looking forward to your ride review, a comparison of the 29+ vs the more common 27+ would be great as I have been curious about that. my regular rides are still 26 (HT and 160 FS) and I got a Stache 5 last fall.
for where I live, it is a fantastic wet weather, snow and winter bike. the tires worked really well in the type of mud we have (i.e., I can keep pedaling vs hardly being able to walk on my 26" bikes with minions). you can pad thru wet soft trails instead of digging trenches. once snow is packed down a bit and if not icy, I think its better than a fat bike. rolling resistance seems not much different from my other bikes.
I think its an excellent all round bike for beginner - intermediate rider or up to 2/3 - 3/4 speed for an expert. but after that I suspect you're better off on a smaller tired/wheeled bike. It is very sensitive to tire pressure and if a bit low any aggressive cornering is unnerving. the big tires offer goofy fun traction but they are slow to transition into and between corners. local terrain doesnt have rocks but I would be leery how long the tires would last riding sharp rocky terrain at speed (they have been surprisingly durable on the dirt, roots and gravel I ride on though). and the tires are $150/ea at retail to replace....
so I dont think this will replace your latest and greatest super-enduro sled but otherwise i think the last sentence in the article is likely a fair summary.
March 29, 2017, 11:49 a.m. - LWK
looking forward to your ride review, a comparison of the 29+ vs the more common 27+ would be great as I have been curious about that. my regular rides are still 26 (HT and 160 FS) and I got a Stache 5 last fall. for where I live, it is a fantastic wet weather, snow and winter bike. the tires worked really well in the type of mud we have (i.e., I can keep pedaling vs hardly being able to walk on my 26" bikes with minions). you can pad thru wet soft trails instead of digging trenches. once snow is packed down a bit and if not icy, I think its better than a fat bike. rolling resistance seems not much different from my other bikes. I think its an excellent all round bike for beginner - intermediate rider or up to 2/3 - 3/4 speed for an expert. but after that I suspect you're better off on a smaller tired/wheeled bike. It is very sensitive to tire pressure and if a bit low any aggressive cornering is unnerving. the big tires offer goofy fun traction but they are slow to transition into and between corners. local terrain doesnt have rocks but I would be leery how long the tires would last riding sharp rocky terrain at speed (they have been surprisingly durable on the dirt, roots and gravel I ride on though). and the tires are $150/ea at retail to replace.... so I dont think this will replace your latest and greatest super-enduro sled but otherwise i think the last sentence in the article is likely a fair summary.