tall I found myself very comfortable atop these big wheeled bikes and had very little difficulty getting accustomed to how they were set up. Both of the 29ers that I rode rolled over obstacles and maintained speed really well just like I have heard from all of the 29er advocates. They decended well and even went through the corners very well. I was waiting for the "increased steering input" that many non-believers have stated but I never experienced any of it. Interesting.
The gearing on these bikes is the same that you would see on a 26" wheeled MTB but the increased wheel size definately changed the way that it is used, which I expected. Things seemed to flow really well while on the big wheels. Climbing seemed to be easier although I feel that I will need some more time on the 29er to get a real feel for this aspect. Initial thoughts do make it seem that I was not putting forth as much effort on either of the 29" wheeled bikes compared to the same climbs when riding a 26" wheeled bike.
My impressions at this point are that 29ers might just be the way to go for me. I am excited about riding a few of them and getting some time on the F29 at the shop to determine my future direction. Big thanks go out to Mike Reimer and Jason Boucher of Salsa Cycles who took the time to drive their product to us and allow us the time to ride it. Both of these guys are good riders and great company so if you have the opporunity to roll with them, be sure to do it. Thanks guys!!!
Photo of me rolling the Cannondale F29 taken by Bidwell.
I was invited by G-Ted to participate in a 29er demo weekend with Mike Reimer and Jason Boucher of Salsa Cycles. They brought with them, four 29ers which represented the three 29ers that they sell. We also had G-Ted's Raleigh XXIX and The Smackdown's Cannondale Caffeine F29. Since I have never had the opportunity to ride a 29er outdoors I took the time to ride a couple of different bikes in order to get a decent feel for the 29er as a whole. I will have a more extensive review of the Cannondale F29 after I take it from Kerkove. He is a bike hog and I do not have a mountain bike at this time. Anyway, my initial impressions of 29ers on a basic platform are that they do more of the things that they have been praised for and fewer of the things that they have been dumped on for. At 6'1" tall I found myself very comfortable atop these big wheeled bikes and had very little difficulty getting accustomed to how they were set up. Both of the 29ers that I rode rolled over obstacles and maintained speed really well just like I have heard from all of the 29er advocates. They decended well and even went through the corners very well. I was waiting for the "increased steering input" that many non-believers have stated but I never experienced any of it. Interesting.
The gearing on these bikes is the same that you would see on a 26" wheeled MTB but the increased wheel size definately changed the way that it is used, which I expected. Things seemed to flow really well while on the big wheels. Climbing seemed to be easier although I feel that I will need some more time on the 29er to get a real feel for this aspect. Initial thoughts do make it seem that I was not putting forth as much effort on either of the 29" wheeled bikes compared to the same climbs when riding a 26" wheeled bike.
My impressions at this point are that 29ers might just be the way to go for me. I am excited about riding a few of them and getting some time on the F29 at the shop to determine my future direction. Big thanks go out to Mike Reimer and Jason Boucher of Salsa Cycles who took the time to drive their product to us and allow us the time to ride it. Both of these guys are good riders and great company so if you have the opporunity to roll with them, be sure to do it. Thanks guys!!!
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on 11.13.2006 at 7:32 AM.
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