29er roundup

One of the goals for Interbike was to go out of the comfort zone and try some new stuff. Let's face it, unless you know a ton of people with your same shape and size it's not so easy to experiment. So we decided that we'd check out some 29ers and some singlespeeding to boot.

The boutique brands of cycling are at the forefront of 29er development and with few exceptions are leaving the big brands behind in the race to catch this wave in the cycling industry.

For those that don't know much about the 29 inch wheeled mountain bike craze, allow me to explain. Better yet, Lennard Zinn, the zen god of all that is bicycling maintenance explains it far better than I. I'll simply summarize.

The good:

• 29ers roll over obstacles better than 26ers. (Imagine an SUV driving over a curb versus a sedan).
• They have a greater contact area with the ground and maintain a better grip when climbing.
• Big wheels make a big bike...you just feel big on a 29er.
• They absorb bumps better than a comparably spec'ed 26er.

The not as good:

• It takes more force to get started and build momentum.
• You lose some of the feel for the trail which may cause you to become lazy.
• A lack of "flick-ability."

This being the first time either J or I have ridden a 29er we are hardly ones to judge after only two days of riding. Still we rode with an open mind and heeded the words of Guitar Ted as we learned the skill of the big wheel.

All good mountain bikers should have a 29er in their stable.

We rode 29ers made from aluminum, scandium, and titanium...full sussers and hardtails. Anyway you slice it the 29er is here to stay. Watch for our impressions of bikes from Salsa, Moots, Niner, and Ventana.