I wear the tight tight shorts, but will try and help regardless. Yes and no. Yes, it makes for a more comfortable, faster ride because you don't have to choose lines nearly as well, but as you've determined, riding a HT isn't as big a detriment as some FS guys will have you believe. If you're going hopping around, get the trials bike. DJ bikes tend to be bomb-proof to take the abuse that cased landings cause. See the Danny McAskill videos, etc. for more info. Alternatively a rigid 26er of a light enough variety may work too for hopping about on obstacles. Note that I'm not trials guy so YMMV No. True DH bikes are specialized to go downhill. (duh) You're gonna try and pedal around on a 40# bike? Don't think that'd be much fun. Especially no fun trying to hop up and down on things. I'd go Trials, then DJ bike, then DH bike for your round town adventures. You may get away with an all-mountain cause they're not quite as heavy as the DH bikes. I've seen lots of 'go hopping around downtown' types on freestyle BMX bikes too, so don't rule that out. Size-wise, they're pretty farging heavy tho. How's that for answers from a tight-shorts-wearing roadie? M
First class, Gumm! Thanks! I forgot to mention skate and pump track forays, too. I am too old to really kick ass but would like to get techincally better and have some urban fun. See, you can have tight tight shorts and do it all amazingly well! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZmJtYaUTa0 My fav video in a while...
Like you, I used to think that nothing climbs like a HT, especially a 29er. Well, after spending two weeks and 155 miles of singletrack on a FS29er that myth has been quashed. I am 2-3 minutes faster per lap which equates to a 1-1.5 mph avg increase in speed. The bike puts the power to the ground on the climbs and it just flat rails the corners. However, its a 5k dollar bike (Pivot Mach429). Would a FS at half price ride as well? I dunno. I had a cheapish FS 26er and it truly sucked, so for many years I was biased. I rode the 29er HT on Wednesday and was sliding all over the place and spinning up the climbs, which were covered with dry leaves. I didn't buy the Pivot for rider comfort, but that has been a nice side benefit as well. I can now ride 5 days in a row without my back killing me like it used to on the HT. The mileage and the fun factor has gone way up with this bike. A fast racer buddy has a Stumpy and loves it. I can actually keep him in sight now.
I've had the same experience. I was initially very skeptical that a 29er would perform as well or better than my 26er, but repeated timed comparisons show that it really is faster except on trails consisting of hairpin turns. On steep hill climbs, the 29er wins hands down.
Yes, I can build wheels. All but 2.5 of my wheelsets are built by me. Unfortunately, my tool(s) are in a rather small box. Hard to take a picture of em. You've seen pics of the bikes. If you don't remember, they're in the 'show us your bicycle' thread around here somewhere. So... there I was... off on a whirlwind adventure out in The Plains, VA with a couple of buddies. Gravel road riding on our cross bikes. I put my Racing Ralph clincher on the front of a front wheel I'd built up pending finding a black Open Pro to match for the rear. Built it appx 12mos ago and just last week found an Open Pro for a deal. ...so I'm bombing down this gravel road at a high rate of speed when all of a sudden WHAM! WTF? Why's my handling all wonky?! Damn! Front flat at 'busting a gut down a hill speed?!' SHIT! I can't stop now, so I'll have to ride it out till the bottom. Thank doG it turned to pavement about a meter before I flatted. So I get to the bottom of the hill, pull the tube and notice that I've ripped the top part where the valve screws shut. Blow it up to see where the hole is and find a round hole opposite the valve. I musta hit something REALLY 'just wrong' to get that to happen. First time in 20+ years of riding. :eek1 Oh, and did I mention today was the first ride EVAR on that wheel? Yeah. Effed up the front rim on the first time out on it. How's THAT for a sonofabitch?! Put the spare tube in and finished the rest of the ride except now every time I go to brake I get a thumpthumpthump and shuddering on the front. Up and over Busthead Rd. then up and over the other part of Busthead road to 55. Crossed that and detoured left up and over Old Georgetown Pike to get to another stretch of dirt road before the pavement slog to my buddy's house. 3:38 on the 'road' and no assholes M
Oh, I am fully for 29ers on the trail- that is unless one is under 5', then I would consider a 26er. However, aside of some downhill it is only on steep climbs that one could be better off with smaller wheels. a) easier to get them spinning than the mass of a 29 wheel, could be usefull when it is steep b) lower 1X1 than 29er gearing 1X1, and sometimes it's usefull to go that low That being said, I am a bigger guy and have no problem powering the 29er momentum. It is the silver lining of a F/S as opposed to a HD that I was questioning. I do feel like I need to be careful of my line a lot more, and for some reason I find it easier to do certain moves shock assissted (like bunny hops). I don't sit down (or feel it) much so comfort is not of an issue. That Pivot is a nice bike, indeed. I think it cost more than my dirt bikes combined, so it better be good!
OK, 1st, if you want a trialsy HT 29er, check this out.... RCP NE29ER Ryan can do custom, his Kickstart didn't pan out, but he will build the frame on a small scale. Here is his website RCP fabrication The problem with going to a trials specific frame is that that is about all they are good for. They have evolved with SUPER high bottombrackets... Look for an older trials frame if that is what you want. DH bikes have SUPER slack headtube angles, make them really floppy unless you are flying down hill, or stairs.... If you want a FS all-mountain 29er check out these. Transition makes a covert 29er (140mm) and a bandit 29er (120mm). Banshee makes the Prime. Intense makes a variety also 27.5 and 29ers.... VERY well built bikes. They tend to go from the spider 29er which is more XC to the tracer 29 which is more gravity, they have a gap, but that may not matter for you.... The main problem these days is finding the bike that works across all styles. We have gotten very specialized, and that requires a quiver. If you have more specific questions let me know, I can steer you in various directions.
My cycling friend was killed, Thursday. He was a great man. Hard to believe. Ironically, my GF and I were hit, Sunday, in my pickup, just the other side of the town where Grover was hit.
Ducnut - so sorry to hear about that. He seemed like a really nice guy....condolences to his friends and family
Man, I'm so sorry for your loss. He was fairly well known in rando circles. From an email that I received yesterday: Grover started his love affair with Randonneuring in 2009 with 5 RUSA rides, 1,016 kms. In 2010 he almost doubled his 2009 rides with 9 rides 1,837 kms. In 2011 Grover rode 23,640 Kms on a total of 185 different RUSA rides, an average of over 3.5 rides per week, and I think that he fell and broke a leg that year, only one of those rides was a Brevet. Grover had already surpassed his 2011 kms this year, and was on track to earn more than 25,000 kms, making him one of the very few RUSA members to acquire a Double Dog and Half K-Hound Status. I can only hope that I'm half the cyclist he was at the age of 70. It's unbelievable that the driver was cited only for an improper lane change.
Anybody need Yakima Tower parts? The clamp parts fit a Saturn, but bases are all the same. Free, just cover the shipping.
