Just say no to 29ers

[Eddy Current]

Maybe mullets are ok, but I see the 29er trend even more dangerously approaching to the emtb bikes in many 2020 new ebikes, and I mean both rear and front.

29ers is just another bullshit marketing thing imported from the Egyptian plague of the mtb (cross country and his Nino Schurters wannabes apocalypse horsemens) just as the clipless pedals and the lycra the 12 speed cassette and the enough room for two water bottle on the frame. I forget a lot of more things, I’m sure

better roll over and bla bla bla ... more weight, more inertia, less rigidity, less nimble, more need of expensive carbon, longer chainstays, less grip than the beloved plus tires, these are facts. 29ers are meant to roll fast on normal XC bikes, no to turn fast in enduro ebikes.

As usuall discuss and ”you have no idea shut up” for this poor old fashioned rebel

 

[Madmatt75]

“Just say no”. Reminds me of Grange Hill. ?

 

[Ameiza]

Didn’t really invite for discussions there, did you?

 

[Beekeeper]

Maybe mullets are ok, but I see the 29er trend even more dangerously approaching to the emtb bikes in many 2020 new ebikes, and I mean both rear and front.

29ers is just another bullshit marketing thing imported from the Egyptian plague of the mtb (cross country and his Nino Schurters wannabes apocalypse horsemens) just as the clipless pedals and the lycra the 12 speed cassette and the enough room for two water bottle on the frame. I forget a lot of more things, I’m sure

better roll over and bla bla bla ... more weight, more inertia, less rigidity, less nimble, more need of expensive carbon, longer chainstays, less grip than the beloved plus tires, these are facts. 29ers are meant to roll fast on normal XC bikes, no to turn fast in enduro ebikes.

As usuall discuss and ”you have no idea shut up” for this poor old fashioned rebel

On my entry level cube hardtail I’d actually prefer 5 gears and not 11. The cassette sprockets would be thicker and more durable and so would the chain.

 

[Rusty]

Just say NO to 27.5 ..... not as quick turning and shite covering ground like a 29er.

Y'all got it wrong dude - 29er has been around long before 27.5 (650b). Marketers just decided people are suckers for a 'new' standard.
And NO - mullets are not OK.

 

[StevenM]

26 lives forever

 

[ifu03558]

Sam Hill seems to rate 29ers and I'd bet he's a much better rider than anyone on this forum.

 

[davarello]

OK, you don't like 29ers or clipless pedals. Fascinating.

 

[Akiwi]

I just bought my new Cube with 27.5 ers. I tried the 29ers, yes they went straight ahead well, but I enjoy the tricky technical trails and the 27.5 wheels just felt nimble and light to me. On my last bike I put a nice fat 2.8 Eddy Current on it and it was so much fun to ride!
I don't really see the need for 12 speed on the new bike, but I didn't have any choice in that.

 

[118]

Sam Hill seems to rate 29ers and I'd bet he's a much better rider than anyone on this forum.

I beg to differ - we've got Zim here. His stunt ability is phenomenal. Far superior than that Aussie chap

 

[Gary]

1/10

Nino won most of his titles/races on smaller wheels.

If you're gonna type stuff at least make it factual.

I've no idea how any Emtb rider can bag on super fit highly skilled world cup level riders. Especially on their choice of equipment/clothing. Clue: They know what they're doing way better than you.

 

[ifu03558]

Maybe mullets are ok, but I see the 29er trend even more dangerously approaching to the emtb bikes in many 2020 new ebikes, and I mean both rear and front.

29ers is just another bullshit marketing thing imported from the Egyptian plague of the mtb (cross country and his Nino Schurters wannabes apocalypse horsemens) just as the clipless pedals and the lycra the 12 speed cassette and the enough room for two water bottle on the frame. I forget a lot of more things, I’m sure

better roll over and bla bla bla ... more weight, more inertia, less rigidity, less nimble, more need of expensive carbon, longer chainstays, less grip than the beloved plus tires, these are facts. 29ers are meant to roll fast on normal XC bikes, no to turn fast in enduro ebikes.

As usuall discuss and ”you have no idea shut up” for this poor old fashioned rebel

Just reread this and I see you prefer plus tyres! Can't take anyone seriously that runs plus tyres

 

[Gary]

On my entry level cube hardtail I’d actually prefer 5 gears and not 11. The cassette sprockets would be thicker and more durable and so would the chain.

This can be achieved really really easily. and very very cheaply

I run 5 speed on my DH bike. have done for well over a decade.

 

[Beekeeper]

Sam Hill seems to rate 29ers and I'd bet he's a much better rider than anyone on this forum.

That may be so but I fancy my chances against him at a game of chess ?
In chess we have the same issue with weight and size standards continuing to change.
If you have ever moved a triple weighted Knight around the board it’s just as comfortable as riding a Levo♟

 

[Jdog]

Personally I like the sweet spot of 27.5 but if you've ever ridden a Levo I think it would change your mind on 29ers

 

[Aaron]

I had 27.5 on 2017 turbo levo, thought it was the mutts nuts, how wrong could I be the 2020 29er is so much better to ride on and off road. All comes down to preference.

 

[Eddy Current]

I had 27.5 on 2017 turbo levo, thought it was the mutts nuts, how wrong could I be the 2020 29er is so much better to ride on and off road. All comes down to preference.

And that’s why is a 29ers or it has new frame and new motor?

