All About 29ers, Part 1

Chris Sugai, co-founder of Niner Bikes, discusses the features of 29er mountain bikes, and how these features make 29 inch wheels a great choice for off-road riding.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• NinerBikes
• Niner
• 29er
• 29
• Air9
• One
• MTB
• mountainbike
• VTT
• bike
• bicycle
• S.I.R.
• E.M.D.
• W.F.O.
• M.C.R.

[g00mba]

This is nonsense.

1. "More contact patch on the ground has less rolling resistance". That's not right. But I understand that the contact angle of the tyre against an obstacle is less - thereby offering bless resistance against forward motion.

2. A 29er has a lower centre of gravity? No, because while the centre of gravity of the rider is the same, the taller bike (29er) has a higher centre of gravity.

Not saying they 29ers aren't better, just wish people would stop talking rubbish.

[mic09dcsm09]

"Physics kicks in" LOL, physics always applies, nice sales pitch brosian.

[TheNomdeguerre]

@IMightRush Exactly right. And lucaseq77 - it's an expression. I think he's aware that physics is always in play, but he's right - inertia's inertia. A bigger wheel might take more to get rolling, but once it's rolling, it's going to retain more of its momentum. And that's not the same as saying that we should fill wheels with lead, either.

[IMightRush]

@g00mba As for the center of gravity, I think he is correct, the axles are higher off the ground while the crank is the same, therefore it is technically as if the rider has been lowered down towards the axles.

[lucaseq77]

Full of bologne... "Physics kicks in" but not here...

[goitoutdoors]

so the bigger contact patch allows for less rolling resistance when accelerating but the bigger contact patch also helps slow it down when braking?

And... The 26ers have a shorter wheelbase, lower overall center of gavity (by 1.5" usually), and can be lighter. 

The roll-ability of a 29er over stuff is it's real advatage. The bigger patch does offer more traction and float, especially in the soft stuff.

Rough stuff- 29

sharp turns-26

descending-29

climbing-26

^ typically

[MegaEagle63]

@bkedp Your opinion & experience really counts, as you own both bikes.. Far better than the sales pitch of a man on a video who exclusively sells 29er bikes

good comment

[mic09dcsm09]

@g00mba Also he says the bottom bracket is the same distance from the ground as a 26" and he tries to construe that as meaning that because your weight is exerted on a lower plane (lower than the larger 29er axles) you magically lower your C.O.G. when in fact it is the same distance from the ground as the 26".