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Demistifying the 29″ wheeled mountain bike
Recently, the 29-inch wheeled mountain bike — the 29″er — has been creating a bit of a stir inside the mountain biking world. Perhaps you have heard of them or know someone who has one but, if you are like most mountain bikers, you probably are wondering what all the fuss is about. There are plenty of good, 26-inch wheeled off road bicycles out there so why in the world should there even be mountain bikes with 29-inch wheels?
To begin to answer this question it’s important that we understand wheel size terminology, so I’m going to start there.
Inching along: how to measure wheel size
In the past, there were different ways to figure out this measurement and this is why we have four different 26-inch standards to this day.
Although the “inch designation” for bicycle wheels and tires has been a source of confusion for some time now, a simple way to figure out bicycle wheel size is to take any wheel and tire combination and measure the diameter of that combination. The result of that measurement would be the wheel size. Any combination of rim and tire that measures 26 inches can be considered a 26-inch wheel; the 29-inch wheel derives its name in the same basic way.
Finding a frame for your 29″ mountain bike wheels
The rim diameter that is used for 29″ers is the very same as that used by most road bikes (which is designated 700c) and that means you can mount any 29-inch tire on any clincher 700c road bike rim. So, is any road bike a potential 29”er? The answer is no, it is not.
The other determining factor is whether or not the fat, 29-inch tire will fit into your frame. Sometimes you can find an old hybrid or touring bike with enough clearance to mount two-inch tires but it’s rare. Usually, you must have a purpose built frame and fork for such a bike, and these 29-inch compatible frames have their own geometry and are designed quite a bit differently than a typical 26-inch wheeled mountain bike. This is also the main reason why cyclocross frames usually do not make very good 29”ers.
Why the 29″er?
In the late nineties, it was rather difficult to get a frame, fork, and tires to put together a 29″er, and so we return to our original question: why is there such a thing as a 29”er today, in 2006? It is because a very dedicated, small group of people believed in the benefits of the larger wheel size; it is mostly a result of their perseverance that any mountain biker can enjoy the benefits of these bikes today.
I will be writing more about the specifics of these benefits in future posts.
1. Posted by More News and Views | Guitar Miniature | 7:04 pm, 8 March 2006
[…] More News and Views On One Scand-Al: Could On One Cycles be the British equivalant to Niner Bikes? It’s looking like the company might be headed in that direction. Take a look at the photo of the aluminum frameset. These are not just any old aluminum frames;no, they are Scandium aluminum frames! That is a stronger alloy of aluminum that can be drawn into tubes that make a lighter, somewhat more forgiving frame than your standard aluminum frame. What’s better is that this new “Scand-Al” frame, (That’s right, On One is going to call it the Scand-Al!), is a 29″er! Geared with replaceable dropouts, that I assume will also be available in single speed mode. It appears that the photo shows an eccentric bottom bracket but I’m not sure on this! The projected price on this frame is approximately $700.00 and might be available this summer. The other photo is of a CAD drawing of a carbon fiber fork with an aluminum crown that On One is working on. The as yet un named fork will have the same offset as the steel version of the Inbred fork. No word on availability, or price. My guess is that this fork is destined to be mated up with the Scand-Al frame- but that’s only my guess! If they do this, then it surely would be one of the lightest frame and fork combos out there for 29″ers. For more on the fork and a cool report on a direct comparison between a 26″ and 29″ Inbred check out this report from Twenty Nine Inches . Thanks to them for the fork image! The image of the frame comes to you from the 29″er forum at mtbr.com And Finally….. I’d like to invite you all to take a gander at the article that I wrote for The Biking Hub, and for you to take a stroll through there website. Lots of good info here to check out! Enjoy! Via: Guitar Ted Productions […]