Irish Trails: 26 or 29er?

fellow traveller

One for the XC riders, would you choose a 26er or 29er for Irish trails?

Luckily I'm getting a new bike but its a bit like giving birth; a new joy comes into my life but it is a long and agonising process. Torn between the CUBE LTD SL (26 hardtail) and waiting for a 2013 CUBE LTD 29er.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

monkeyslayer

fellow traveller wrote: »

One for the XC riders, would you choose a 26er or 29er for Irish trails?

Luckily I'm getting a new bike but its a bit like giving birth; a new joy comes into my life but it is a long and agonising process. Torn between the CUBE LTD SL (26 hardtail) and waiting for a 2013 CUBE LTD 29er.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Have wondered the same myself, I went with a 26 just cause it would be lighter and I have to cycle to the trails and I actually prefer climbing to descending off road, if I drove I probably would have got a 29er. I dont think the weight difference is anything major though.

jayjbe

To add to your painful decision...wait for a 27.5er :cool:

fellow traveller

monkeyslayer wrote: »

Have wondered the same myself, I went with a 26 just cause it would be lighter and I have to cycle to the trails and I actually prefer climbing to descending off road, if I drove I probably would have got a 29er. I dont think the weight difference is anything major though.

Are you riding a hard tail? My budget doesn't stretch to a decent full suspension 26, so a 29er is possibly a good buy.

That said, are there any Irish trails that you wouldn't ride on a 26 HT?

fellow traveller

jayjbe wrote: »

To add to your painful decision...wait for a 27.5er :cool:

I'd probable buy one now if they were available in Ireland, best of both worlds?

Tenzor07

Go for the 29er, it's the new trend! Will roll better on fireroads and over rocky patches etc... Bit more flex and weight in the wheels from a 29er, though the advantages would balance that out...

petethedrummer

Didn't the top 3 in the olympics each have different sized wheels? 29", 650B and 26".

Tenzor07

petethedrummer wrote: »

Didn't the top 3 in the olympics each have different sized wheels? 29", 650B and 26".

1st place: 29er full Suss
2nd place: 650b hardtail
3rd place: 29er Hardtail.

petethedrummer

Tenzor07 wrote: »

1st place: 29er full Suss
2nd place: 650b hardtail
3rd place: 29er Hardtail.

Well it must have been 4th or 5th that was on a 26". Boardman kept going on about it.

fellow traveller

petethedrummer wrote: »

Didn't the top 3 in the olympics each have different sized wheels? 29", 650B and 26".

The women's result possibly shows that the 26er suits shorter people, or that wheel size doesn't matter too much at all.

Womens:
1st: Bresset -- 26er hardtail
2nd: Spitz -- 650b hardtail
3rd: Gould -- 29er hardtail
4th: Kalentieva --26er hardtail
5th: Suss -- 29er hardtail

Mens:
1st: Kulhavy -- 29er FS
2nd: Schurter -- 650b hardtail
3rd: Fontana -- 29er hardtail
4th: Hermida -- 29er hardtail
5th: Stander -- 29er hardtail

Tenzor07

Edit: What he said ^^^^^^^

petethedrummer

fellow traveller wrote: »

Womens:
1st: Bresset -- 26er hardtail
2nd: Spitz -- 650b hardtail
3rd: Gould -- 29er hardtail
4th: Kalentieva --26er hardtail
5th: Suss -- 29er hardtail

Must have been the women's race I was watching.

deandean

I got a 29er hardtail a few months back and I find it slightly better in all aspects of trail riding. I notice it specially when I go back to my 26" MTB; the 29er just rolls better. You still have to pedal it though!

I suggest you get a loan of a demo 29er from a bike shop and try it for a couple of days.

Whitedoor

I have a giant talon 29 er , I going back to a 26 wheeler ,I am not that tall and I find the 26 easier ,no fault to the bike , I have nt been biking long and I am sure that someone else will master it and get the benefit from it , I bought road going tyres for a small charity run and it seems to help on road a lot.

