[William42]

So I know talking about 29ers is a bit like kicking a beehive, but I've been thinking about it lately and was curious. The few that I've ridden with a setup that meshes well for me (wide bars and a short stem, tight cockpit and long wheelbase) have felt really really fun. I've ridden a few that felt awkward and gangly, but I've ridden a few 26inch XC bikes that felt the same way. Straight lining through rock gardens was a revelation, much less pinging, and I held speed better; there were no problems with pumping and flowing the terrain. I think most people who have ridden 29ers with a descent oriented cockpit somewhat agree with that assessment.

But the place that everybody complains about I also felt it (the one I have the most experience on is the GF rumblefish) was better, were corners and flowing the terrain. Particularly, getting loose in the corners is/was phenomenal, as the tire has so much more contact patch that it drifts way more predictably, with much less skittering then a 26. I had no problems getting it layed over, and felt that once I did lay it over, it was much easier to right it and have it catch where I wanted it to. I don't think it would be better for a pumptrack (or perhaps I've only ridden pumptracks suited for 20inch and 26inch wheeled bikes), but pretty much everywhere else I thought it was better (at least in the realm of a trail bike). And it made me really curious/want to try a 29er DH bike, with slacker angles and a lower BB, a stiffer fork and rear end, with 2ply tires.

This is a pretty different experience from a lot of people who ride 29ers and who also ride fast/hit jumps/etc etc.

I'm curious why. I could just be a hack, that's entirely possible, but I'm also wondering how much height has to do with it, and how much the right cockpit makes a difference. I have long arms, I'm 6'1 with a 75inch wingspan. Is it a matter of 29ers simply cross a threshold, and only make sense for taller riders, or do I just need to get better so that I can feel where they're coming up short?

 

[dhr-racer]

End of last season I rode a Niner RIP9 on a trail im very accustomed to. The owner rode my XC bike. He was significantly more fit rider, while I'm more technical (not to say he's not, he blows me out of the water as an over all trail rider). I blew the pants off him in every section of the trail. Usually this guy is waiting for me. He was 30 seconds behind. The blinds had been lifted and I'm not after a Scott 29 Spark as my XC rig to replace my Hei Hei. Not going to bull****, I do not think they have a place in DH, the wagon wheels didn't turn as tight as my 26's, however there was a clear advantage in general trail riding. I'd love to check out the WFO from Niner in a park setting


Edit: I'm 5'8" and the niner was a Small

 

[?????]

I don't see how 29ers would not be better for DH... as long as the overall cockpit is kept low enough.

 

[Pslide]

I just took delivery of a Banshee Prime prototype, possibly the most aggro 29er trail bike to date. Was planning to post up a full review with pictures, but need to get more ride time on it.

After one ride, my initial impressions were that it's a trail bike that feels as solid as my DH bike once up to speed and pointed downhill...more so than any 26" trail bike I've ridden. Despite being super long (my XL has a 48.5" wheelbase), it doesn't feel like it once up to speed and is surprisingly nimble and playful. But you feel the size at lower speeds and in tighter stuff. Harder to loft the front end too (as it is with all 29ers from what I hear).

My prototype is very porky, weighing in at 34 lbs (9.7 lbs for frame and shock), so it misses the mark as an all around trail bike. Keith says he's already knocked 700g out of the frame for the production version though, bringing it back into contention. I think it will be an awesome all-mountain Enduro racing machine...

I need more time on it to give it a full review. Some people say it takes weeks before you click with the bigger wheels. I felt pretty good on it right away, but am still not sold that this will be my one bike to end all bikes.

PS - For the record, I'm 6'3".

 

[jackalope]

I don't see how 29ers would not be better for DH... as long as the overall cockpit is kept low enough.

They very well could be, but I wonder if they have tire contact issues with seat or seat tub at full compression? Plus I would think they could have a super long wheel base, and it seems there would be a wheel weight penalty if not a stiffness/strength one as well.

But if they can work out all those issues (or they're not big enough to worry about), I bet they would be rad. And as Pslide said above, the Prime (production version that is) sounds like a freakin ripper.

