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Greg Barnes
climber
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I'm moving from the east coast to SF next month - what's the mountain biking like out there? Lots of good stuff, but how fast you can get there depends highly on where exactly you are. Do you mean SF itself or somewhere in the SF Bay Area?
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D.Eubanks
climber
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I have a 26in. full suspension Turner that I like, but I do perfer the carbon hardtail superfly 29er with a nice light wheelset.
29er's smooth out the ride on downhill sections and also once they get goin on uphill sections they really climb, especially with a light hardtail. It climbs better than my Turner.
edit: With the newer G2 geometry, you do not have to be a taller person to ride 29ers.
There are plenty of serious XC racers that ride 29ers.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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I have a 29er....I love it for backcountry touring......(We did 14 days self contained on the continental divide Mtn bike trail in Montana....).....it was perfect for that......but on technical singletack.....it's alittle tall for me...and I'm 6'1".....I'm tall;....but I really just need to get two bikes;...one 29er for touring and I guess a 26 for the tech stuff.......
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YetAnotherDave
Trad climber
Vancouver, BC
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How technical is the riding you're doing? Bigger wheels are inherently less nimble, but they roll over little things more easily. On less technical stuff the bigger wheel will be an advantage, but it'll be harder to deal with bigger rocks/roots/etc. Bigger wheels are also weaker, due to the angle of the spokes (which is why 20" wheels are so awesomely strong).
If you like fast, flowy stuff with minimal constructed obstacles, the 29er may be for you. But on trails with gaps/teeter-totters/skinny bridges the bigger wheels will lead to bigger crashes IMHO.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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I have a friend who built a Turner Sultan (29er). He's like 6'6" or so and has an XXL frame. I got on his bike once and felt like I was 13 years old again and getting on my first 10 speed. It was a huge bike!
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Being terminally sarcastic and cynical , i thought the 29er thing was a lot of hype...somehow i ended up with one and love the thing....The bike weighs 25 lbs and doesn't have suspension ...Suspension is for techno wienies...I'm 6'3 and my dick grew 3 inches and is now 5 inches long....My 29er is as comfortable as my custom road frame....Oh well....... who gives a sh#t..?
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Nkane
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Lots of good stuff, but how fast you can get there depends highly on where exactly you are. Do you mean SF itself or somewhere in the SF Bay Area?
SF itself. I doubt there's much in the city, but maybe there's some good riding within striking distance?
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
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I got a bumpersticker on my workstand that reads "Nobody cares if you ride a 29er". Another one on my toolbox sez "Nobody cares if you ride a singlespeed"
If you're going to put a bumpersticker on a car, make sure you put it on sombody else's car. Put a Sierra Club sticker on a redneck pickup, or an NRA skicker on a VW earthmuffin van. It scores some invert karma points.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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My current bike is a Turner 5.Spot. 6" travel in the front, 5.5" in the back. To get that, I had to build the bike slightly heavier than I'd like it to be (especially for long hard climbs on rocky trails like we have around here). If you're interested in "all mountain" riding, or some cross-country with lots of downhilling tossed in, it's a good compromise. If you want to mostly do XC, you'd be better off going with a lighter bike and slightly less travel.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK
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26' YER GONNA DIE!!!
29' YER GONNA DIE!!!
Take yer pick.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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SF itself. I doubt there's much in the city, but maybe there's some good riding within striking distance?
Nkane, there are some very good fire roads and not so technical riding, but good for endurance with lots of hills, in Marin Headlands across the Golden Gate Bridge. I ride from my house all the time and do 3-8 hr rides. Getting to good singletrack does require a car, but I don't like driving and being in/contributing to traffic.
The road after the bridge to the Headlands is closed until September, so I'll be needing to find other areas to ride when ski touring season finishes - that'll probably be early July this year due to so much snow :-)
SF does have some very good close mtn biking. Maybe others can chime in about the E Bay, or do a Google search of the Taco. Where to mtn bike in the Bay Area been discussed here multiple times in the past.
You can PM me when you get here if you'd like and I can show you some of the Headlands. We'll have to get around the current closures, but after the road has been finished there's some easy to get to fun riding. I ride a 26" hardtail.
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Nkane
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Thanks, Kunlun-Shan, I'll hit you up when I get out there in June.
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Vegasclimber
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
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Post more bike porn!
Most of the points have been covered here. The 29 rolls better over obstacles, but it's heavier unless you kick out some major cash. It's not as nimble as a 26.
I personally think the 29 climbs better, but it sucks at tight singletrack, which I like. I haven't spent enough time on both yet to form a really solid opinion.
In the end, it has to do a lot more with the rider then the gear I think. I know my boss can smoke 90% of the riders out there while on a Walmart bike. But he's insane like that.
We sell both types here at the shop I work at, the 29 more then the 26 for the most part. But being as the people buying them aren't pros for the most part, I am unsure of how much of that is due to ability and how much is due to sheep mentality.
But here is some 29er porn for you anyways :D
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Captain...or Skully
climber
or some such
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Is there a Post up Yer Bike thread? Hey, Brandon...or Hankster!
You guys got bikes, right? Start some sh#t. Maybe for un29ers. Small wheel people? Where's the Love?
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Here's my Sultan looking over a canyon in the Swell.
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rwedgee
Ice climber
canyon country,CA
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I tried 26" & the 29 felt better to me, more stable, but isn't as responsive for tight turns. It felt more like a motorcycle to me. But this is my 1st mountain bike and I've been riding motocross & super moto for over 30 years. Might not have been the right choice but it felt better to me.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Daaaauuumn Mike!
I've been 29er for 3-4 years now.
26ers just feel weird to me now.
Jet9
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Captain...or Skully
climber
or some such
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You guys ride fancy. NTTAWWT.
Haha! It's all good. Ride that thang. Oh, yeah.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jan 20, 2014 - 08:16pm PT
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so, looking for a Mountain Bike thread this was as close as it gets...
what are the opinions of the STForum on MTBs?
best, historically... and recently...
what to buy and why...
in the market, and would buy used old stuff as well as new stuff, but not looking to drop huge coin on the purchase.
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mrtropy
Trad climber
Nor Cal
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Jan 20, 2014 - 08:19pm PT
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I bought my last one as a slightly used rental, the shop knocked off about 1,500 dollars and it had been used three times. There are so many styles and sizes you almost have to try them to see which ones work for you.
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