Time for done deal

Tenzor07

Whitedoor wrote: »

I have a giant talon 29 er , I going back to a 26 wheeler ,I am not that tall and I find the 26 easier ,no fault to the bike , I have nt been biking long and I am sure that someone else will master it and get the benefit from it , I bought road going tyres for a small charity run and it seems to help on road a lot.

Don't quite follow your logic there! Road going tyres on a 29er would definetly give a noticable benefit over the smaller wheel on the road.

Give the bike a chance, up your skills and you may enjoy it more..

fellow traveller

deandean wrote: »

I got a 29er hardtail a few months back and I find it slightly better in all aspects of trail riding. I notice it specially when I go back to my 26" MTB; the 29er just rolls better. You still have to pedal it though!

I suggest you get a loan of a demo 29er from a bike shop and try it for a couple of days.

Thanks Deandean,

Just curious, the 29th is only slightly better on the trails? Some would have you believe they are a radical improvement.

Tenzor07

29er rolls better on fireroad and over rocky terrain, and is ideal for XC racing.

160mm+ DH bikes will always be 26"

140mm "Trail" bikes, i.e. "aggressive" slightly slacker angled XC bikes will be a strong mix of 650b and 29er wheels...(and 26" too!)

650b bikes are only starting to come out so would give it a couple of years before manufactuers perfect the geometry, esp. with full suss bikes..

26ers are pretty much perftectly designed, so any hardtail or full suss frame will suit all riders.

As you appear to be new to MTB'ing then, if you can get your CUBE bike now, and cheap, then go for it!

C3PO

fellow traveller wrote: »

Thanks Deandean,

Just curious, the 29th is only slightly better on the trails? Some would have you believe they are a radical improvement.

I think most good riders, that have ridden 26 and 29s, would agree that differences are small .... some like them .... as many don't!

davyjose

I just bought a new 26er which I couldn't pass up. It was effectively half price, but all things being equal, I'd go for a 29er for its ability to take the rougher ground so well. But I was blooded on a 26er hardtail, and so I remain, lol.

Go witht the 29er though, would be my honest advice.

davyjose

fellow traveller wrote: »

Thanks Deandean,

Just curious, the 29th is only slightly better on the trails? Some would have you believe they are a radical improvement.

I wouldn't say radical improvement. You'll go quicker around a course but if you're new to the sport a 26er Hard tail will bring your technique up to speed a lot quicker.

fellow traveller

Thanks all for the advice; going to get the Cube LTD HT 26er after all. I spent literally 10 minutes deciding what apartment to buy, this decision has taken me 2 weeks of research, contemplation and pestering this forum (at least it's a better investment).

In the end the weather is just too good to wait for the new seasons stock and I'm itching to try some trails.

Whitedoor

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Don't quite follow your logic there! Road going tyres on a 29er would definetly give a noticable benefit over the smaller wheel on the road.

Give the bike a chance, up your skills and you may enjoy it more..

i only fitted road tyres for a road run i was doing with no off road ,i now have put the small block tyres on again ,my logic was that i only have one bike and i done it to make the bike as close to others (all road bikes) as possible as i said maybe its me ,do you have a 29er? what do you think of them?

Tenzor07

Whitedoor wrote: »

my logic was that i only have one bike and i done it to make the bike as close to others (all road bikes) as possible

Well then, sure the big wheels on a mtb will be closer to a road bike in terms of how quick they roll..

mikelo303

HI.

I decided to join and ask before I go crazy. I am lucky to afford new bike now but it is really like giving birth. It's really hard to choose bike foe more that 3K without riding it. But what can I do?

Anyway...

I am struggling between those two bikes:

http://www.cube.eu/en/full/allmountain/stereo-super-hpc-140-race/

and

http://www.cube.eu/en/full/allmountain/stereo-super-hpc-160-race/

To start with my details. I am 185cm high (6'1'') and 85 kilo (187lbs), 34 Years old (so no kid anymore) fairly experienced. This is going to be my only bike so I need it for everything. I have my old 26 Giant (HT) which I plan to use on tarmac training. However my new bike will have to work on tarmac as well as I am planning to go to Ticknock from home (30Km).

