Noticed I am getting fat again..time to excersise and about the only thing I really like to do it ride bikes...not a fan of the typical road bike, I currently have a GT RTS 1 full suspension bike that is old and heavy, but it works.....

Upon looking at parts to do a tune-up to my neglected GT, I found out that 29" rims are a new (at least new to me) addition to moutain bikes and BMX style cruisers instead of the 26" rims and tires.

Anyone have real world experiance with the larger diameter rims and tires??

The bad influence that caught my eye was the minimalistic approach of converting my 21 speed(?) bike to a single speed (with freewheel, not gluton for too much punishment)...the bike trails and streets in and around my area are not too steep I think for something like that...famous last words as I'm walking my bike up the "little" hill, hahaha

Also, the in me got excited when I found these 2 websites:

A Brief Introduction to Brazing Steel Bicycle Frames

and

The Paterek Manual for Bicycle Framebuilders

Muller

From what I hear 29er's rock. 2 of my current roommates have fully rigid singlespeed 29ers. They both love them and I have to say they are pretty cool. One has the kona Unit 2-9er and the other the redline monocog 29er. The 29 inch wheel rolls over stuff with ease and acts like a form of suspension. They also out handle the 26 inch wheel. I really think the 29 inch wheel is the way to go especially if you are looking at a rigid or singlespeed bike.

A couple things to consider about 29er's ( from my limited knowledge)

- They are a relatively new technology so there are only a few suspension forks currently made that fit the new 29 inch wheel. There are also limited tire options. You can run cross tires if you want to run something small, if not there are not a whole lot of choices.

- Most current bike companies are just starting to realease their 29er.
I'm pretty sure that kona, redline and gary fisher are the big names really going after the 29er.

- In modifying a 26 inch bike, here are the issues that I would see in it.
Your going to need a new front fork - the lower stantion has to be longer to accomidate that bigger wheel and tire combo.
You may want to change the gearing to accomidate the bigger rotation.

In modifying the frame to accomidate the 29 inch wheel your going to dramatically change the gemoetry of the bike. That bigger front wheel is going to dramatically raise the front end and slant the head tube angle back a ton and this will dramatically change the entire gemoetry of the bike. It's amazing what a couple degrees will do to the fit of a bike. Current manufactures have had a tough time making certain size frames because of the new geometry. It's tough to maintain a comfortable riding position and accomidate the 29 inch wheel. Basically changing over a 26 inch frame to a 29er will make it tough to get a good riding position.

If It were me I would look at the redline monocog29er. It's steel and it weighs a bit but it's a rocking bike for $500 bucks and it will get you back out their. With the steel it rides really smooth and is really a hell of a deal. If you want to go up to the $1000 dollar price range you've got the Flight monocog that comes with a nicer material tubing and a set of Avid BB5 disc brakes which are adaquite for your first set of disc's. There are also a couple other options at this price range. Beyond that you will be amazed at how much you can spend on a single speed mountain bike frame . Anyway I say go for it, you'll love it.

Here's a great website to check out regarding 29er's

http://twentynineinches.com/

Eric

i've had my 29'r for about 6 months now and i love it. its a special case, the tires are 29" bc the're so damn wide. the high volume lets her float up over snow and sand like no other ride.

the steel frame is cool but it has started to rust a bit in the harsh beach environment i ride in.

far as building your own frame, probably would be a labor of love. custom builders have spent years and many frames to perfect their craft. the smallest change in head tube angle or wheelbase can make a huge difference in the performance of a frame, so building just one or two is probably not going to get you a very refined frame.

i did see a test recently where a builder custom made 2 identical bikes cept one was 26" and the other 29". I don't think the 29" had a clear advantage overall. Its cool but not a magic formula for a better bike.

here are the links to that test...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tec...s/29invs26inpt1

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tec...s/29invs26inpt2

David, More info on that fat tire bike.......please?

its a surly pugsley. The frame is designed around the huge rims and tires. they are 3.7" wide and have about 4 times the air volume of a normal MTB tire. I built her to ride the beach down here. I just got tired of the horrible drivers and have been hit twice. Now i ride on the beach 3 or 4 times per week. It is awsome. At low tide i can ride right at the waters edge. In really deep sand, drop the front psi to 3.5 and the rear to 5 and she will roll over almost any sand.

surly is a small cool bike company. The frames are pretty cheap, they are made for them in China but that is how they make things so affordable. I recently read that only 500 pugsleys have been sold which is way too low for such a cool bike. Everyone that rides one says it is one of the most fun bikes to ride. Believe it or not, if you pump the tires up to 25psi, she rolls out plenty fast. The local roadies were in shock as i paced with them at over 28mph, not bad for a 40lb bike. All the deep sand riding has really helped my endurance. It is alot of effort, kind of like riding uphill for miles on end, but its just so cool to ride out on the open shore with no cars and only the occasional topless girl to distract you.

if you're looking to tone up, and shed a few #s the additional weight is a benefit. as you get stronger the bike will seem lighter.

k

Been riding this full suspension 29r SS for six months. We have in production the Spider29 4" travel full suspension frame w/ build kits, are currently developing a 5.5" travel version and will be making a hybrid 26" rear and 29" front model. My company: Intense Cycles Inc.