 

[Pslide]

You can't tell from the pics, but this thing is a proper monster truck when you stand next to it.

 

[Sandwich]

I agree...it's different and maybe not for everybody, but 29ers can be rad in many cases. It doesn't seem like many manufacturers have gotten into aggro bikes yet, except for Niner and Intense.

I'd also love to try a 29er DH bike. I'd think that you could get away with a seven inch travel frame because of the big wheels, then drop the bb lower than a dhr because of the reduced travel for better handling. You'd also have the benefit of pedaling a shorter travel bike.

I think you could get away with a single ply tire with a 26" DH tube to at least try it out for the time being. Grab a p35 or Stan's flow to begin with. I just can't find a decent frame to play with. I'm thinking the ecd from mongoose might be appropriate to build new dropouts for.

 

[William42]

the stumpy evo 29er is pretty aggro, as is the rumblefish (at least with a short stem and wide bars).

 

[Lelandjt]

I like a nimble bike and every 29er I've ridden had too long chainstays and I felt the gyro effect too much. I'm curious to see how much 650 wheels reduce these nwgatives and if they roll bumps noticably better than 26s.

 

[William42]

I like a nimble bike and every 29er I've ridden had too long chainstays and I felt the gyro effect too much. I'm curious to see how much 650 wheels reduce these nwgatives and if they roll bumps noticably better than 26s.

650 wheels are a pipe dream. The reason you get all these benefits is because of the bigger wheels.

also, how tall are you and have you ridden any with the cockpit setup similarly to your DH bike?

 

[woodsguy]

In my time on a GT 29er last summer I thought it felt too tall and much more reluctant to throw around or even lean in to corners. I also didn't notice much of an improvement (if any) in rolling over rocks and such but I do run 2.55 Weirwolfs. I could see how they would be better for xc racing as it kinda felt like a road bike or if beating my friends was my top priority. But since I have more fun on 26" bikes I'm not going to switch. Maybe if I were over 6' it would have felt better.

 

[roel_koel]

just come off a 150mm all-mtn bike (Devinci Dixon SP with Fox 36 Floats) onto a 2012 Stumpy Evo 29er, thoroughly enjoying mine!

set mine up with 70mm Thomson stem, 750mm Easton Havoc DH bars, Nukeproof flat pedals, etc.





feels wickedly chuckable on the singletrack and a total contrast to what I had "heard" about 'wagon wheelers'...

 

[Tmeyer]

You can't tell from the pics, but this thing is a proper monster truck when you stand next to it.

I've been looking forward to this bike. Let us know what you think after some saddle time!

 

[sikocycles]

M9 is sold and will ride DH 29er for all of next season. I had a 26 and 29 but the 26er never felt right after riding a 29er

No problems jumping it or in the turns. Only issue is slowing down the wheels.

 

[weedkilla]

I demo-ed a Norco Shinobi, had it for 3 days. Took me a couple of days to get used to it, then I was happy sending doubles, and generally riding it as hard as anything I've ridden that wasn't a dedicated DH bike.
So I grabbed a mate who is the same speed as me and we played the bike swap thing, easily faster no matter who was on the shinobi vs Marin Mt Vision.
Pedals back up as easily or better than any equivalant 5-6" trail bike, goes down and across faster. Dislikes switchbacks in the same way as any of the 66deg HA, low bb bikes that most DHers are attracted to as xc bikes.
So anyway - we both bought one. First day I had mine I put on the Full face and did runs.
I dunno but I think its the most aggro bike that pedals up well enough for me to do long rides on, and I dont know if the wheel size matters or if its just a good bike.

