The All Things Cycling Thread

#1,176
#1,176
tri_vol said:
I would wait before jumping on that train. Gotta a buddy thats a top 5 rider locally and he hates his 650. Nino was riding a prototype carbon fiber bike and that was the first win ever on 650s. If he continues to be successful then that design and technology will trickle down and the production bikes will improve.

Have two friends both top 5 riders in local races. One rides a 29er the other a 26". On technical sections they hang with each other but on downhills & open terrain, the 29er smokes a 26".

Imo, if you are riding a lot of rock gardens or slow speed techincal stuff or can't generate power because of your size then 26" gives you an advantage. If you are a bigger guy with power and the trails are rocky and rooty with general cross country riding then 29er is the better choice.
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I've been brainwashed by the guys at Spooky Bikes then. They're all about 650b and have had guys winning on their 650b's since the late 90's. Still, it's different, and I'd ride them for that reason alone.
 
#1,181
#1,181
Velo Vol said:
I don't get it.
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for years mountain bike wheels have been 26" in diameter. recently they have started making mountain bikes with 29" wheels. the logic is a bigger wheel rolls over obstacles easier and if all things are equal 1 revolution of 29" wheel is greater than a 26". Therefore the 29 is faster.

The drawback to a 29 is it takes greater effort to start cause its a bigger wheel. If you're less than 5'10 it can be tough to generate the power to get going quickly. Also 26" wheels turn more quickly and are more maneuverable because they are smaller though the new high end 29ers handle almost as well.

27.5" (650s) wheels have been around for a while in road biking. They would put them on women's bikes to help them start more quickly than a bike with 700s. They fell out of favor on the road because once the group is up to speed you can't keep pace because of the smaller wheels. They are making a bit of comeback with mtb. Its bigger than a 26" so it clears obstacles better but doesn't take the effort to get started that a 29er does.

Does that help explain it?
 
#1,182
#1,182
650 were popular on those stupidly comfortable SoftRide bikes. Just noticed that one of the local racers is running 650c on his Serotta.
 
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#1,183
#1,183
tri_vol said:
the logic is a bigger wheel rolls over obstacles easier
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This part I get (more or less).


tri_vol said:
and if all things are equal 1 revolution of 29" wheel is greater than a 26". Therefore the 29 is faster.

The drawback to a 29 is it takes greater effort to start cause its a bigger wheel.
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This part I do not. Aren't there gears on mountain bikes? That's what they are for.

A bicycle wheel is much larger than a car wheel, and yet cars somehow go faster.
 
#1,184
#1,184
Velo Vol said:
This part I get (more or less).




This part I do not. Aren't there gears on mountain bikes? That's what they are for.

A bicycle wheel is much larger than a car wheel, and yet cars somehow go faster.
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The gears are smaller on mountain bikes, though. Usually 44/34/24 or 42/32/22 triple front chainrings compared to 50/3?, 52/3?, 53/3?.
 
#1,186
#1,186
Problem with that solution is the terrain is to varied and changes unexpectedly. In road biking you can usually see whats ahead and prep for it. That doesn't work in mountain biking because you cant see whats coming. The most important thing in mtb is maintaining your momentum. If you lose that, then you are either at best walking or worse..crashing

For example, you could be riding a set of easy rollers hit a sharp curve and immediately be faced with a 17% grade. If you were in your big ring, you are toast. It would be virtually impossible to downshift in time and maintain enough enough momentum and power to climb. As a result you almost never use your big ring even if you have power to spare. 90% of the time you are in the middle ring.

Because it doesn't get used many people remove the big ring to save a bit of weight. Sram has even come out with 2x9 & 2x10 system. One ring is slightly bigger and the other is slightly smaller than a standard mtb middle ring.

The 29" wheel gives you the advantage because you can go faster on flats and rollers and yet still be have the gearing needed to adjust quickly when the terrain changes.
 
#1,189
#1,189
VOLatile said:
How so? If you're riding singletrack, you tend to be weaving in and out of trees, lots of hairpin turns, and generally all kinds of obstacles blocking your sight.
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This. Best case scenario you can see 20-30 yds ahead usually its about 15-20 ft.
 
#1,191
#1,191
Velo Vol said:
No, this kind of prepper.

Doomsday Preppers - National Geographic Channel
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Mountain bikers will build doomsday fortresses out of empty beer cans and light their defense cannons with roaches.

Shop owner started building his Voodoo Canzo tonight. Full XT drive train with Avid hydraulic disc brakes, Mavic X717 wheels. No fork yet... However, I just realized that it's probably a 29er frame and he put 26" rims on it... we were a little drunk tonight.

We may look at getting a different mountain bike dealership, as Kona isn't stepping up and giving us a line of credit yet, even though our credit lines were extended 3-4 times between various companies last year.
 
#1,193
#1,193
Looks like they're going to go ahead and give us a credit line. That's good, because Kona is probably the most well known mountain bike specialty company that our area can be competitive with against the likes of Giant and Trek.
 
#1,195
#1,195
Oi. I shouldered a tree tonight on my mountain bike. Tree did not move like I expected. Now I have this big ass bruise. At least I didn't break my clavicle like my friend did yesterday on her road bike.
 
#1,197
#1,197
Velo Vol said:
wut
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Tree leaning over the trail during a sharp right hand turn. I tried to duck under but wasn't able to drop my shoulder in time. Took a blunt hit directly to the top of my right shoulder. Didn't hurt, but I learned my lesson. Wish someone had seen me so we could have a good laugh, I'm sure it was hilarious to watch.
 
#1,198
#1,198
VOLatile said:
Oi. I shouldered a tree tonight on my mountain bike. Tree did not move like I expected. Now I have this big ass bruise. At least I didn't break my clavicle like my friend did yesterday on her road bike.
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was riding this super easy 2 mile trail and trying to see how fast I could on each lap. It was almost dusk and still had my sunglasses on when I came around a corner and misjudged my lean and a tree location. It was a skinny little tree but I caught it with my shoulder but never unclipped. The force stopped me instantly, then threw me and the bike in the air (couple inches off the ground) backwards about 10'. Somehow I land cleanly then unclipped. Fortunately I didn't break anything. That was one of my more memorable wrecks.
 
#1,199
#1,199
tri_vol said:
was riding this super easy 2 mile trail and trying to see how fast I could on each lap. It was almost dusk and still had my sunglasses on when I came around a corner and misjudged my lean and a tree location. It was a skinny little tree but I caught it with my shoulder but never unclipped. The force stopped me instantly, then threw me and the bike in the air (couple inches off the ground) backwards about 10'. Somehow I land cleanly then unclipped. Fortunately I didn't break anything. That was one of my more memorable wrecks.
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Heh. I stopped, still standing on the pedals and everything. My weight was supported by the tree. Just think if I had gotten my shoulder down far enough but still smacked my head. Ow.
 
#1,200
#1,200
once I tried to wipe the sweat out of my left eye on my shoulder while going left around a curve. smacked my head right into a tree. im not smart
 
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