I'm currently on a 26 FS and I'm pondering about a new bike and was wondering what to get, a 29er HT or FS? I know the riding style for each is different (slightly more hovering for the HT over bumpy stuff, seated cruising over the same bumpy stuff with the FS). Other than the weight difference between the two groups, why not just get a FS and ride locked out for climbs? Is the HT that much better/stiffer going up or in sprints? Any other major diffs/advantages to either one? I race both OTH and Enduro Stuff--two very different venues, if that helps. My fun riding is on the same type of trails and I pretty much keep it on the ground--any air I catch is incidental. Thanks.
I think nobody can tell you which one fits you until you try it yourself. Based on the course and events that you ride and race, I would recommend a 29er HT over FS as your race bike. OTH is mostly flat with few climbs and short descents. Enduro Stuff Cup is more challenging with longer climbs and rougher descents. A 29er HT would be more than sufficient for those events and types of terrains you ride. I raced both on my 29er HT before and had no problem going up or down at those events. HT gives you weight advantage over FS as you already know and there is no pedal bob on a HT when you pedaling in the saddle or standing up and mashing. Lock out does not completely lock out the fork and the shock and there will still be a slight movement. Cheers,
Hmm, should I get into the wheel size debate? Well, son, out here on the farm they say them big wheels roll better. I'd like to put some on my tractor, but they're too skinny! My best advice would be to ride what your competition's riding. Demo first and see how it feels. Go as light as you can and get some good wheels.
Can only offer you an amateur's opinion, but I believe the HT makes up time whenever you need to accelerate a lot, and if it's significantly lightweight, it can make up a lot of time on the climbs. If you are mid-pack on the singletrack, the acceleration prowess of the HT can give you more opportunities to pass. If the trail has a lot of slow and tight sections, where you must slow down (maybe for a sharp tight turn around an obstacle), then quickly accelerate, then the HT can make up a ton of time. On paper, the FS seems to have massive advantage, but it's kind of different on the trails. I find it's harder to get around people on one, and you wind up getting caught up in their pace, and maybe even commiting the same errors they make. You just got to hope that other riders are considerate and yield, else you just have to do your best to be in front of all the people who might slow you down, and that's kind of demanding considering the FS bike's acceleration ability. It promotes a smoother riding style, kind of like if you were trying to maximize your mpg on a commute, over a track racing style, but it's kind of hard to do your own ideal pace. The more open things are, the better. I believe you will need to go through "re-training" to do well on a 29er HT, as your 26 FS riding habits will cross over. I foresee you getting lazy, and trying to do a lot while sitting in the saddle out of habit, and learning that you really can't do that anymore. You got to be more active, both mentally and physically, as you need to figure out ways to ride through/over things if the trail requires it. There's a huge gap of time between a rider that rides a HT lazily and one that rides on a bit more actively--you will fall back a lot if you get lazy. To say the least, the HT will be a refreshing change that will likely be fun. Going 29er FS might just be making your previous experience better, giving you more confidence (more capability and control/traction), and you would be more encouraged to ride faster times on things. It would just maybe shift your limits forward a bit, making you realize you can go a lot faster without much more effort. Personally, I believe lock-out on climbs, to make a bike "rigid", actually is more inefficient. Might allow you to attack short climbs better, but that bit of suspension likely will save you a ton of energy on longer climbs, especially if you turn off things such as conscious thought about technique, and just put your legs on "subconscious spinning mode" and just shift and steer and control your upper body as if your lower half were just a motor attached to the saddle. That's kind of the "lazy-mode" that I described that you can't really do on a HT. Up to personal preference really. Get both and just pick to ride one or the other, depending on the circumstances and however you plan to have your fun. I keep a 29er HT mainly because I wanted to cheat on the shorter, punchier climbs, which there a ton of out in my area. The HT also adds a bit of challenge to the easier trails out here, which makes them a bit more fun. Kind of lifts your pride when you can descend as fast as the guys on FS bikes too.
A 29er hardtail designed for you is the best 10 hour XC bike out there. Add carbon tubeless wheels which add approx 2" of comfort and well you don't need anything more for the trails south of the grapevine. Design triumphs material.
