29r's here to stay, but why?

Up until about two years ago there were generally two schools of thought in the world of cycling. Those who believed that Lance Armstrong doped, and those who believed that he was (is) innocent. A debate, on which both sides will vehemently defend their stance. If we thought that this was the debate to end all debates in cycling, my word, were we wrong.

This debate paled into insignificance with the advent of the 29r. What was perceived to be the biggest single evolution in cycling, perhaps since the advent of Carbon Fibre. The 29r set out to change how we Mountain Biked, forever.

In around 2009 there were a hand full of 29r’s out there, with Godfather of the 29r arguably being, Gary Fisher. 29r’s were ridden by non-conformists, and a handful of aficionados who “knew something”. 69r’s seemed to be a stop-gap, and did not take off particularly well, definitely not as well as their sexual namesake.

There were (are) those who defend the 26r, and those who advocate the 29r. Strangely, there are few who openly chastise the 26r, or 29r for that matter. So how did the 29r become so popular?

Certainly up in Gauteng, the 29r in general gained popularity because of its ease of application on most of our trails. The fact is; the 29r is faster over open track or district road. The 29r comes with a few setbacks of its own. No, its not faster off the line, it is slower, and tight and twisties at pace, you’re going to struggle. On a few occasions, I came close to putting the bike down, sections I had regularly done with the 26r, with no sweat.

I can only see that people have become enamored with the 29r because of its speed advantage. Road Converts perhaps? Speed does not however make up for an absence of technical skill. Pro’s riding 29r’s will become that much faster, and that much better, and on the other side of it, fun-riders on 29r’s will be great on the flats, and that much slower on technical stuff. The good will get better, and the average, will remain just that, average.

The future of 29r’s
29r’s are here to stay, but real Mountain Bikers are those who cut their teeth on 26r’s, those who know what a rutted district road is, those who know how to ride roots and rocks, because 3 inches can’t make up for experience, well, that’s what she said.

Excuse me now while I go and prep my 29r for tomorrow’s ride, because, Lance was wrong. It is about the bike, sometimes.