Mike, I ride a single speed in the winter mostly, as it saves wear and tear on the bearings of my full suspension bike. I don't push a very big gear to save my old knees, but it is a nice change from my big bike. It is a steel frame from an english company called On One. Cheap but fun. Put skinny tires on it an it is an instant road bike.I do use a suspension fork on it, though. I put my 25 years in on rigid bikes. The problem with converting a bike with rear suspension is chain growth. Almost all of them have pivots somewhere other than the bottom bracket so the chain changes length as the swingarm moves. And, you need some way to tension the chain. Mine uses horizontal dropouts, loosen the axle and move the wheel fore/aft to adjust. There are kits that have sprung tensioners, or you could just use the derailleur that came on the bike for a quick and dirty tensioner.
You might run into problems with your 7 speed chain and chain wheels. Most of
the single speed KITS now days use 8 or 9 speed which are different widths. Not
a big deal if you just use what you alread have, though.

A pugsley would be an awful lot of fun, but pushing those big tires around the
neighborhood might suck.

patrick

hey marv,

i know a maverick sc32 inverted fork will clear a large marge and endomorph tire, so how about a suspension frame to clear one out back? i'll be your test driver

thanks for the link Eric, I'll check out that site...


david....wow, did you steal those tires off of a motorcycle!?!?!?!...as for making frame, I totally forgot I have a freind that works for Santa Cruz bikes..maybe I can scrounge thru their material scrap pile in exchange for some 3D modeling since they use the same software I do ...one of those wishful projects, I have my hands full with my job and the twins (who turn 1 year old next week...)

Marv...nice bikes, the dual wheeled bike seems interesting, it's been done with motorcross bikes for years, so why not a MTB??

any other decent forums to check out??

Patrick, I think I'll hit up my local bike shop and see if I can do a test run...the owner of the shop near my house is also a Porsche nut (912 and I think a 930)

I recently built up an 18lb niner single speed 29" mtn bike. scandium frame, CF and Ti bits, tubeless wheels, EBB. I see myself keeping this one for quite a while. it's rigid up front, so I like the way the bigger wheels roll over smaller obstacles. having a LIGHT singlespeed sure does make a world of difference.

Don't know how I missed this a week ago. But yes there is a huge very active community online here. MTBR.com
I hang out there allot. Check out these forums: 29er Bikes, Singlespeed, Intense.

thanks...I;ve been checking that one out as well as this site I found yesterday

Brining the world of framebuilding together, Frameforum.net

Mike, maybe we should start 914WorldBikeClub.com? :-) Seriously, I'd love to find a new crew to do an occasional mtb ride with. Maybe other bay areaites here also like to ride?

As far as 29ers go, I have no clue but people seem to love them.

For the Bay Area, fixed gear bikes seem impractical unless you live near lots of flat trails.

Mueller: I see your into frame building, way cool.

My business partner at Intense, Jeff Steber is a master at frame building he is an old world craftsman and does all his design and prototyping on a frame jig. Jeff can envision an idea then handcraft a working prototype, then if we all decide its a go we then reverse engineer w/Pro E and can have a product to market at an amazing speed. We actually manufacture all our own suspension frames in house, its an exciting and fun business. Mountain biking and teeners are my passion.

check out jeff jone's website. he makes some insane 29" Ti frames.

http://www.jonesbikes.com/

Mike,

First, i'd like to invite you (and anyone else) to Red Rocks in Moab this fall for A SS Mtn ride. It would be great to have a small group ride during the event I've said i'd bring my bike the last two years, but it never happened and I ended up running instead.

Second as a avid SS rider, and a cheap ass who used to get all his bike gear for free and now has to pay for it. I vote you convert your own bike before dropping big $ on anything new. I've got two Mountain Singles, one for off road, (my old Litespeed team bike converted) and my Schwinn homegrown commuter 1.5 slicks, 90psi, 38x13 gearing. It's my cheapest bike (like 250 invested) but my favorite.

I like the idea of doing your own welding horizontal drops as well, but as little $ as a singleulator is, buy one of those first and see what you think.

Ferg