 

[Leppah]

I'm 6'1" with long legs and arms. I have a 2010 Stumpy 29er. I put a 50mm stem and wide bars on it as well as a gravity dropper from my previous trail bike. THe bike is slow to respond, but i like it that way. I don't like bikes that are twitchy. That's part of the reason people go to wide bars. It slows down the steering.
THe bike is hard to manual with, but I never really did it much before, so it doesn't make a difference to me really. I can ride this thing downhill way faster than I could ride my old kona coilair 26er. It's smoother with less effort.
Turning is a little different. You have to keep the wheels closer to your body when leaning it in compared to a 26er, but it's not a big deal when you get used to it. It took me two rides to get used to it. The only time it really feels weird to me is when i take it to the air. It just feels taller. The front of it is actually about an inch higher than my DH bike. Again, not a big deal. Low front ends just got cool a few years ago for dh bikes.
If they make an affordable 29er Dh bike, I'll definitely get one. I'm hoping GT will make one since it might be more around my price range. It might be heavy, but DH bikes were really heavy about 6 years ago and look where they are now.

Last summer I actually swapped bikes with my buddy that was riding a 26" Specialized Enduro. Our bikes had the same amount of travel and they were the same size. I let him jump on my bike for all of the downhill. I tried following his lines everywhere and it was a lot harder to do with the smaller wheels. THey felt like they had too much air in them. He's about 30 lbs. lighter than me and he kept pulling away from me without pedaling or pumping anywhere. He was sold after that. He's definitely goin to get one when he can afford one.

I think the only thing i would change on my 29er is the angle of head tube. I'm thinking about gettin one of those cane creek headsets. Anybody have any experience with them?

 

[Sandwich]

I'm thinking about gettin one of those cane creek headsets. Anybody have any experience with them?

 

[daisycutter]

No problems with mine all year.

 

[Sandwich]

how long has your year been? It's been oft discussed that the angleset is largely problematic, with a chance of actually working right. Maybe they've ironed out the kinks? It's a great design, but I wouldn't buy one a second time after my experience with the first one.

 

[-BB-]

After one ride, my initial impressions were that it's a trail bike that feels as solid as my DH bike once up to speed and pointed downhill...more so than any 26" trail bike I've ridden. Despite being super long (my XL has a 48.5" wheelbase), it doesn't feel like it once up to speed and is surprisingly nimble and playful. But you feel the size at lower speeds and in tighter stuff. Harder to loft the front end too (as it is with all 29ers from what I hear).

I have a Spitfire and I was able to try a Prime two weeks ago. I have to say that I disagree to a point. My spitty was much more playful, at speed and even more so on really steep stuff. I know it is just the nature of 9rs but they ride high and that is accentuated on super steep parts. Also, it isn't as easy to link together turns on twisty stuff, again bc of how high you are on the bike (I assume). I'm sure that for 9rs though the Prime is a great bike.

 

[Pslide]

I have a Spitfire and I was able to try a Prime two weeks ago. I have to say that I disagree to a point. My spitty was much more playful, at speed and even more so on really steep stuff. I know it is just the nature of 9rs but they ride high and that is accentuated on super steep parts. Also, it isn't as easy to link together turns on twisty stuff, again bc of how high you are on the bike (I assume). I'm sure that for 9rs though the Prime is a great bike.

I haven't ridden a Spitfire, but I would hope it's more playful than a Prime given the size!

I said it feels as solid as my DH bike (Legend) once up to speed...meaning stability and grip were excellent. The high front end also helps control when descending. And I said it was "surprisingly nimble and playful" at higher speeds...more then I expected for a bike of this size. I wasn't saying it's more playful than a 26 in bike though. Still, I had no problems throwing it around a bit (keep in mind I am 6' 3"). I wouldn't want to take it to Rays or a bike park though. Too me it feels more like a short travel DH bike that has great stability and grip and is quite fun at speed, but also climbs too.

 

[mattmatt86]

Moar Pot Stirring

 

[woodsguy]

Moar Pot Stirring

Proves nothing. Those guys could make Wal-Mart bikes look good.

 

[William42]

yeah, I don't really see that as pot stirring, those guys could probably do that on road bikes.

The question here is, does it make a positive benefit for the average rider. I'm inclined to think they do in the xc/trail/am catagory if the rider is tall, and I'm curious to try a DH 29er like the lenz.

 

[OGRipper]

Proves nothing. Those guys could make Wal-Mart bikes look good.

Yeah, and this would probably be more fun to watch if those guys were riding 26. This sorta reminds me of dudes trying to make fixie tricks look good: It's just a little forced and unnatural.