Well, I hope everyone had a great week!! I wanted to talk about equipment choices...bikes and components. I remember when the only choice you had were two wheels and three, single speed, three speed, and ten speed. Not any more. We have size choices, and not just the frames. We have ten speed alright, times two or three!! And it used to be that the biggest wheel you could get was 26 inches. Now you can get 26, 27.5, and 29 inch wheels. Suspension!!! Are you kidding me? Now we have suspension systems, with "brains"!!! Say what?!
So...what should you get? Well, I always say, "Ride what you like." However, you should consider what type of riding you like to do the most. For example, I like to do cross country and enduro riding. I generally don't use any suspension but if I do opt for suspension I will go with a suspension fork. Why? Because I feel like a suspension frame drains away all my energy input when I pedal. And I pedal a lot!! They say frame suspension helps reduce fatigue...I agree, if you do downhill, but when you have to crank hard to climb, I feel that whatever fatigue it eliminated on shock reduction, it will eat away when you have to pedal up a hill, into the wind, or when you accelerate. Not to mention the added weight. Those are just my opinions for personal choice! Choice is great!! AAHHH...there it is, the title!!
Now, I'm not recommending no suspension for anyone. Rather, I would recommend that you try the different options out for yourself. That's where your wonderful, and reputable local bike shop comes in. Don't go to just one. Sorry guys, but one bike shop doesn't carry all brands. And if you do, you are special. Try out a variety of makes and models. Make sure you get what you want for the riding you want to do. Keep in mind that you may want to do a variety of riding styles, which may call for different styles of bikes.
So, let's break this down and separate it into segments so I'll have something to talk about for next week. This week I really want to focus for a bit on wheel size for mountain bikes. I love to watch cross country racing on freecaster.tv. I love this site. You would never even know mountain bike racing ever existed unless you were directly involved, were it not for sites like freecaster.tv, and pinkbike.com as well as cyclingdirt.org. I'm sure there are others but I'm not familiar with them at the moment. But, back to my point, wheel size. You now have available, 26", 27.5", and 29" wheel sizes. They each have pros and cons.
The 26" commonly used wheel is still great. It is an all around wheel size and is still popular among the elite racers as well as the masses. It's has great control on tight switchbacks and technical areas. And if you have the legs and gears, you can speed right along. No problems at all, until you are racing a rider with comparable physical conditioning and riding abilities, only he is riding a 29er.
Now we'll jump to the 29" wheelset. I honestly don't have a great deal of experience here so I'll have to rely on my test rides and what I've read...as well as my experience trying to chase someone down while they were riding a 29er. What you will gain is speed. I don't know the physics of it enough to put it into words here, but, you will cover more ground in the same gear as a 26er with one revolution of your cranks. Now that's logical, right? And with the larger circumference of the wheel, with that logic, you should be able to roll over obstacles easier than a 26er, right? However, you do lose tight trail maneuverability, and you will find that a lot of gears will be rendered useless. I've read that they are not very good on trails that have a lot of switchbacks, especially tight switchbacks. However, if you have great bike control and technical ability, this may not matter to you. All I know is that I thought I'd be able to catch that guy on his 29er...never did. In fact, never saw him again. What the hell!! Nothing will deflate an ego faster than a cloud of dust and you. All alone! That speaks for itself. And they are gaining popularity on the UCI racing circuit as well.
Now, we'll discuss the 27.5" wheel. It's considered a "happy" medium. Giving back a bit of control lost to the 29er, and giving a bit more rollover ability gained by a larger wheel. A bit of speed as well, I'm sure. However, is it enough to make the jump to a different wheel size? In my opinion, no. Short and sweet. I just don't think the benefit is enough to justify the changes in equipment, and the expense. I would say it's 26er or 29er.
Now, with all that said, it still boils down to you actually riding the models that appeal to you. See which works best for you, and your abilities. Take your time. Don't get a 29er and think you'll just go out and toss it around like when you were a kid. You'll get hurt, like when you were a kid. As we all know, we don't heal as fast as when we were younger. I should mention, the added speed is real so don't get carried away. Respect the bike and the trail. The differences are tangible. If you want added speed, and the ability to ride over obstacles that were a bit more difficult and maybe impossible on a 26er, maybe you should check out a 29er. I know I'm entertaining the idea of switching. But I will always have my old 26er. It will never go away. If you have an opinion on the topic of 26er vs. 29er, please comment and we can address it. I promise, it won't take months before we address it here. That goes for any of the components and things that make riding more fun for all of us. If you try to comment and it's not working, please let me know by emailing me at: robert.emuir@gmail.com
So, all that's left is for you to get out there! Ride your bike!! And as always be careful and responsible and be seen!!
The Mature Cyclist
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