dh 29'ers

fresh intense proto:

Posted by: ReductiMat

xy9ine, apologies for quoting you. 

Unless you're in the marketing department of a bike company, then you are indeed a part of the problem.

At the risk of encouraging the trolls, here goes...

I have both a 26-inch and 27.5-inch wheel bike, both of which are high-end machines and are spec'ed very similarly. I will pick the 27.5 bike every time for the simple reason that is is more fun to ride.  If this somehow makes you angry then that is your problem, not mine.

I can't believe this is such a surprise to anyone nor can I understand the distain for 29er DH bikes.

29ers have been awesome for a LONG time. Minions, Highrollers etc. have been available in 29 inch sizes for at least 5 years. They were also available as an option all the way through the 27.5 inch revolution (not as dh bikes obviously but aggressive trail options were available)

I think I posted earlier in this thread but my disdain is that I don't think the 29er DH bikes will ride as well for bike park hacks like me. I already have problems with tire buzz on 29er trail bikes, maybe because I have short legs relative to my height (5'10" riding large frames). Handling at mortal speeds or in tight terrain and jumping will not be a good on the big wheels.

Will a 29er be faster through rough terrain? Yep. Will it be more fun to ride in the Whistler Bike Park? Not for me. As I said before, I cannot see bike companies making DH bikes in two wheel sizes given how tiny the market is. 26 to 650b is not really noticeable but 29er sure is.

The resale on the high spec 650b DH bike I bought (used) last fall will surely go down, but honestly not as concerned about that as I will ride it for many years. I'm more looking into the future here.

Faster is more funner....

Posted by: MaxRockatansky

Faster is more funner....

this. being old enough to have started riding fully rigid, friction shifting, cantilever braked bikes, i've found that each successive technological advancement has done nothing to dampen the challenge or fun, it's just changed the dynamic. more speed, different line choices (as well as the ability to hit even knarlier shit), more flow / less janky, etc. a better overall kinaesthetic experience - for me anyways.

I don't give a flying fuck what size my wheel size is.  I will have fun regardless. 

I will go faster the more effort I put into learning how to ride better.

I would love to know how everyone here seems to know how much faster they are going to be on bikes that aren't for sale yet.

My ability to climb will go up if I buy an e-bike.  (Saw one at the WBP today)

I now understand a large number of people here are fucking thrilled to be living a real life Zeno's Paradox.

If you complain about the flowification of trails and welcome this, you aren't very smart.

To sum up, there is some wicked cognitive dissonance or terrible critical thinking going on here.

Posted by: ReductiMat

To sum up, there is some wicked cognitive dissonance or terrible critical thinking going on here.

<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">This effect is constant in our lives - if someone spends money on something they are told will be better or improve their lives in some way then amazingly that thing will in fact provide great benefits.</span>

<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"></span>

<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">$10 on the tortoise FTW.</span>

<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"></span>

<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"></span>

<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Fucking editor and all the extra jibberish on iPhone 6s</span>

Posted by: ReductiMat

I don't give a flying fuck what size my wheel size is.  I will have fun regardless. 

I will go faster the more effort I put into learning how to ride better.

I would love to know how everyone here seems to know how much faster they are going to be on bikes that aren't for sale yet.

My ability to climb will go up if I buy an e-bike.  (Saw one at the WBP today)

I now understand a large number of people here are fucking thrilled to be living a real life Zeno's Paradox.

If you complain about the flowification of trails and welcome this, you aren't very smart.

To sum up, there is some wicked cognitive dissonance or terrible critical thinking going on here.

You sure get worked up over this. F this f that! 

Lol

Posted by: KevinP

You sure get worked up over this. F this f that! 

Lol

It doesn't help I've been posting late at night on the weekend... should have my wifi priveledges removed at that time.

That said, we are on the third or fourth round of this discussion and, "they're faster" is pretty much all anyone can say and all questions surrounding that untested statement are ignored.  Frustrating.

Posted by: ReductiMat

It doesn't help I've been posting late at night on the weekend... should have my wifi priveledges removed at that time.

That said, we are on the third or fourth round of this discussion and, "they're faster" is pretty much all anyone can say and all questions surrounding that untested statement are ignored.  Frustrating.

Just go for a ride then. 

I think what is happening here is that there are more or less two 'camps' of riders, basically. 

And the question is if arguing changes anything. Hell...even that statement is dumb. 

I remember a photo of Bike Mag's ShitBike (the one with the beam) being bunny-hopped by Ryan Leech, and I was totally amazed by the feat. To have skills, or to not have skills....

That image changed my mind.

Posted by: Mic

I think what is happening here is that there are more or less two 'camps' of riders, basically.

Well, I'm a third camp. I'm here to point out not standardizing on a wheel size costs a lot from a variety contexts. 

That and the proponents are blowing a lot of unfounded smoke up their asses.

So to sum this all up, someone from Pinkbike knows someone who rode a 650b bike and a 29'er a few times and it was five seconds faster, ergo, progression.  It's impossible to speculate about 29.1"+, so we will leave that to the doctoral students the bike industry employs to study the theoretical side of bicycle physics.

"Faster".

Wouldn't it be fun to ask people to do the same lap 10 times and asked if they went faster or not relative to the others, regardless of wheel size?  (Think monkey's at a dart board).

Posted by: ReductiMat

Well, I'm a third camp. I'm here to point out not standardizing on a wheel size costs a lot from a variety contexts.

That and the proponents are blowing a lot of unfounded smoke up their asses.

Not sure if I understand your reply about the non standardization correctly.

But yeah, the smoke and the monkey analogy definitely makes sense. It's like milking a cow, which has been done by 'the biking industry' since mountainbiking took off. 

Does anyone remember the fuss about disc brakes? Or the first elastomer forks? It is hilarious. 

First it is said that this new thingy will be the be-all and end-all which is reversed or edited out of the history books a few months/years later.