Everyone raves about 29 inch tires and how great they are. But why is that and is your bicycle wheel size really that important?
Here in Texas, it’s pretty conclusive based on bike sales. 29 inches of tire is highly preferred over the old school 26 inch tires.
I took some time to ask the resident experts at Cadence Cyclery this weekend and got the opinion of semi-pro racer and coach Grayson Kepplar who you can find over at the Mudbandit blog.
With any luck, Grayson may become a regular around here.
29 inches = Less rolling resistance
The big difference between a 29 inch tire and a 26 inch tire is how much easier you roll over things.
My wife, who is a new convert to mountain biking, describes riding a 29er as “They’re awesome and you can just roll over stuff.” Well said, and true! Take a look at the below image to see why.
The image above shows how the angle of attack for a 29er is much less steep, making it easier to get over the top of and carry your speed through. While that picture does slightly exaggerate the concept, the principle is very well shown.
Gary Fisher, a legend in mountain biking, was the first manufacturer to heavily publicize and push the 29er movement. He describes the benefits of a 29er in this video below.
Think about it, you have 3 additional inches of tire that can give you a huge advantage when rolling over obstacles in the trail. Your bicycle’s wheel size now lets you maintain more momentum and keep moving without losing as much speed.
Is a 29er always better?
As Grayson pointed out, there are times that a bike with a 26 inch wheel would be preferred.
Tight, twisty and winding trails can be better for a 26 inch wheel. 29 inch tires are easier to get up to higher speeds, but can be slower with acceleration. On a twisting trail you will be slowing down more frequently as you round corners and being able to quickly accelerate to get back up to speed is critical. Especially during a race when every precious second counts.
Is a 29er a good beginner bike?
What about for the brand new rider, someone looking for their first or second bike. Is a 29er a good bike to start on?
Yes. It is absolutely a good bike to start on and I highly recommend it as the best kind of bike to start on. Bikes with 29 inch tires have several key benefits that are ideal for a new rider.
Smoother Ride
Because of the large tires these bikes are able to carry their momentum far better than their 26 inch counterparts. For a new rider who may not have the core stability to balance themselves well this helps to even out the way the trail feels underneath them. The large tires also have a higher air volume, meaning there is more room for compression inside of the tire itself. This helps to absorb shock from the trail while riding and when combined with a carbon fiber frame, it can equal the amount of shock absorption you get from a 26 inch bike with a small rear suspension.
Increased Contact Area and Traction
The larger tires of the 29er gives your bike more surface area that is in direct contact with the ground. According to Jim Papadopoulos, the contact patches on a 29 inch tire are 5% longer although narrower. This leads to you having better linear traction on the trails, something that is especially beneficial when riding on loose gravel or sand. There are a lot of the same benefits that switching to a tubeless tire setup does.
More Stability
There are 2 reasons that a 29er is more stable than a 26 inch bike of the same quality and make.
A 29er will be a little bit heavier than it’s smaller counterpart. The frame is larger, the wheels and tires are larger, even the cables have to be slightly longer. This increased weight in the materials means that your bike feels slightly heavier and more solid than the 26 inch bike.
A 29er isn’t affected as much by rocks, roots and obstacles which makes you, the rider, feel more comfortable in the saddle. See the reason above on why the ride is smoother.
The never ending debate
This topic gets debated more than anything else I have ever seen, and there is no definite answer. Every rider will have their preference whether they prefer a 26 or 29 inch tire. Just like every rider will have a preference of either a hardtail or a full suspension bike. My suggestion is that if you are looking at buying a new bike, check out the 29ers thoroughly and be sure to ride on some bumpy terrain or at least over some curbs to get a feel for the different size.
I hope this has helped give you some more information on why you might want to consider a bike with 29 inch tires. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
how about the intro of 650b “27.5″ this will catch on the ability to use 120mm travel fork.
choices are great.
Thanks for dropping the comment Moondog. I am intrigued and yet skeptical of the 650b. Personally, I don’t think it will stick. If it does you have full authorization to throw it back in my face.
Here’s why I think that.
1) The market has EXPLODED all of a sudden with 650b products. Typically when a product does that it doesn’t last very long.
2) There actually isn’t really a dedicated market to these. The majority of the people interested in 650b are people looking for the improved clearance from a 29er and the maneuverability of the 26″. Nobody is really asking specifically for a 27.5″ wheel.
3) 29ers have only been popular for maybe 6-7 years so far, and some of the major builders are just now finding some incredible ways to make the bikes more nimble and agile. As the engineering advances the line in the sand for performance is going to blur and 29ers are going to come remarkably close to a 26″.
But seriously, I don’t have a clue what they will end up doing.
So I hit richardson bike mart today. WOW trex or specialized both a couple bucks apart
Damn just a couple hundred more nice and right at a grand Damn
Need to be patient. Need to be patient
Need to be patient.
G$
I am shopping, I want a rumble fish elite or a inner RIP.. now reality. I am probably going
To pick up a diamond back overdrive. Test the waters put some miles down and ride more biked. I just hate being last in line. Out of shape fine just not last in line. Both my biddies ride ninners one SS freak of nature. Bottom line six months i will catch them no matter the wheel size. If i could find a sold simple name brand 29 er for around 5 hundred i will bite next month. Patience not my best attribute. What are your thoughts? Save and buy once..screw it and just rude, get the DB or wait out thec local classifieds?
Ok, here’s my advice.
Do not get the diamondback. It’s not a quality bike that will last you through the next several years of riding. Instead, buy an entry level bike made by Giant, Specialized, Trek or Cannondale preferably from the shop. Personally, if your budget is $500 I would suggest looking at a Specialized Stumpjumper 29″ or a Giant Revel 29″. Both bikes should be roughly around the price point you want to stay at and both will give you excellent quality bikes that you can depend on for years to come.
Really though, my best advice on buying a bike on a budget is to watch Craigslist. You can get a great bike on craigslist for half the money you would pay at a store. I have actually bought several bikes on Craigslist for friends over the past couple months. There are some great deals to be had, you just have to watch closely.
This is my issue right now. I have a simple 26″ specialized bike
The guys i ride with have custom 29ers. I pedal all the time they coast and conserve energy i can hear both there freewheels running constantly. I just PEDAL. I am shopping as i
Do I get the big wheel or score a sweet 26? I am leaning big wheel
G$
Nice G$, I suspect you will be very pleased with the larger wheel. Any idea what bike you might be leaning towards? I have a wealth of knowledge on them having just done my shopping about 6 months ago.