robcycle
11-20-2007, 03:03 AM
I picked up a Monocog 29er (http://www.redlinebicycles.com/adultbikes/monocog-29er.html) the other day. I took it for a ride and was quite pleased. For comparison, I was riding a rigged SS, and I now realize how well it didn't work :rolleyes:
The two elements that are being reviewed here are the bike itself, and the 29" wheels. First the wheels. I've spent a fair bit of time off road with cross tires on a converted road bike. That bigger wheels roll over things easier is no suprise to me. However, the added volume of the 2.3" tires compared to the 38c cross tires I was used to was an eye opener. I no longer had to worry so much about pinch flatting, I could just bash on through. That being said, the bike did allow a good amount of finess. There were several times that I lofted the front tire over something only to set it down exactly where I wanted and take off in that direction. It was quite a feeling.
I have heard before that 29ers are not suited to tight, twisty singletrack. Bullocks to this. It is just a different style of riding. If you jump on a 29er for the first time directly from a 26er and expect to be proficient, well, you're a fool. An appropriate analogy can be made from the car world. The corvette and the miata on a tight road course. If one is used to driving the miata, and then tries the corvette, it will seem big and piggish. However, with some seat time, one will become proficient, and will be almost as quick. The 29er is the same way. In the first half mile of trails I was overshooting turns and generally feeling like a labrador puppy tripping up the stairs. A mile or so down the trails, things changed, and I was going much faster than on the 26" bike (possibly due to the same gearing on larger wheels), and I was handling the bike. I wasn't just steering and hoping like before. I was confidently flying down the trails and the bike was doing exactly as I wanted.
Descending, no problem. I actually felt confident enough on the big wheels to attempt (and clear) some small drops that I had been too chicken to try before. Rock gardens were tamed, as well. What really surprised me was the bike's climbing ability. It cleared with ease climbs that had stalled the 26er. A root or rock ledge in the middle of the climb? Not a problem, just lift the front wheel over and when the rear hits, unweight it and keep pedaling. The sticky tires hook, and you keep going.
At one point on the trail I ended up behind a distracted hiker. There wasn't much room to pass, so I rode queitly, and slowly behind him. As we approached a hill I had never cleared the end of, I prepared to dismount, but thought better of it. It ended up that I climbed the hill I had never cleared, at a walking pace, and it felt easy. I think the hiker soiled his shorts when I said a polite "excuse me" a quarter mile down the trail from when I started following him. Oh yeah, the bike is quiet.
One of the things I like about it, other than those already mentioned, is that its disc ready. For me, that means it is ready to go when I want to bolt a fixed cog to it :) , and I can throw a BB7 up front when I get the money. If I was forced to say some things I don't like it would be that the second waterbottle mount is under the down tube. Oh, that and the headset was loose, but I would say that was the shop. It was nice because when I stopped to tighten it I thought "well, I'd better put that stem under those spacers", and then the bike fit like a glove. :D Also, I felt like I needed additional hand positions for climbing. I think I'm going to pick up some cheap bar ends as an intermediate measure until it gets a Midge or Mungo. Oh, and a bash ring.
Oh, and a quick story. Perhaps one of the best experiences I've had in a while ... While fixing the headset a group of riders stopped to rest and chat. They were 35-45yo and all on $1-3K FS rigs. Two of them appeared to be seasoned veterans, and the other two said they had just gotten back into biking. After the chat they offered for me to join their group. I declined and said I would give them a few minutes and take up the rear. On one of the longer climbs I ended up passing the born-agains and then their mentors at the top. I carried on riding and got to the end of the trail and rested. A few minutes later, the senior riders showed up. We chatted it up for a bit and one of them called riding SS the "Pain Train". A little while later, a winded rider came pushing his bike up the hill. After he caught his breath, he started chatting it up. After a minute he got a puzzled look on his face and was staring at my rear triangle. "How many gears does that thing have?", he asked. I looked at the bike, smiled, looked at him, and held up one finger. "HOLY SH!T! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" was his response, then something about having 27 gears and not being able to do it, how was it done with one. Well, his immediate reaction was what made my day. :D
All in all, an incredibly fun bike for very little cash :cool:
-Rob.
