New mountain biker

[Fingersave1]

I am new into mountain biking, I just have a piece of junk $100 bike from sports academy. So I have begun to look into a new bike and was wondering what the difrence is between a 29 inch frame and a 26 inch frame

[MCR35]

I believe one is shorter than the other.

[Jeff Barber]

I think you’re referring to wheel size – 26" versus 29". I ride a 21" [i:qak6spy0]frame[/i:qak6spy0] and that’s one of the largest ones most manufacturers make. A 29" mountain bike frame would be pretty ridiculous…

Mountain bikes with 29" inch wheels are called 29ers and they’re slowly starting to catch on with riders of all sizes and abilities. This YouTube video is entertaining and should help fill you in on the advantages of a 29er: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OyIWPB-X49U

From what I’ve seen 29ers and 26ers generally cost about the same in most cases (though 29ers may be a bit more expensive).

[GreenGiant]

I ride a 29er and thought I would chime in. Some say 29ers are for big guys, aka Clydesdales, but that is necessarily not the case because one of my riding buddy is rides one is 5′-8". I am 6′-2" and its perfect for me and I ride a large frame.

However, I would say that 29ers are still a fringe concept although they have been around for awhile. What is discussed in the YouTube presentation is dead on about the differences and what you need to look at is your style of riding and how you want to challenge yourself.

Most guys who ride a 29er, ride SS (Singlespeed) and Rigid (that’s right, no squish up front) because the larger volume tires and the longer spokes, combined with more roll over capability gets you about an inch of travel. It’s really incredible to hammer a real technical trail and roll over most of the stuff effortlessly as opposed to hitting the same trail with an FS (Full Suspension) rig and jingle down the trail.

And of course there are some drawbacks, like starting up – its slower. The weight issue is manageable if are you willing to spend more for lighter components, however, frames tend to be pricey and front shocks even more so. Maybe that is why alot of us ride rigid because we don’t wont to drop $300 to $400 on a low end fork or $500 to $600 on a higher end fork.

I will probably get another bike this fall, still on the fence between a FS 29er XC bike or a FS All Mountain Bike (with 26er wheels), mainly because at times when I ride with groups, riding SS with a bunch of people on FS all mountain and XC rigs usually puts me at the back of the pack, I am always playing catch up and they are always waiting for me. Of course, if I am riding with other SSers and/or 29er riders, then it’s cool.

If you think a 29er is your game but not sure, try one out and also try a regular mountain bike, hopefully in the same configuration – best bet is to compare HTs (hard tails) and see what you like best.

Now if you want to get really crazy, try a 69er (or 96er if you find 69 offensive). A 69er is basically a 29er wheel upfront and a 26er wheel in the back. This is actually an old concept, you will find many Motor Cross bikes set up this way, and I think Canondale used to sell a bike with a 26er front and a 24er in the rear. The advantage of the 69er concept is you get the roll over capability of the 29er wheel upfront and you get the additional torque and power of the smaller wheel in the rear.

I had one these as well that I put 100 miles. It was rigged SS and Rigid and it performed handsomely on some very technical terrain but it was an aluminum frame and aluminum doesn’t have much flex to it, unlike steel which is what my 29er frame is, and I felt my 69er was too harsh to ride. In fact, I am riding it as just a HT and thinking about going back to a 69er with it, only this time trying some squish upfront and seeing what that does to the ride.

Good luck!

[Bombardier]

Green Giant is quite on the money with his post about 29’er bikes.

But I’ll add a couple of my observations here….

A lot of resistance to 29" wheels came from their weight and lack of strength in the past, as well as a dearth of aftermarket wheelsets. These problems have been taken care of in the last couple years.

Often times, a 29’er frame will fit taller riders better than shorter people, as the standovers are usually taller than normal 26" wheel bikes. There are several companies that make dropped top-tube frames, but on the whole they’re pretty traditionally shaped. There is also a growing segment of 29’er manufacturers that are making full-suspension bikes, but generally travel is limited to no more than 3-4".
You can find longer travel 29’er bikes (Lenz makes one) that have up to 5-6" of travel. These are hard to find, and usually quite expensive. The biggest obstacle to long-travel 29’er frames is the fork.

I myself tested a 29’er for the first time recently (a Gary Fisher ProCaliber), and I was impressed with how easily it rolled over obstacles and holes. Getting it up to speed was only marginally less fast than a regular 26" bike, and it’s not really a big deal. If it came down to it, I’d easily opt for a hybrid (69’er), and Trek now makes one that is both a singlespeed and a 1×9 geared bike.

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