Retraining--yes. I had to retrain myself when I went from a 26 HT to a 26 FS. I kept wanting to stand all the time vs being lazy and sit as you mentioned. I guess I'll have some bike demoing to do. My race category has a mix of guys on HTs and FSs but almost all are 29ers. In fact, I think I am the only 26er--doh.
http://youtu.be/kC53Y4DcIpc Marathon Worlds video above: Sauser on his 29'er and it looked like Lataka's got his F/S. Mostly a 29'er event. In the current World Cup XC peloton the only guy on a F/S is Kuhlhavy. Schurter rides a H/T 650b and everyone else is 29'er H/T - tho they rarely talk about, or show on camera, the back of the peloton during the race itself. There still might be some holdouts on the 29'er H/T club. Brentjens and Warner talk bike selection at the start of the race (next World Cup is this weekend). Brentjens usually chimes in on 29'er H/T's - they just make the most sense to his team and most of his own riding (he still trains/races). This week: http://www.redbull.com/en/bike/events/1331578045888/uci-mtb-world-cup-round-5-andorra Absalon went to 29'er H/T this season and it was kind of a big deal early on. He just kills it as usual and at that level it's hard to see what advantage it is for him over the 26'er he used to ride. Pros ride more than anyone, so their input does kind of set the conversation for me.
David, We are roughly the same age and height…….I am going to get blasted here but “for you” the 26’er should be put to rest. No need to get into the wheel debate thing but me thinks the starting reference should always be the (1) riders height (2) riding style. I know this isn’t what you asked but if you were going to have only one bike I would suggest a short travel FS bike. Then you could swap out tires and or wheels. One set of XC race wheels and another every day wheelset. If you want to add a bike and keep your 26’er than I say 29’er HT all the way…….the benefits have been accurately explained already. Start with the wheels/ tires, get what you can afford and go from there. I have three bikes (all 29’ers). My go to bike is a rigid SS…freaking love that thing. I use this for SJT, SCST, Blackstar, Maple Springs, Harding etc……… If I go on longer / training rides or more challenging terrain I ride my FS bike (120mm F / 100mm R). For racing it is a stiff geared HT with skinny tires. This bike will beat you up on long rides but it great for racing. I will send you a PM with my phone number or we can talk about it next week at OTH.
You are not the only one on a 26'er........you are the only tall guy on a 26'er ;-0 The class leader is on a FS 26'er but he is about 5'8"
My brother. I feel you might be best on a new 27.5 bike with a 4" rear and 120 front.... The Solo, or Anthem 27.5 with a 120.. maybe a IBIS HD-R 27.5 @ 130 they are going to be an all around bike that will climb good and be fine for the enduro stuff.. A 29 is a goood bike too. Since your tall that might work well for you.. I feel each bike has it place and either will be good for you..my guess is you need to demo some bikes and see which one fits you all around needs best!
World Cup XC bikes according to Brentjens: "...most of the XC guys are running 100mm up front." If there's one thing I would change on my rig it would be that - more up front. I'm running 80mm (stock) and a 100/120 would be nice if I could add that w/o changing cockpit feel. I also have yet to see a dropper-post on the pro rigs. Being the DH'er he is, Warner (on World Cup broadcasts) usually gets amped up trying to describe to viewers what it's like hitting steep DH, at top speed, sitting high on a 29'er...it's a running theme with him. I'm used to it now but, it's was way different for me going down, say L__ard from the top (v.steep in sections) and having your camelback coming up, practically on your neck.
I raced a 26" FS for 3 years and loved it. I found at the end of the 3rd year I was crashing a LOT, and basically just decided I was ready for a change. So, I gave the 29er HT a try. I absolutely loved it. It was awesome all around. The HT is going to be lighter than a dually, even with the larger wheel diameter. I actually gained quite a bit of descending confidence on the HT once I figured out a bit different of a riding style (up over the front wheel) and was able to stand and hammer a lot of short steep sections that I hadn't ridden the same way on my FS. I'm back riding my 26 FS right now, and while I fully enjoy it (not racing, to be transparent), I often am out on a ride and find myself missing the 29er HT for sure. Especially for courses like OTH you don't really need the suspension. The courses are a bit more wide-open and not full of switchbacks generally or tight corners where you might want to flick around a 26" bike. Plus, lots of trails in So Cal are a blast on the big wheels!
