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  1. #1
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    KidWoo's 29 Review

    http://reviews.mtbr.com/author/kevin-bazar

    Perhaps late news, but I found this interesting. In particular his description of feeling between the axles I believe furthers understanding of why low bb's straight kill.

  2. #2
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    Awesome review.

  3. #3
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    Lee saved that review. I literally never rode that bike in the presence of another human and hence...no pics.

    "If Kevin had...."

    Pure genius
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  4. #4
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    I'd just like to take a moment to compliment you on your engineering drawing.
    "I knew in an instant that the three dollars I had spent on wine would not go to waste."

  5. #5
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    I am looking forwards to your long travel 650b reviews when those bikes come out. Really good review, btw...

  6. #6
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    Very well done.

  7. #7
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    Bitchin review, glad to see Turner dialing the 29er.Curious how it handled the switchbacks


    Still unsure what gap the 29er fills other than carelessly peddling up over rocks and roots. And being non conformingly hip.

  8. #8
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    MS Paint is the greatest image software ever.
    I still don't get what you mean by all 29er tires suck. How? Just curious.
    KoKo, when I demoed a 29er, it felt like I wasn't gonna die over the loose gravel/sand/babyheads of mototrails.

    Never thought about the whole bottom bracket being able to be lower than the axle thing. nifty.
    No longer stuck.

    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    Just an uneducated guess.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    I still don't get what you mean by all 29er tires suck. How? Just curious.
    Because these are the fucking homos who have dominated the market.

    http://www.bikeradar.com/news/articl...raction-33324/

    ......so that's for whom the tires have been made.

    Who the hell intentionally pedals uphill like that in the 'example' of if what's like to climb on a 26" wheel bike? Because 99.99% of mountain bikers had no idea what that's like.

    hint: it's not like that
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    I still don't get what you mean by all 29er tires suck. How? Just curious.
    He means Maxxis doesn't make a DHF in a 29er.

    At least that's MY beef.
    There's nothing better than sliding down snow, and flying through the air

  11. #11
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    ......or a minion DHR2, or a high roller, or an HR2

    And kenda doesn't make a BBG or a Moco or a telonix

    And specialized doesn't make a butcher, or a clutch

    ....at least when I wrote that

    There's now this

    http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb...utcher-control

    I would have gladly thrown those on if they were available.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  12. #12
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    I want a bastard hybrid between a DHR2 and a 2.4 Ritchey ZMax!
    In 27.5

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by rideit View Post
    I want a bastard hybrid between a DHR2 and a 2.4 Ritchey ZMax!
    No you want a hybrid of the ritchey zed. Flipped around, I could climb up walls with that center strip. Those zmaxes were poop.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  14. #14
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    kidwoo: First thanks for going to the trouble of writing up the review. I was wondering about a couple things.

    1: Did the Incredibly Awesome Ability of Massive Wheels to Roll Over Shit make much difference in carrying speed on the downs; through chattery stuff? (all suspension settings "held equal")

    2: Per the planted feeling of the B29, where do you think your personal trailbike bb height is, sagged?

    Geeking out

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by SubV View Post
    kidwoo: First thanks for going to the trouble of writing up the review. I was wondering about a couple things.

    1: Did the Incredibly Awesome Ability of Massive Wheels to Roll Over Shit make much difference in carrying speed on the downs; through chattery stuff? (all suspension settings "held equal")
    Oh for sure. As long as there weren't any rutted or pocketed corners where you could usually pump. That's no mystery there. The whole success almost in its entirety of 29" wheeled bikes is that they allow people who don't know how to unweight over rough bits to just hit them and keep on trucking. Just like 26" wheels do better than 24s and 20s. In a straight line, there's no beating it. Trails aren't just straight lines though. Like anything it's give and take.

    Quote Originally Posted by SubV View Post
    2: Per the planted feeling of the B29, where do you think your personal trailbike bb height is, sagged?
    Like every other 26" bike made, 'far too high'.

    Say we take a 150mm full suspension setup (my frame is 140, and my fork is 160 so this is a hand waving argument here), and sag it at 30% front and rear, that's a 45mm drop. Converted to freedom units, that's a 1.77 inch drop from about 13.6 depending on tires. So that puts the bike around 11.8, at least an inch below the axles. Still nothing compared to what similar measurements work out to with bigger wheels.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  16. #16
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    Much appreciated!

