
Originally Posted by
bagtagley
grinch, you should ride one. Riding new bikes is fun, regardless of wheel size. My takeaway with every 29er I've ridden, with the sort-of-exception of the Stache, was that moving the bike around took more effort. Definitely faster over rough stuff, and it's kind of crazy how they keep gaining momentum seemingly endlessly, but throwing it around feels awkward, and I agree, looks awkward. And, it's not limited to WC DH. Watching some the best riders in the world on a 29er, they're obviously not having trouble moving it around, but it definitely just looks kinda weird.
We as mountain bikers can adapt and adjust to anything. Geometry, frame size, and certainly wheel size. I have no doubt that, with a couple of rides, I'd feel completely comfy on a 29er. My stance has been that I'm out there to have fun, and to me, popping off every little thing in sight and throwing the bike around is fun. Going fast is also fun, but I'm old enough to know that I can't go WFO on multi-use trails anymore. Having said that, I'm also getting more interested in efficiency and comfort over long rides, and so I can't help but be curious about these new slack, short travel 29ers. I think I'll end up with one eventually as my XC bike. Though, I plan to stick with 27.5 for the big bike(s).
Ultimately, though, the hardest part about buying a 29er is breaking it to kidwoo.
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