29'er: Anybody have one?

I have been thinking about buying a suspension bike for a long time, but a friend suggested that I may like a 29'er. I had never even considered one before. Does anybody here have any experience with one?

A 29'er?
I would love to try one but admittedly I am no longer athletic enough.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29er

PS: Interesting choice to consider either one of these or a suspension bike.
Go for the boat.
"The meek shall inherit the earth; the brave get the sea!"

I unintentionally built a 29'er in my teen years by putting lugged tires on my 700c-wheeled hybrid bike. It wasn't a suspension bike, but to this day I prefer hardtails. I have a 26" DiamondBack bike that I've been trying to unload so I can buy a proper 29'er bike.

+1 to the hardtails, much easier on hill climbs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29er_%28bicycle%29

Is that like a nooner 28 more times?

29ers have a great feel, they roll over obstacles more easily than 26ers due to the larger diameter wheel. They are different from full suspension though, so my question is, what made you want a full suspension bike? Are you getting beat up on the trail or are you just wanting something different?

In reply to Woody:

I have been riding off road pedal style since '91. My current ride is a Vicious Cycles 29'er. I used to work in the bike industry, so I've been blessed to ride pretty much everything out there.

As mentioned above, the answer is: depends. If you are looking for big hit absorption and your trails have a lot of 2-3' drop offs then full suspension is the way to go. If you are looking to go quick on X-country style trails, 29'er all the way. It is the magic bullet for negotiating rock gardens, maintains momentum well and corners like nothing else. If you go 29'er don't make the mistake of putting too much tire on it. You don't want a fat 2.35 tire on there. The 29'er contact patch is already bigger and longer than the 26. Putting a fat tire on there is just going to make the bike accelerate slower. Here's your chance to run tubeless (or a Stan's conversion) for a low 25-30 lb bump soaking pressure.

EastCoastMojo wrote: 29ers have a great feel, they roll over obstacles more easily than 26ers due to the larger diameter wheel. They are different from full suspension though, so my question is, what made you want a full suspension bike? Are you getting beat up on the trail or are you just wanting something different?

While I enjoy doing a lot of uphill single track, my reward for the torture is fast downhill through lots of baby heads. I ride fast enough that my eyes can't focus through the rocks.

I had a 29'er back when they were called hybrids.

I hated the way the front end felt while trying to ride tight, rough terrain. And, all of the local trails were tight, rough terrain. I threw road tires on it and used it as a street bike, and bought a proper mountain bike.

I think I'd have been happiest if someone made an adult-size, 24" wheel mountain bike, but nobody ever seems to listen to my Voices but me. (I'm glad for that, actually.)

Shameless plug follows:

My girlfriend beats on a 29er daily. She is a bicycle commuter, and her route is more like a trials course than a commute. She's been riding a new bike for the last six months - a Dawes Deadeye that I bought from my friend that sells them in the US. It's held up great. Her only peeve is that you can't get Hookworm tires in 29" yet.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/deadeye.htm

^Wow, great price on that Dawes.

In reply to Woody: what are you riding at the moment?

Luke wrote: ^Wow, great price on that Dawes. In reply to Woody: what are you riding at the moment?

I ride an old Cannondale M800 Beast of the East that I have had forever.

Knurled wrote: I had a 29'er back when they were called hybrids. I hated the way the front end felt while trying to ride tight, rough terrain. And, all of the local trails were tight, rough terrain.

The front end geometry of a qood modern 29'er is nothing like that of an older Hybrid. Those were the biking equivalent of an SUV that's not intended for off-road use. I rode one of the newer Gary Fisher 29'ers and the front end feel was great; better even than 4 year old my custom rig. Just like the cars we love; rake, trail, spring rate, damping and weight distribution make huge differences!

Modernbeat, have girlfriend try a set of Kenda "Small Block 8's" for tires. They roll and grip nice on the street and yet they still allow a surprising amount of grip off road. Not a bad choice of urban assault tire for a 29'er while she waits for Hookworm's. I used them all summer on a mixed urban assault/off road commute using Stan's on tubeless rims.

i sold my surly karate monkey (29er) to help pay for this 5 month mission trip i and the family is on...

I won't go back to a 26er... I loved the feel of it even as a rigid...

BUT... if you are on the fence between a 29er and a 26er FS rig then i'd test ride...

every person is different... but at 6'5 it was nice to be on a bike thhat i didn't look or feel like i was a bear on on a kiddie bike lol....