I always loved idea of 29er but I tried few recently (in the shop) and front wheel is catching my toes (well that was medium frame I need L). Overall I am afraid to have problems on slow twisty tracks (forests) in Ireland.

Second bike is 650B which is interesting and wheel size seems more logical considering that bike will be more responsive on twisty tracks. BUT. It's 160mm travel and head angle is slacker 66,5 Degrees so more like DH bikes. I am afraid here that in this case bike will be actually less nimble than 29er based on head angle (68 in 29er). Furthermore 160mm might be too much for Ireland. I am not crazy about speed at all, more technical twisty tracks that requires balance and skill.

To sum it up. I always thought 26 inch bikes are too small (at least for me). Trying 29er (just basic spins) left me puzzled. I prefer bigger wheels but they seem too big now. 650B on the other hand is actually just little bigger form 26 and NOT in between 29 and 26. I need do-it-all bike and I am not planning to have 3 bikes (well with new one I will have 2 with my old 100mm HT).

Any advice? Please help me choose between those two. Which one would you choose and why? Any help is very welcome.

lochdara

fellow traveller wrote: »

One for the XC riders, would you choose a 26er or 29er for Irish trails?

Luckily I'm getting a new bike but its a bit like giving birth; a new joy comes into my life but it is a long and agonising process. Torn between the CUBE LTD SL (26 hardtail) and waiting for a 2013 CUBE LTD 29er.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

If money if tight try get this years option as 2013 bikes are increasing in price by 15%

C3PO

C3PO wrote: »

I am struggling between those two bikes:

http://www.cube.eu/en/full/allmountain/stereo-super-hpc-140-race/

and

http://www.cube.eu/en/full/allmountain/stereo-super-hpc-160-race/

However my new bike will have to work on tarmac as well as I am planning to go to Ticknock from home (30Km).

Two nice bikes but the second one is definately overkill for Ticknock and no matter what anyone tells you will it will be hard work on the climbs! I wouldn't fancy riding either of them on the road for 30kms either! If you're really going to spend that much time on the road I'd be looking at something with a maximum of 120mm travel with lockouts front and back!

Tenzor07

Both are nice bikes, the 140mm "trail" bike is the one to go for...160mm for general trail riding is definetly overkill..

I know guys of 6ft/6ft1 on medium 26er's so it's not like your massively tall, you just have to get the bars/saddle/seatpost in the right position, with a shorter or longer stem depending...

...If you are Dublin based, head to Expert Cycles in Rathfarnham, 2 National Mountain bike champions working there so you will get good advise...

Though personally if i had just the one bike and was cycling by road to Ticknock i'd be looking at a 29er hardtail over a full suss..

mikelo303

Thanks guys for advice. Case is I can get only Cube bikes and I always disliked 26inch bikes. In this case I think I can go for 29er. If 160mm is too much. I am just afraid of twisty tracks in the forests (hidden tracks). Full suss for sure. My arse had enough of HT.

STI V5

My head was melted with making the right decision a few months back , too much choice out there !!! Done all the research heard all the opinions and finally just bit the bullet and went for a xc configuration cube reaction sl 26" 10.3 kgs so light enough and very strong too !! Rock shock sid fork,formula brakes and sram xo groupset ! Im far from an expert but anything ive thrown at it , its taken on with ease ! Boggy pathways , flint trails ,rock paths and 30k of roads on the journey over and back !! went through a few tubes and it needs tyres now but other than that not a bother on it !!

dancecatz2000

Iv got myself a full carbon 29er with fox forks an full xt, it`s awesome been mtb for 22yrs now, iv also a 26" kona hei hei with xtr both ride really well, but i keep edging towards the 29er it rolls so well, climbs great descends great, only 1 problem iv found it picks up speed very quickly on very steep descents and is hard to control as your going faster than you would like,

mikelo303

Hi,

Yep. I am thinking now towards 29er. Full suss. My back won't stand hard tail any more, besides it's for fun not races. 160mm travel seems too much for Ireland so I stick wit 120-140 29er I think. I am just afraid of twisty single tracks in forest but you have to adopt to 29er anyway.