first, some prefatory remarks. it was hard to isolate just what attribute of the bike was responsible for what different kind of 'feel' i was experienceing. so all that follows is probably nonsense, illegitimate garbage.
- big wheels - im going to upset the 29er contingent here, but i have to say i was quite a bit underwhelmed by the 29er wheelsize. i experienced little to none of the benefits that 29er advocates like to talk incessantly about. i still felt the roots, rocks and bumps just as much as I would have on my 26er. perhaps the only place i might have noticed a difference was on the south abyss trail at boyette - where less of my momentum was taken away by some of the big exposed roots on the uphills and downhills. this, though, can easily be achieved on a 26er bike with good line choice or a little lifting of the front wheel. the thing i most noticed about the 29 inch wheels was the increase in weight. now J's wheels were not heavywheights - chris king hubs and stan's rims - but it seemed like the weight discrepancy between the 29er wheel and my 26er wheel was quite dramatic. overall i find no good reason to run 29 inch tires.
- hardtail - riding a hardtail again was great. i felt more in touch with the bike and the trail below me. the transfer of power from me to the ground was noticably better. plus, the bike just looks so much better without a rear shock and a silly swingarm mechanism. my next bike WILL be a hardtail.
- size L frame - i had no fitment issues riding the L frame. my XL frame sometime feels too big. not sure exactly which is better for me, but this is probably irrelavent since i'm planning for my next bike to be custom sized.
- single speed - single speeding was awesome. i love the way the bike looks without the sifters and derailleurs. the EBB is a silly idea and I think a sliding dropout is the way to go. it was great to not worry about gearing and just focus on my pedal stroke and trying to maintain as much momentum as possible. despite this, there is no way i'd want my only bike (or a race bike) to be a single speed, unless i was trying to lose. this is for obvious reasons - given an equal rider, he/she should always be faster on a geared bike. you really can't argue with that. single speeding is fun and yeah youre really hardcore for only using one gear on all those vicious FL climbs, but in the end it is more or less a gimmick.
2 comments:
Well Mike.
Speaking as a fellow social scientist, I don't think you had enough testing time to really make a complete assessment and I believe you pointed that out yourself in your second paragraph.
There is more to a good 29er experience than the 3 inches of wheel size.
There is geometry that has to be taken in as a factor as well.
There are also plenty of single speeders out there that can and have beat geared riders, happens all the time.
There are also many single speeders that ride in the mountains and smoke geared riders up and down the longest and hardest climbs.
Single speed is not a gimmick. Believing single speeding is a gimmick is the gimmick. Single speeding is about eliminating variables to transcend boundaries.
Too often Geared riders get too lazy with their gears and simply spend so much time thinking about the next shift that they miss out on the best part of the ride, and that is you and nature and flow.
This of course is not all geared riders, there are plenty of guys who ride gears that work their gears hard, and most pro level riders don't let gears do all the work, they learn to work their gears.
However, I respect your opinions and feelings and you sir are entitled to them.
Thanks for sharing about G DAMN TIME!
I will beat ALL the gearie riders out there and I will FORCE you to ride a Single Speed for the rest of your life!!! Hahahaha.. I can only dream right? I never consider myself as a SS or 29er crusador out to change people's opinion. In fact, I think I have always say RIDE WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY! I am happy, you happy, we all happy, is a happy world right.
Good report. The only thing I have to say is that I have never seen an 29er fan say that you will NOT notice or feel roots or bumps LESS then on 26ers as you pointed out on #1. They have all say they "roll" over them better. Never I have seen them say the feeling for them goes away or is less. Daz all.. Great full report. Thanks for posting it.
Post a Comment