29er vs 26" Hardtail

[Byke Dood]

29er


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29er_(bicycle)

[dgw2jr]

After riding some full sus 29er bikes at the Giant demo yesterday, and my buddies new full sus 26er, I've come to a conclusion (for myself, YMMV)!

I prefer hardtail 26ers. I feel more in control of the bike and the I like the responsiveness of the steering on a 26er vs a 29er. Also, I realized my Trek 4300 19.5" is too big for me.

I did some shopping today and tested out a new Trek 4300, 4500, 3900 at On Two Wheels, a Giant Revel 1 at Bike n Hike, and a Raleigh Talus 4.0 at Healthy Habits.

The Raleigh really surprised me considering the price. I never hear anyone talk about these bikes and I don't think I've ever seen anyone on the trail with one. So after a second test ride and some minor adjustments I decided the Raleigh was the one for me. I promptly took it out to Sunderbruch and rode the crap out of it. I logged my fastest average speed ever and even hit some of the more technical sections a lot easier than before. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with it being the right fit (medium 18" frame). The brakes are way more powerful than the Revel's disc brakes but not as overly powerful as the 4300/4500 hydraulic discs. Hydraulics are way too much braking power for me.