Bushwalk Australia

Hi

Maybe a bit cheeky being more bush riding than walking but what are fellow tall timber's opinions on the 29" mountain bikes? I have a standard wheel 2007 XTC 2 in XL frame sizing but the seat height and frame geometry means it is about as stable as a four leg table missing three legs. I believe that the 29" gives a more natural geometry for the taller riders. Is this true in 29" owners experiences?

Cheers Brett

not being tall, but haven ridden a cpl of 29ers, i would have to say that the geometry doesnt really feel a lot different. the main thing i noticed was that it rolled over obsticalls easier. i suspect that it prob would make a bit if a differant to someone who has to ramp the seat up (i didnt havt to ) however.

best bet, go borrow one from a bike shop. any worth their salt will let you take it for a spin aorund the block. this would be enough to tell you if your ride position will change dramatically.

Can't help ya, but when you mention 29er's, I think of the Fargo. Never ridden one but came across a guy in Canberra that had a Salsa Fargo and he liked it even though it was newish. Maybe you should think about touring and get a bike that's suitable for both, bush and road. I'd be looking at a 29er for the epic bike rides in Aus, I've ridden parts of the Tasmanian trail on a 700c bike and it was roughish but bigger tyres would be good.

12 epic bike adventures in Australia
http://www.cycletrailsaustralia.com/

Fargo's in action
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page ... 60884&v=4E

Some bike porn for ya - Salsa Fargo
http://www.google.com.au/images?oe=utf- ... 80&bih=818

Never ridden one myself but you may get some useful info from this thread on rotorburn:
http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?197551-29er-pros-and-cons

Thanks guys. Nice to see on the link posted I have struck yet another "religious" issue Though it appears the taller timber mentioned the better stability while standard size riders do not see much issue. As for traction and other issues I will leave that to the physic degree holders.

Might be falling for the charms of a Giant XTC2 29 or even a XTC1 as the extra money might be better spent up front. My 2007 XTC 2 needed a decent seat post (useless Easton 30) and a wheel set (Mavic generally not good for heavier riders) so DT Swiss wheel set and Thompson set post along with a SRAM chain and it became a decent bike once the seat was upgraded as well. However, stability is an issue when perched up so high. The simple sit on in the bike shop of the 29" gave a much more stable impression but as said a decent ride might be the go. Rather Grandpa in my riding so not after race performance just a strong but reasonably light bike. The XTC 2 apart from the stability issue is about what I am after. In my 2007 XTC2 I get the feeling that Giant mucked up the geometry in the XL frame as the seat position when high is very close to rear wheel axle so way to easy to wind the bike over and when shifting weight forward on the bike the rear wheel has no traction. Also on a hard stop to dodge a wayward kid nicely rotated over the the top of the handle bars. Lucky kid as I managed to avoid junior but it cost me a broken rib or two.

Cheers Brett

I'm just getting back into riding after a few years off with after having a couple of kids.... now i have just started to ride again but ride at night- its great. i'm on a decent bike- but you just dont go wild and look for stuff to drop off when there is a giant shadow behind it!

I'm pretty tall as well and checked out the available 29 bikes- they all seem upward of $4k and even though i spent just over $3k mine- we just dont have the spare cash we did before kids. I am pretty tired with not being able to get the right leg/seat position though....
watching this thread with interest
Robert

EDIT- looking for dual suspension- not the hardtail mentioned above whichgoes for around $1600

Many quality shops run a demo day regularly - they take a heap of bikes out to a trail area and let you test ride them which is far better than a spin in the carpark.

You'll find many XL frames have a differetn geometry than the smaller frames, many makers do this. On most 29ers they do run as short a chainstay as possible to maintain rear end stability, rigidity and climbing ability.

Remember, a 29er is basically a 700c wheel (622mm bead seat diameter) with a wider rim to allow for a fat tyre, so to maintain performance you need to have reasonable close tolerances of tyre/seattube.

Mavic make an excellent 29er crossmax wheelset, I have a set on my Audax bike and they boast many of the strengths found in the 26 versions, however if you're a clydesdale then a dh sun ringle wheelset might be a better bet, not sure if the deemax is available yet in 29.

