First MTB Purchase. 26er or 29er?

Nath8

Nath8

Likes Dirt
A friend is looking at buying his first bike. He rides road bikes and is a pretty strong rider. He has decided he wants a carbon hardtail.

So my question is 26er or 29er?

I ride a 29er, but I still see merits in 26ers. But as new MTB rider, do you advise a 29er for its slightly longer wheelbase and better handling manners? Do you say a 26er so he can really learn how to handle a bike. I personally don't know what to tell him. There's pro's and con's for both.

I know there is always the, go and test ride everything thought, but how many 26 or 29 carbon hardtails are out!! That'll take forever.

What's peoples thoughts. Keep in mind, he is a fairly strong rider who wants a light bike and will probably go up hill fast but descend slower do to lack of technical ability.
 
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hipdos

Likes Bikes
You won't get a definitive answer on this one but here's 2c.
He won't be a beginner MTBer for long, so really it's a matter of what is best for him down the track. You are going to pick up the skills on either bike.
From what I have read it depends more on what tracks he will be riding. Tight and technical the 26er is better, fast and flowing the 29er. If he wants all-around then you are opening the same old can of worms and everyone will have a conflicting opinion.
 
jathanas

jathanas

Likes Bikes and Dirt
A 29er will help his confidence because thry're a bit smoother and they make it easier to pedal over obstacles. Better traction and more stable cornering will help as well.

For a strong road cyclist that wants to get into MTBing I think a carbon HT 29er is a bit of a no-brainer, if the only other alternative is a 26 HT. :)

Cheers, J
 
B

Bushranger

Likes Dirt
29er HT without doubt.

Just because a 29er may not require the same bike handling skills as a 26er doesn't mean that people with good bike skills shouldn't ride them. You can learn really good bike hanlding skills on a 29er. Someone that starts out on a 29er isn't going to be forever handicapped in terms of bike handling skills.
 
martinpb

martinpb

Likes Dirt
Nath8 said:
A friend is looking at buying his first bike. He rides road bikes and is a pretty strong rider. He has decided he wants a carbon hardtail.

So my question is 26er or 29er?

I ride a 29er, but I still see merits in 26ers. But as new MTB rider, do you advise a 29er for its slightly longer wheelbase and better handling manners? Do you say a 26er so he can really learn how to handle a bike. I personally don't know what to tell him. There's pro's and con's for both.

I know there is always the, go and test ride everything thought, but how many 26 or 29 carbon hardtails are out!! That'll take forever.

What's peoples thoughts. Keep in mind, he is a fairly strong rider who wants a light bike and will probably go up hill fast but descend slower do to lack of technical ability.
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29er all the way. They are a bit more forgiving when you're learning, but then convert to being great fast trail or race bikes once your skills and/or confidence are up to scratch. Even the racy 29ers handle as though they have a slightly slacker head angle on the downhills, which will help his confidence no end. The learning curve for MTB isn't vertical, but it is there. I don't see the need to put extra obsticles on that by insisting a rider learns "properly" on a 26" bike. All that and he'll be used to the size of the wheels ;-)
 
mtb101

mtb101

Likes Bikes and Dirt
go the 29er HT with a back up set of 26 wheels he can put on for the tight stuff.
 
Nerf Herder

Nerf Herder

Wheel size expert
I'm going against the grain.

My theory is that you need to have a base of understanding to appreciate the nuance that a 29er will provide you.

Secondly, without knowing the types of trails your friend is likely to ride ... I'm going to presume the trails to be ridden are relatively rough / rocky and no pine nettle covered, buffed and velvety goodness (if its velvety goodness you are both enjoying then ignore the next bit).

Given these two bits I'd actually recommend a beginner to ride a 26" dually ... particularly given the road experience.

Why ???

Technique and lessons to be learnt.

As a roadie ... he is going to have the fitness and pedal technique down ... so he will be able to cope with any added weight or squish that a short travel dually will give. (after the initial annoying transition bit)

However, what the dually does for a beginner is take away the need to overly concentrate on line choice ... it will also teach them the benefits of sitting down and spinning up hill. I think these are the two fundamental aspects that differentiate MTB and Road (oh, and upper body usage).

