26 v 29:The Debate

I've been riding mountain bikes in a serious fashion for 5 years now. Up to this point all of my riding has been on 26 inch wheeled bikes: a Giant Iguana SE, a Cannondale Rush 600, a C'dale F1, and a C'dale Scalpel Carbon 2 (RIP). Even last fall I still believed that 26 inch wheels were the way to go for mountain bikers, at for least cross country racers like myself.

This winter some things changed. Several articles were published comparing 26 inch wheels to 29 inch wheels. New 29er components have come out making the weight gain negligible and gearing a more manageable. Then this Spring a riding buddy bought a 29er Cannondale much like the 26er F1 that I currently ride. Last Thursday I took his F29er and my F1 down to Warriors Path State Park in Kingsport, TN.

Let me first describe the rigs.

 My F1: Aluminum hardtail, Lefty Speed Carbon SL (the lightest available), DT Swiss wheels (light and fast), 2x9 gearing with 24x36 crankset and 11x34 cassette, Specialized Captain 2.0 front tire and  Fast Trak 2.0 rear tire, Thomson Elite seatpost, and Ritchey WCS flat and narrow bar
Est Weight: 22 lbs

F29er: Aluminum hardtail w/ ecentric bottom bracket (little bit heavier), Lefty Speed DLR2 (light), WTB wheels (little on the heavy side), 1x9 gearing with 23 crankset and 11x34 cassette, WTB NanoRaptor 2.1 tires front and rear, ControlTech high and wide bar
Est Weight: 25 lbs

I decided to use Darwin's Revenge as my standard lap to test the two bikes against each other.  For those of you who have never ridden Warriors, Darwin's Revenge starts with a series of rooted switch backs and a short ride through some rock gardens, followed by a fast and flowing rollick with the occasional banked turn and switchback to keep it interesting. Then it hits some tight, twisty, cut-through-the trees before some more technical rock gardens and finally a short climb back out of the valley.

I took the F29er out for a lap of Darwin's Revenge, White Tail, and Magic Carpet Ride to get a feel for it. At first I hated it. It was harsh and hard to maneuver and really difficult to accelerate. After a few miles I adjusted the tire pressure (more than took care of the harsh ride and maneuverability) and started to get into the flow with the bike. Then I put in a flying lap on Darwin's Revenge. I had one forced dismount on a a switchback that I normally ride and rode over two sections which I normally dismount on. I was able to stay seated for more of the lap than normal (I am much more efficient when seated), though did have to slow up a bit when cutting through trees (wider bars than I am used to).
Lap time: 15 min 33 sec  Avg Speed: 7.5 mph

Before running my F1 I took about 10 min to catch my breath and spin around. Then I re-entered Darwin's and started gunning it. The ride was very twitchy compared to the 29er (to be expected) and I wound up standing much more to absorb the shock of roots and rocks. I didn't have to dismount anywhere outside of where I normally shoulder my bike, but did try and ride a rock section I had cleared on the F29er and went down with the bike. All in all if felt like a fairly decent lap.
Lap time: 15 min 30 sec   Avg Speed: 7.1 mph (GPS was only method of measuring distance and so was off a little between laps)

My overall impression is that while the F1 feels faster in the corners, the F29er actually handles and rolls better. By switching to a narrower bar the F29er would better suit my riding style and would probably be faster over any given course than the F1. The wight difference between the two bikes was at least 3 lbs which could easily be lost on the F29er. The difference should also be taken into note when looking at the lap times as that was 3 lbs of mostly rotating mass that I was having to accelerate out of the corners.

My conclusion is that 29ers are faster and easier to ride than 26ers for people who are my size and ride in the same style as I. That said, my next race bike will be a 29er hardtail. Anyone want to buy my F1?

Big News

I have some big news to share with everyone who happens to stumble upon these recordings of my blathering (which will include me one day).

On Tuesday I recieved a job offer from Trek of Cincinatti. On Wednesday, halfway through my morning ride, I called back and accepted. I will be a mechanic at the new Trek of Cincinatti store in Blue Ash, Ohio begining in May.

This is a big move for me, leaving my home of five years (the greater Damascus/Emory area) for an area unlike any I have lived in before. Cincinatti is so much more populated than South-West Virginia yet much less hectic and populated than Northern Virginia/DC.

I am excited on so many levels about this change in scenery. I will once again have access to a wide variety of food, art, music, and culture in general. The biking scene in Cincinatti is increadible and should push my riding further than I have been able to achieve over the past five years. It's the clean start that eveyone dreams about when they graduate college: I am just making the leap a year late.

At the same time I am sad to leave Damascus. I'm leaving behind a great group of friends: Jess, Lindsey, Katelyn, Paul, Pepper, Greg, Brad, and Bill (I am sure I am leaving someone off this list: sorry). Also, I am leaving behind a great shop that gave me the experience needed to move up in the bike industry. To Adventure I will always be greatful.

With that I am going to hit the sack before starting in on my last two weeks in Damscus. Enjoy the great weather and all opportunities.