Haha, yeah some people are hung up on the religion of rigid SS with their 29ers, calling themselves purists but 29ers do make sense. Some say they are a bit slower to turn, but these riders could also be using super wide dh bars that are naturally slower. Slightly higher COG, really have to analyse the frame geo to see how low the BB drop is. Also check to see the length of the standard crank, would want at least a 180mm if you were looking at an XL frameset.

Robatman, did the shop you bought from take the time to measure you up and fit the bike properly? This can make a world of difference, sometimes a change of stem/seatpost, post height and seat position can be all that's needed.

Area54 wrote:Robatman, did the shop you bought from take the time to measure you up and fit the bike properly? This can make a world of difference, sometimes a change of stem/seatpost, post height and seat position can be all that's needed.

No measure up- just got the biggest frame- I'm 6'6 so have a lifetime of things not quite big/long enough! I changed the stem to slightly longer one but couldnt go too long or it was difficult to get over the back wheel for descending. Havent changed the seat post but ride at its max- even then i feel a little too high for the bike. I have seen a few people refer to moving to a 29er saying they were now "in" the bike rather than above it. This makes a bit of sense to me.

Robert

Robatman wrote:Havent changed the seat post but ride at its max- even then i feel a little too high for the bike. I have seen a few people refer to moving to a 29er saying they were now "in" the bike rather than above it. This makes a bit of sense to me.

Robert

Yes I went for the Thompson seat post as it is long (450mm compared to standard of 300mm or was it 350mm) when the standard one cut out. This puts you way up high so centre of gravity is high plus further back due to the angle of the post. If I get lower then my knees suffer as almost riding bow legged. At 6'3.5" with most of my length in the limbs know the feeling of nothing much ever fitting right so love it when things happen to make things fit a bit better. Sort of figure (hopefully) that a 29" gives about 11.5% size matching so all things been equal (ok big ask) should give much the sort of feel a 26" gives a 5'8" person. By that, you feel you are in the bike rather than perched on top of it is my desire.

In Tassie most riding is up and down so dual suspension bit heavy to ride up constant hills but on true Alpine tracks that only Range Rovers or heavily modified 4WD venture I could become a convert but as mentioned $4,000 is about the price range Clydesdales need to fork out to avoid a bike becoming a twisted mess.

Mavic wheel sets seem to be either loved or hated with the change over point being near 95 to 110 kilograms. My Giant ran as standard Mavic and my set were never true constantly breaking spokes until res-poked with DT Swiss spokes but still boarder line on trueness. Admittedly more they are base in the range compared the replacement DT Swiss set that are more Free ride (just have to love the marketing terms). They are brilliant and recommended by Clydesdales providing you can live with the ultra red colour.

In Tassie bike shops tend not to be so active in trialling bikes and also tend if doing so trialling aim at main stream in sizing and setup. Like all things, some shops are great in getting the right fit for you, while others simply want you to buy what is on the floor. My road bike is a 63 cm frame but when rubber necking at another bike (for my bank balance sake I must stop doing that ) was recommended the 56 cm that a shop had on the floor as the best size due to the frame design. My friend that rubber necked at well rides a size or two smaller than 56 cm and got the same sizing recommendation the week earlier. We both ride the same brand so must be a very special frame.

Reason for looking at a Giant is the local Devonport shop is great to deal with.

Cheers Brett

Yep, 29er market for you for sure. Unless you were really hitting rocky/rooty trails all the time, a hardtail will suit just fine especially with the forgiveness of 29er. The Giant maestro platform is a good performer on the climbs, but really have to weigh up the price for your uses.

I would be dubious of a shop that didn't know their sizing, and then recommend the wrong size just to shift it off the floor. There are some times when you might upsize or downsize a frame for a specific application (time trial for example), however a good bike shop will measure up and decipher the frame size required, as the manufacturers may size a bike on virtual top tube or actual top tube and this is where the experience of the shop will interpret the frame geos to suit the leg/upper body reach of the rider.