29er, is it all that?!

[welshwhit]

I have a 26" bike,a good one, it's an on one Scandel and I really like it, I suits me quite nicely.

But I've recently been looking at the same frame... But bigger...

So is 29"er really worth it. You see there is no way I can afford to keep the 2, but mainly my wife won't let me keep 2 very similar bikes so I'd basically plan to move all the good stuff to whichever frame I end up with.

The other thing I worry about is as I am a giant of a man at 5'4 1/2" I worry that the big wheels will scupper me! Will the geometry be the same?

Thanks all

Drew

[johnnystorm]

Emily Batty doesn't seem unduly hindered by big wheels.....

[Ben98]

Just do it, well worth the upgrade :D

[Wotsits]

Sounds like a good excuse to go & demo ride as many as you can

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm also a P.O.R.G and cope fine. I actually think the whole 'you're not tall enough for a 29er' is a red herring, if you bought a road bike or a crosser that'd have 700c wheels on ... the 16" Inbred 29er I ride has a shorter TT than the 26" Inbred so actually feels smaller and more compact.

Riding a 29er does feel different to 26" wheels but you very quickly stop noticing ... until you go back to 26". I have to say that I can't feel any difference between 650b and 26" wheels though.

You're welcome to a go on mine whenever you like ... there's a few to choose from.

[voodoo_simon]

5 foot 7 and I've coped well with a 29er for the last 8 months. On my first ride, the bike felt instantly right and I've never felt that before, either the wheel size had something to do with it or the frame geometry (probably both). Either way, I won't go back to the 26 inch wheels (excerpt on my fatty)

[Dan_K]

I got a 29er last summer and think it is well worth an investment. It just rolls so well and is like having the efficiency of a road bike off road.
Doesn't feel nimble on singletrack but singletrack takes up such a small percentage of my riding that it's worth the trade off. Most of the stuff I ride is either bridleway or road with the odd bit of singletrack or long linking sections.

[johnnystorm]

Either way, I won't go back to the 26 inch wheels (excerpt on my fatty)

...which have a similar overall diameter to a 29er.

[welshwhit]

I'm also a P.O.R.G and cope fine. I actually think the whole 'you're not tall enough for a 29er' is a red herring,

You're welcome to a go on mine whenever you like ... there's a few to choose from.

That's a very kind offer, I may well try and take you up on that!

I may have to see if I can offload some of my dslr kit to see if I can make the investment!

Thanks for he input folks

[voodoo_simon]

If I run a low enough pressure in the tyres Johnny, I may get a 650b

[johnnystorm]

If I run a low enough pressure in the tyres Johnny, I may get a 650b

On the bottom half maybe. All the air gets squashed and moves to the top half that becomes a 31er. Honest. :D