Short People and 29 Inchers...

[gwadzilla]

It seems odd to me that so many shorter riders are going with the 29 inch wheel bike.....sure I see the advantages. I have read the articles and I have seen the cute little Flash animation stuff on the Fisher site. But as a 6'4" tall rider with some muscle (and some flab) I find it curious that this bike would be so appealing to the shorter riders. I rode the 26" wheel bike for years, for me so much of the switch was about fit, not about all of these other advantages....as of yet I am not sure if I am feeling all of the advantages, but I am finding that the larger bike with the larger wheels does get to be a tad cumbersome in the tighers single track, like working a longer snowboard in the bumps, sure I can do it, but I can not do it as fast, smooth, or as effortlessly. This is not to say that I am not a believer in the 29incher! I DO BELIEVE! THIS BIKE IS THE TRUTH (and not the Elsworth Truth neither!) Recently I purchased my second Karate Monkey, so now I have one built up as a rigid single and now I have one with gears and front shock.
Don't get me wrong!
I am so psyched about this 29 inch technology!
But for me it is more a matter about a bike that is proportional to my body size.
Sure I love the thought that there are all these advantages to taller wheel, but with all this give, there has to be a take.

enough ranting here
gwadzilla out
www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com

[somms]

the 29rs built for short people look really strange.

[Browne]

I'm not extremely short, but I have a short inseam (<30"). A 29" wheeled bike feels weird for me.

But my latest concoction feels nice-- 29" front/ 26" back-- without feeling like I'm maneuvering a spaceship.

http://www.dirtragmag.com/articles/page-farts.php?ID=119

[Cloxxki]

To be able to feel all the advantages, sometimes you have to pass a limit you never did with 26". Even I as a believer even before I actually tried one, didn't feel all the advantages till I explored my limits again. Going as fast as on ym 26" bike was easy, to get myself to go faster was hard at first.
For small people it's harder to build a bike that offers all the advantages, although they're still there. Technically advanced smaller riders may not NEED 29", while many still feel the benefits, and won't go without them after once tasting them.
I need more muscle to operate my 29" bikes arund corners, but it does allow me to go faster and be more in control at all times.

[onegear]

I'm relatively short at 5'7" and ride a 16" Karate Monkey. It may look a little funny but I love it! Personally, I love riding it and really don't care if it looks a little funny.......

:)

[walt]

For a lot of folks, especially less skilled riders, the advantages of the 29" wheels (greater stability, rolls over stuff easier, blah blah blah) outweigh the disadvantages (takes more muscle to get around tight turns, a bit of extra weight) because their biggest problem is crashing in fast and/or technical terrain - both places the 29er excels. I have never had a customer go back to their 26" bike after riding a 29er, so I guess even small folks like 'em.

There's no "fit" for wheels. Each size has advantages and disadvantages, and both large and small riders may like (or hate) riding a 29er.

_Walt

[somms]

the 29rs built for short people look really strange.

29rs built for tall folk on the other hand .. :D