Anybody Else See This?

[jimithng23]

Interesting statistics from Bicycling magazine:



Where I'm surprised the most is the decline in the 26er fullies. If anybody has been paying attention in the last 2 years, the rise of the 29er shouldn't be a surprise. I just didn't think the 26er fullies were paying the biggest price. I figured the 26er hardtail was losing the most ground to the 29er.

Overall, it's great to see there's an overall increase in shipments...even in this "economy."

[Bexter]

Wow, I am amongst the 29er front suspension frenzie. Did I mention that I LOVE MY NEW BIKE??????? Now, I'm not saying my 26er Specialized is anything to sneeze at. I really like that bike. But, in case you weren't sure how I feel...

I LOVE MY GIANT XTC 29ER!!!!!

Now is also a good time to mention also that Team Good Looking has been training and are looking forward to a 2012 rematch!

[Gunchie]

Where I'm surprised the most is the decline in the 26er fullies. If anybody has been paying attention in the last 2 years, the rise of the 29er shouldn't be a surprise. I just didn't think the 26er fullies were paying the biggest price. I figured the 26er hardtail was losing the most ground to the 29er.

When you're a racer you either go for the 26 FS or the 29 HT... I'd go for the 29 HT any day of the week for the extra efficient yet the big wheels smooth things out. Looks like a lot of other racers feel the same way. 29 FS is a great trail bike, but I still think it's overkill for racing in my humble opinion. Still racing the 26 HT and loving it. A 29er HT would be nice, but I doubt it would shed any time off my race results.

[Chief Illiniwek]

Changing my 29 inch single speed(Rig) to a 1X10 this winter. I really love the ride of a 29 inch front suspension bike, just need some more gears! Still keeping my 26 inch bikes and will ride them when ever I feel like going old school!

JB

[bleedfororbea]

if 29er is soo awsome why arnt you all sporting 29inch wheels on your tahoe, forester, honda element, and toyota celica ? ;)

[iLuvTechnical]

Prepare for the 650b Wheel-Size Revolution!

Anyone thinking about having the best of both worlds?
There are rumors that some of the industry's manufacturers are diverting some of their resources to rolling out more forks, wheels, and tires in the near future.
http://bicycling.com/blogs/thestraig...ze-revolution/

[jimithng23]

I'm not knocking the 650b wheel, and how could I since I've never ridden one but I would think that this could be a bad thing for the industry. Diverting R&D to a new wheel size takes away from funding projects on improving the current millions of components and "standards" being shoved down our throats. It dilutes the market and confuses the consumer.

HOWEVER

Much of what I said above was said of the 29" wheel....AND of full suspension.

AND, it's entirely possible the 650b size ends up being the "perfect" sized wheel. Unlikely? Sure, but only time will tell.

If anything, it's good to see manufacturers, engineers, and designers continuing to push the envelope. But, if it's done at the end users expense by forcing us into new standards then that's where peeps are gonna get peeved.

...could this post receive the award for 2012 Most Contradictory Points Made in a Single Post??

[bleedfororbea]

yes prolly.

But that article makes it look like if you bought a 29er you went to big to fast..

Also more squirrels will get stuck in wheels because the spokes are longer=/
and the world will run out of rare earth metals faster because of scandium frames.

just saying =)