Mine came with 29 and took me two days to get rid of those nasty wheels, what a useless thing. I put the 27.5 and ole! The bike handles much better.

 

[Aaron]

And that’s why is a 29ers or it has new frame and new motor?

Mine came with 29 and took me two days to get rid of those nasty wheels, what a useless thing. I put the 27.5 and ole! The bike handles much better.

It could certainly be down to frame and motor but just commenting on experience 2017 to 2020 would not know how new 2020 would ride with 27.5 unless I make the change and that's what I don't have after purchasing new bike LOL

 

[Eddy Current]

All I try to say is that just say no to standars. I hate the 29er trend the integrated battery trend ... if the big brands begin to 29er their bikes the others has to follow. And then there’s no options or little. That’s what I mean when the just say no ... options, always options, not marketing standars. You can always swap wheels right? But a frame designed for 29ers is not going to be 27.5 frame because you put 27.5 on it

29er are not grails, it must be an option, not a standard like it seems is coming to ebikes too

 

[Good Times]

Good luck with those pedal strikes if you put 27.5 wheels on a 29er....

 

[atcspaul]

Good luck with those pedal strikes if you put 27.5 wheels on a 29er....

flip da chip

 

[Will Hesch]

And that’s why is a 29ers or it has new frame and new motor?

Mine came with 29 and took me two days to get rid of those nasty wheels, what a useless thing. I put the 27.5 and ole! The bike handles much better.

Eddy, I'll take your worthless 29er wheels...

 

[Gary]

Take his keyboard first

 

[Good Times]

I just said yes to a 29er Trek Rail

 

[Rusty]

29er are not grails, it must be an option, not a standard like it seems is coming to ebikes too

Sorry, but several manufacturers tried 27.5 and went back to 29er as it is a far more logical choice. 29er was a standard long before 27.5 was introduced to suck in the trend-setters.
One of the funny things I see is 27.5 with 2.8 tires .... seriously? Makes for a much slower wheel and to be fair, makes a 27.5 handle like a pregnant washing-machine next to a 26" bike or a 29er with smaller than 2.5 tires.

 

[NGreen]

I wish I was that passionate about my wheels ?

I thought they only NEEDED to be round. The rest was personal preference

 

[Slowroller]

“I want my nimble 27.5er!!”

Puts big fat bloated tires on it and turns it into a recliner....

 

[Aaron]

I wish I was that passionate about my wheels ?

I thought they only NEEDED to be round. The rest was personal preference

Mine were round when the bike left the shop. LOL

 

[Akiwi]

Sorry, but several manufacturers tried 27.5 and went back to 29er as it is a far more logical choice. 29er was a standard long before 27.5 was introduced to suck in the trend-setters.
One of the funny things I see is 27.5 with 2.8 tires .... seriously? Makes for a much slower wheel and to be fair, makes a 27.5 handle like a pregnant washing-machine next to a 26" bike or a 29er with smaller than 2.5 tires.

You only put the 2.8 on the back and it gives you heaps of grip/ traction. Also makes the ride pretty comfortable.

 

[slippery pete]

Fun discussion. Cherry-picking one parameter off the spec sheet and making it out to be the be-all and end-all of the experience is obviously going to pander to prejudice.

I tend to buy the same type of bike successively: enough travel; chunky build; good suspension components. Yes, I race enduros. Maybe that means I buy enduro bikes. When you see what good riders can ride on *any* bike "enduro bikes" aren't really a designation that makes much sense any more. Wheel size isn't a make or break factor for me. I've just spent a season on my first 29er enduro bike. I raced one event on my 2014 27.5er. Between the two there was next to no difference. I set up my bikes to have a certain feel and now I have a 29er eMTB that rides like my enduro bike.

Playful? If that's a thing, I'm getting playful from my eMTB, definitely. In fact it is one of the first adjectives I'd use to describe the experience. I'd been worried I'd be on a barge but it is great. Launches lips and trailside lumps and bumps. It really responds in the tight stuff. I was straight into riding intuitively, throwing it around and having a ball.

Having said the eMTB rides like my enduro bike, swapping back has made me want to tweak the enduro bike some more. Feels like I've recently made a wrong move on tyres.

I'm going to lose a few of you with this next preference, but after 10 years of experimentation I really am not the biggest fan of tubeless tyres. The eMTB is on the originally supplied tubed 2.35 super gravity magic marys - good gravity casings have the feel I like and tubes add to that. Thin out the casing and the feel gets more pingy / less connected. Take the tubes out and it gets skittish. Make 'em bigger and they just roll and squirm in the corners. Lower pressures are gash (see other thread).

I switched to tubeless on my enduro bike mid season and plainly adapted to that feel. Swapping from eMTB to enduro as they are both currently set up I have a strong preference for the tubed tyres. I spent four months riding in the Alps in 2018 and came to the same conclusion. Tubeless on proper gravity casings is cool; carrying and deploying a tube is tried and proven for trailside fixes but messier with tubeless. Tubes haven't been notably worse for pinch punctures when you run supportive pressures. As I continue my eMTB experience I may amend my view but if the rescue for tubeless failures is a tube and I prefer the feel of tubes, I'll start my ride on tubes and carry a spare (or two) .

This season racing I had two punctures - one on tubeless (top of a stage; lost 10 seconds riding defensively; repaired with a plug at the bottom) and one on tubes (slow - only apparent after stage finish). Again, nothing conclusive. My biggest tyre is a 2.4".