My First 29er Ride Was Monday Feb. 27th...

My Wagon Wheel cherry has popped. In the snow.

Here's what I thought...

Tried a 29er for two full rides and came away not wanting one. Saw definite advantages but not significant enough for me to get rid of a perfectly good 26" AM machine. 29ers were too far from what I was comfortable with to make the change. When the budget allows and the need is there, I'm gonna jump on the 650b wagon for a XC/Trail bike as I see that as being the route I want to go. I've ridden a 29er and a 650b equipped 26" trail bike back to back and I like the 650b better.

that's the bike mine wishes it was..

When they make the EVO in carbon I'll get one.

probably 20-25% at the FVMBA race.

You have a very enjoyable way of retelling events Cam.
One question I have yet to have answered by the other 29'r reviews: will a 29'r rip your pants off if you lean back in anything other than lycra?

There doesn't appear to be a lot of room:

Perhaps there is a niche market for tires made of toilet paper? I see that as a possible idea for the Reality Redesigned contest.

Conditions are so shit at the moment I can't see it being possible to evaluate anything. I went out for the first time in forever on Sunday and came home depressed at how shit kicked the trails were. Be surprised if you don't like that clown bike Cam. The longer stays should be better for larger guys.

Tried a 29er for two full rides and came away not wanting one. Saw definite advantages but not significant enough for me to get rid of a perfectly good 26" AM machine. 29ers were too far from what I was comfortable with to make the change. When the budget allows and the need is there, I'm gonna jump on the 650b wagon for a XC/Trail bike as I see that as being the route I want to go. I've ridden a 29er and a 650b equipped 26" trail bike back to back and I like the 650b better.

So, I've done the exact opposite, and likely most unrecommended way about doing things: I sold my Remedy last month, and I've now ordered a 29er up, and I've never ridden one.

This will be arriving in about a week:
http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/mountain/singletrack_trail/rumblefish/rumblefish_pro/#

Essentially all my 29er research has been done on NSMB, have spoken to a bunch of guys, and have tried to get out on one (no luck, thanks Connor and Chris for trying to hook up w/ me to give one a go, wasn't to be). I did go down to the shop and swing my leg over a couple, though. :rolleyes:

I've been on Trek bikes for the past few years now, so I'm brand loyal, and the Rumblefish- spec and angle wise- matches up well w/ the Tall Boy. As of now, it will be at least three more weeks before I can even try one out, and those of you who know me know patience isn't one of my better traits…so Sunday I said fuck it and pulled the trigger.

So…I guess we'll see, and report back here. I suppose I need to learn how to ride "in" the bike and carve corners now.

I've got a proper DH bike and a long 6" AM 26" bike. Being a taller rider a 29er would be an awesome complement for me. I've heard when people have both a 29er and 26er AM often the 29er takes over, which is cool. I'm holding out for the Fox 34mm fork to be spec'd on more bikes first. The Shinobi, Stump EVO 29, Commencal Meta 29, Yeti SB95 are the tops of my list. This summer I expect a shakedown.

I for one did have a mind-blowing experience on a 29er that turned me to the dark side. I'd demo'd a 2010 stumpy fsr 29er previously and came away unimpressed - the bike matched exactly to the typical 29er stereotypes (rolled over anything at speed, but took significant effort to bring up to speed, harder to handle at low speeds in twisty sections etc). Then a few months ago I threw a leg over a Norco Shinobi at my favorite local trail and it absolutely RIPPED. I found myself carrying more speed in and out of corners, clearing climbs I haven't been able to previously and most importantly, the bike was FUN. It felt as playful as my Giant Trance but out-did that bike in every way. I bought a Shinobi a couple weeks later and haven't looked back. There are a few solid options out there now for a "long-travel" 29er (Bandit 29, Satori, RIP and a couple others). Definitely worth a try.

Are you suggesting the Evo 29er doesn't fit in with this group?

I for one did have a mind-blowing experience on a 29er that turned me to the dark side. I'd demo'd a 2010 stumpy fsr 29er previously and came away unimpressed - the bike matched exactly to the typical 29er stereotypes (rolled over anything at speed, but took significant effort to bring up to speed, harder to handle at low speeds in twisty sections etc). Then a few months ago I threw a leg over a Norco Shinobi at my favorite local trail and it absolutely RIPPED. I found myself carrying more speed in and out of corners, clearing climbs I haven't been able to previously and most importantly, the bike was FUN. It felt as playful as my Giant Trance but out-did that bike in every way. I bought a Shinobi a couple weeks later and haven't looked back. There are a few solid options out there now for a "long-travel" 29er (Bandit 29, Satori, RIP and a couple others). Definitely worth a try.

2010 vs 2012 are quite different designs from almost all companies.

I have one on order and was told they would be available in March. (EVO 29R) I'm going down today to see where it is.

I would love to hear how you think the 29 compared to the 650b. Is the 65ob really the best of both worlds or is the 29 really where the future standard will end up being.
As well have you ever reviewed a 650b on NSMB?

Stating that all XC riders in the worldcup have converted to 29ers is utter BS, sorry. This is simply not true, 29ers are still rather the exception and not the rule in XC racing. In marathon racing, it's an all different story again. I still do not buy the hype, and I especially loathe all that talk about those terrible shortcomings of 26-inch-wheeled rides. Come on, didn't we have an aweful lot of fun in the last 20 years? Without marketing weasels trying to push 29ers down our throats?

I would love to hear how you think the 29 compared to the 650b. Is the 65ob really the best of both worlds or is the 29 really where the future standard will end up being.
As well have you ever reviewed a 650b on NSMB?

Norco is sending us a Sight with 650b wheels. Obviously this isn't ideal because the geo and fork aren't optimized for the wheel size, but it's a chance to get a feel for it and do some head to head comparisons.

We'll have both wheel sizes of Stumpy Evo and the Norco to play around with. Should be interesting - and probably even fun.