Thought I'd do a quick summary of the full suspension 29 inch bikes I rode at Interbike, as a follow up to the 'real deal' post from yesterday.
I rode six dual suspension 29ers that break out into two categories:
Cross-country race inspired
Endurance or all-mountain style
Read the reviews for the detail. A word of caution, however. They should be treated as 'first impressions' and not full on in depth reviews as I only rode a few miles on each bike.
Having said that, here are my stand outs in each category. In the cross country category, the Intense Spider 29 was the winner followed closely by the pre-production Titus Racer X 29er. The Supercaliber 29 would be the budget pick in this category.
In the endurance category, I have to go with the Ellsworth Evolve as the most inspired ride of the three. Although, the Niner R.I.P. 9 is an excellent choice and I really admire Niner and Chris Sugai (the founder) for their leadership in this category. The Turner Sultan is the only one of the six that I cannot fully recommend.