If I was to try and convert a roadie to MTB ... I'd focus on plowing ... and iconic / scenic trails ... ie, the difference between Road and MTB to me is plowing and scenery. All the fitness aspects, squirting up hills very fast (a la HTs) ... even competition ... you can get that via road ... so why do the exact same things on dirt. *shrugs

Once he is addicted to dirt ... then look back at HTs and 29ers, maybe even DH, etc ... because its at this point you can really tell the difference between one or the other type of rig / style, and see the benefits and disadvantages of either.

Sorry ... prolly a little out of the box, but thought I'd add a bit of a different perspective to complicate their choice :p.

Good luck to the mate and I hope he enjoys the dirt on whatever it is they end up on.
 
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martinpb

martinpb

Likes Dirt
mtb101 said:
go the 29er HT with a back up set of 26 wheels he can put on for the tight stuff.
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just remember not to pedal when the bike isn't absolutely vertical!
I'm not sure if 101 is serious, i strongly recommend that you don't put 26" wheels on a 29er - it will lower the bottom braket height by 1.5 inches, which is a lot in bike terms. That will very negatively effecting the handling, particularly in tight stuff!
I run my 29er as a commuter with 1.5(ish)" tyres rather than the more normal 2.2(ish)" and had a crash due to my inside pedal striking the floor when putting in a pedal stroke as i exited a corner (you'd be surprised how often you put in a stroke without thinking in tightish terrain - i was when i started to concentrate on it!)
 
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ido09s

Likes Dirt
26er dually from me as well

If he is anything like some of the road riders i know he will crack the shits with the rough stuff being too rough and wont get back on it if he buys a HT.

As NH has said he will need to choose lines quite carefully with a HT, but with a decent duallie you just plough through it all which for me is more fun

I built a Yeti Big Top 29er which is full XX, but 99% of the time ride my Remedy 9 as its just so much more fun
 
1

1q2w3e4r

Squid
You said he's a strong and serious roadie.

As a roadie who rides dirt, 29'er carbon HT. Especially if he's looking at a carbon one, he'll crack the shits with being slower on a DS 26'er up the climbs and fast flowing stuff.
 
D

digbyj

Scooteria
Did he make a decision?
I've just been out testriding a few bikes in the mid to high 1000s, 2 x 26 dually (on special) and 2 x 29ers. Roughly all similar spec.
Man it's a tough call! I felt more stable and fast on the 29er, but on the duallys I felt like I wanted to attack more obstacles, but that was probably to feel the shock!
It's killing me though, can't decide which way to go.... I reckon im slightly leaning towards the 29er but I'm worried that for the places Im riding (Buxton,lake mountain,local hidden tight bumpy singletrack), that it might not be right!
 
B

Bushranger

Likes Dirt
Why not 29er Dual.

Makes no sense to me that anyone would by 26 inch bike. Uless of course, the can't find a BMX in their size. All the arguements for 26 inch wheels would make a 20 inch bike the natural choice. :):)
 
C

CAEM

Likes Bikes
martinpb said:
BTW - i totally agree with NH on this - but given the choice of 26 or 29er HT, it's 29er for a relative beginner.
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My 2c worth
I Have to disagree with the dually option. Putting him on a hardtail will make him think about his lines and make him a better rider in the long run. He wont just huck through everything, If he still enjoys riding on the dirt after a while then upgrade to a dually. Then you won't catch him. He my struggle with the transition to start with. The energy levels for mtb riding are higher. Shorter sharper climbs. But the endurance from road riding will still be beneficial. choosing between a 26er and 29er will be up to your mate. What ever he is more comfortable riding.


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-27.236681,153.102695
 
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dynamitedread

dynamitedread

Likes Dirt
I own a 29er and a 26er so here's what I think. If your mate wants his wheels to stay on the ground then 29er is the go, if he's want's do any airtime then 26 is better. I would steer him towards a 26er as I feel there better to learn the basics on.
 
rone

rone

Eats Squid
A 29er will be an easier transition from his roady but a 26" will force him to be a better rider and ultimately allow him to have a bit more fun.

Horses for courses, though. If he's a real man he'll get the 26"
 
C

Cap

Likes Dirt
Learning to ride mtb? 26" hardtail all the way. Once he develops, try different bikes and buy whatever the hell he wants.
 
Nath8

Nath8

Likes Dirt
Thanks everyone for the replies. He has read the thread and found it very interesting.
Looks like he's going to buy (drumroll) a Scott Scale 26er. Good bikes and I'm sure he'll enjoy it.
Thanks again and have fun riding.
 
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