The two elements that are being reviewed here are the bike itself, and the 29" wheels. First the wheels. I've spent a fair bit of time off road with cross tires on a converted road bike. That bigger wheels roll over things easier is no suprise to me. However, the added volume of the 2.3" tires compared to the 38c cross tires I was used to was an eye opener. I no longer had to worry so much about pinch flatting, I could just bash on through. That being said, the bike did allow a good amount of finess. There were several times that I lofted the front tire over something only to set it down exactly where I wanted and take off in that direction. It was quite a feeling.
I have heard before that 29ers are not suited to tight, twisty singletrack. Bullocks to this. It is just a different style of riding. If you jump on a 29er for the first time directly from a 26er and expect to be proficient, well, you're a fool. An appropriate analogy can be made from the car world. The corvette and the miata on a tight road course. If one is used to driving the miata, and then tries the corvette, it will seem big and piggish. However, with some seat time, one will become proficient, and will be almost as quick. The 29er is the same way. In the first half mile of trails I was overshooting turns and generally feeling like a labrador puppy tripping up the stairs. A mile or so down the trails, things changed, and I was going much faster than on the 26" bike (possibly due to the same gearing on larger wheels), and I was handling the bike. I wasn't just steering and hoping like before. I was confidently flying down the trails and the bike was doing exactly as I wanted.
Descending, no problem. I actually felt confident enough on the big wheels to attempt (and clear) some small drops that I had been too chicken to try before. Rock gardens were tamed, as well. What really surprised me was the bike's climbing ability. It cleared with ease climbs that had stalled the 26er. A root or rock ledge in the middle of the climb? Not a problem, just lift the front wheel over and when the rear hits, unweight it and keep pedaling. The sticky tires hook, and you keep going.
At one point on the trail I ended up behind a distracted hiker. There wasn't much room to pass, so I rode queitly, and slowly behind him. As we approached a hill I had never cleared the end of, I prepared to dismount, but thought better of it. It ended up that I climbed the hill I had never cleared, at a walking pace, and it felt easy. I think the hiker soiled his shorts when I said a polite "excuse me" a quarter mile down the trail from when I started following him. Oh yeah, the bike is quiet.
One of the things I like about it, other than those already mentioned, is that its disc ready. For me, that means it is ready to go when I want to bolt a fixed cog to it :) , and I can throw a BB7 up front when I get the money. If I was forced to say some things I don't like it would be that the second waterbottle mount is under the down tube. Oh, that and the headset was loose, but I would say that was the shop. It was nice because when I stopped to tighten it I thought "well, I'd better put that stem under those spacers", and then the bike fit like a glove. :D Also, I felt like I needed additional hand positions for climbing. I think I'm going to pick up some cheap bar ends as an intermediate measure until it gets a Midge or Mungo. Oh, and a bash ring.
Oh, and a quick story. Perhaps one of the best experiences I've had in a while ... While fixing the headset a group of riders stopped to rest and chat. They were 35-45yo and all on $1-3K FS rigs. Two of them appeared to be seasoned veterans, and the other two said they had just gotten back into biking. After the chat they offered for me to join their group. I declined and said I would give them a few minutes and take up the rear. On one of the longer climbs I ended up passing the born-agains and then their mentors at the top. I carried on riding and got to the end of the trail and rested. A few minutes later, the senior riders showed up. We chatted it up for a bit and one of them called riding SS the "Pain Train". A little while later, a winded rider came pushing his bike up the hill. After he caught his breath, he started chatting it up. After a minute he got a puzzled look on his face and was staring at my rear triangle. "How many gears does that thing have?", he asked. I looked at the bike, smiled, looked at him, and held up one finger. "HOLY SH!T! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" was his response, then something about having 27 gears and not being able to do it, how was it done with one. Well, his immediate reaction was what made my day. :D
All in all, an incredibly fun bike for very little cash :cool:
-Rob.