    I've never ridden a 29, but these newer frames make me wonder a bit and my current trail bike is about to be put to pasture. It's bb prolly figures about the same as yours (Firebird, -1.5 headset, big tires) and I won't spend money on something higher or steeper- when I set this bike up I had the same Holy Shit, I don't need to lower my seat very often! feeling you described on the B29. And now I want more: lower, deeper, more planted.

    Anyway, this is very good info to ruminate on. Thanks again.

  17. #17
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    Yeah man. I've never ridden a 26" bike that has the calmness in a straight line through really fast rough sections as this one. But I'm also completely positive that I'm still way faster on my own bike due to the stiffness of the wheels and frame, and the ability to quickly put it into pockets and pump or redirect. I'm not even close to seriously considering buying a 29er, but I'm also not so pig headed that I don't see what a good one can do better.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidwoo View Post
    Oh for sure. As long as there weren't any rutted or pocketed corners where you could usually pump. That's no mystery there. The whole success almost in its entirety of 29" wheeled bikes is that they allow people who don't know how to unweight over rough bits to just hit them and keep on trucking. Just like 26" wheels do better than 24s and 20s. In a straight line, there's no beating it. Trails aren't just straight lines though. Like anything it's give and take.
    Sounds perfect for Utah. Nearly every trail I ride is made up of flat corners and switchbacks with long straight stretches in between.
    All I know is that I don't know nothin'... and that's fine.

  19. #19
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    That sounds like my own personal hell.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  20. #20
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    I was kinda kidding. Sorta 'old school/new school.
    But I bet the original 2.5 Ground Control extremes that I had in ~92 would still shred.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by rideit View Post
    I was kinda kidding. Sorta 'old school/new school.
    But I bet the original 2.5 Ground Control extremes that I had in ~92 would still shred.
    Well, you got me because I'm completely fucking serious about that zed No foolin.

    And yeah that's the funny thing about tires. No kidding, until the butcher, clutch and eskar, those old ground controls (especially the rear) were better than anything specialized made for a decade.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  22. #22
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    I'm coming at this from an enduro racing perspective, which I've gotten the bug for. I'm not the sharpest bike handler, not in your class, or the strongest pedaler. I reckon efficiency is where I gain time, which is to say I float through chop and corner well enough to be competitive. In a shit-kicking kind of way. The seduction of the 29 is when I'm fucking gassed and unweighing the bike seems... pretty hard. Rolling vs being light on the bike has a certain advantage.

    I imagine I'm faster on my current ride than on a 29. Bike lust be damned. My local shops have a great selection to demo, which I'll do when weather permits, but my trigger finger isn't itching.

    Edit: re kidwoo says:

    Yeah man. I've never ridden a 26" bike that has the calmness in a straight line through really fast rough sections as this one. But I'm also completely positive that I'm still way faster on my own bike due to the stiffness of the wheels and frame, and the ability to quickly put it into pockets and pump or redirect. I'm not even close to seriously considering buying a 29er, but I'm also not so pig headed that I don't see what a good one can do better.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by kidwoo View Post
    Yeah man. I've never ridden a 26" bike that has the calmness in a straight line through really fast rough sections as this one. But I'm also completely positive that I'm still way faster on my own bike due to the stiffness of the wheels and frame, and the ability to quickly put it into pockets and pump or redirect. I'm not even close to seriously considering buying a 29er, but I'm also not so pig headed that I don't see what a good one can do better.
    and that's the rub with 29ers. They let beginner/intermediate riders straightline stuff. Better riders can pump/play a 29er but better riders generally speaking don't need the crutch of wheel size to go faster. It's interesting to have time on one though to see what the hype is about.

    The B29 is a good bike but you'd need to throw a bunch of money at it to make it a really good bike. That's the rub.

    I still prefer the Bandit 26" version

  24. #24
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    Yeah until I can casually throw down money for set of enve wheels, 29ers just aren't in my future.

    SubV: just go try to ride some wagon wheels. Find a bike that makes sense to you on paper and see if you can find a shop that will carry some demos, or literally just find someone that has one and find out what they drink. There's no amount of internet ramblings in existence that'll tell you as much as your own experience.
    Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp

  25. #25
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    Wait, so they don't make exactly the tires you like in 29" so they all suck?
    Of the 2 different tires I have on my bike, they both come in 29" size and even the same width (or at least they used to).

    I know where my weight is supposed to go, but it's hard and I'm a pussy.

    Sent from my cell phone. no, a cell phone.
    No longer stuck.

    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    Just an uneducated guess.

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