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View Full Version : Buying a FS 29er?



cjw94xk
02-24-2011, 08:08 PM
I just need some help on making a decision. I am currently looking into buying a 29er full suspension. Now my typically rides include South Park, North Park, Settlers, Bavington etc. However, I would like to start riding some more technical trails such as Moraine or maybe Seven Springs this spring/summer. A lot of people say a full suspension is overkill for western Pa. Any thoughts?
Thanks

PaMountianbiker
02-24-2011, 11:42 PM
you don't need no stinkin suspension .we all ride 29 hardtail singlespeeds. Why ride a 26-29 pound bike when you could be at 20-25 pounds ? I ride all the same places . the only place suspension would be nice is in the Laurel mountians.

PaMountianbiker
02-24-2011, 11:45 PM
What are you looking to buy which brand?

2002wranglerX
02-25-2011, 12:29 AM
you don't need no stinkin suspension .we all ride 29 hardtail singlespeeds. Why ride a 26-29 pound bike when you could be at 20-25 pounds ? I ride all the same places . the only place suspension would be nice is in the Laurel mountians.



Ya... If you're a 150 lb spinning machine maybe... Don't get me wrong, a full rigid ss 29er is a fun 2nd bike, but no way do I think he should use that as his primary. I've had a gf rig that I built starting with just the frame, and a Kona ss 29er. Both fun bikes, both now gone for a reason.

I also had an xl Gary fisher paragon. I had it to 23 lbs in riding trim. Everything was carbon, ac wheels, etc. That now is also gone. I HATE the head tube angle on the 29er xc bikes. The single pivot 29er fs bikes aren't much better. If I HAD to go 29er fs it'd be the inner WFO or similar.

My primary bike now is a specialized endure expert. 6" of travel, under 30 lbs, adjustable front shock with climb mode, adjustable head tube angle... Il take the extra 6 lbs ANY day over my ol 23 lb 29er... I believed the hype at first. I had 3 of em, and I just don't enjoy them. One day at moraine pretty much sealed that deal. I threw my 4000 dollar hard tail into the weeks and started walking I was so pissed lol.

cjw94xk
02-25-2011, 12:41 AM
The bike I am looking at right now is the Giant Anthem 29er x. I currently have a 29er, and I gotta be honest, I haven't been on my 26" Cannondale since I bought it. I am 6'1" and for me, it just fits me better.
I think two things are pushing me towards one. First, I can get the 11 for 2k. Considering msrp is about 2350, I think I am doing ok.
Secondly, I got married last summer, and now we are starting to talk house, kids, you know the story. If I don't get one now, when in the hell am I? haha.
I have never owned a FS, that is why I am trying to figure out if I really need one. Too many damned decisions!

2002wranglerX
02-25-2011, 12:53 AM
Why buy a 100 mm bike when you already have a xc oriented bike?

Personally I'd look for an all mountain 6" bike and use your xc bike for single track, and the 6" bike for everything else. Then you could do 7 springs when you wanted to.

There's a long travel 29 version of the gf Roscoe that's pretty hot if you're stuck on those big wheels...


Here's my old and gone money pit lol

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i199/46willys/DSC01476.jpg

cjw94xk
02-25-2011, 01:00 AM
Well, that is something I was wondering about too. 6" puts you at a AM, right? Considering most of the time I ride xc, how would an AM handle that?
I gotta say, I like the looks of the money pit you have there. But sometimes they fit right, sometimes they don't... The only downfall for me on the 29er is I don't feel like it is as nimble in the corners as the smaller wheels.

2002wranglerX
02-25-2011, 01:05 AM
Well, that is something I was wondering about too. 6" puts you at a AM, right? Considering most of the time I ride xc, how would an AM handle that?
I gotta say, I like the looks of the money pit you have there. But sometimes they fit right, sometimes they don't... The only downfall for me on the 29er is I don't feel like it is as nimble in the corners as the smaller wheels.

This is what I ride

http://www.leelau.net/Misc/specializedenduro2008/IMG_7527endurofrontsideview.jpg

It weighs in at 29.9 lbs with 2.5 front and 2.4 rear tires (not shown). The extra travel more than makes up for the smaller wheels. Plus roll a skinny (normal) 29er tire next to my 2.5 and they're almost the same diameter! I just find the extra head tube angle and suspension really make up for a lot.

Jeepnick is riding a gf Roscoe iii and its pretty hot. Nothing but good things to say.

If you're hung up on 29ers check out the rumble fish. You get 120mm which isn't bad for a 29er

2002wranglerX
02-25-2011, 01:06 AM
If you wanna borrow my 6" bike you're more than welcome. God knows I'm not using it lately lol. Il warn you though, everyone that's ridden it has offered to buy it lol.

ezman
02-25-2011, 05:18 AM
if you are looking for a fs am bike i'm thinking of selling my santa cruz heckler. it's probably heavier than what you're used to, but it's a solid bike. let me know if you are interested. i love the bike. i just have to fund the jeep build now.

2002wranglerX
02-25-2011, 09:08 AM
Might be heavier but what a good base. You could always lighten it up later...

trailerrails
02-25-2011, 10:34 AM
I just got this, I have not had a chance to take it out yet. I swapped the wheels for some stans wheels. It is the fastest bike I have ever ridden.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/trailerrails/aedf5049.jpg

Here is me on last years 29er on the dr J trail:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/trailerrails/screen-capture-1-2.jpg

You can do anything you want on any bike. With that said 2002wranglerx has some good points. Some 26" wheel bikes have better geometry for aggressive riding. Although if you were to compare apples to apples you will find the 26" wheels bikes are more sketchy. The Paragon he had is a XC race hardtail, ride a 26" wheel XC race hardtail and it will feel even twitchier. The bike I ride (Specialized Epic 29er) is XC oriented but not quite as twitchy as a hardtail 29er. The Stumpjumper FSR 29er or Camber would be a little better for rough trail riding. Most of the areas you listed have fast flowy trails and the Epic would be a great bike for there. If you listed Moraine or the Laural Highlands as the places you ride a lot, I would have said get a bigger travel bike.
As far as the Giant goes, I have had a couple Giant full suspension bikes and the FSR rear suspension is a much better design.

2002wranglerX
02-25-2011, 02:40 PM
I just got this, I have not had a chance to take it out yet. I swapped the wheels for some stans wheels. It is the fastest bike I have ever ridden.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/trailerrails/aedf5049.jpg

Here is me on last years 29er on the dr J trail:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/trailerrails/screen-capture-1-2.jpg

You can do anything you want on any bike. With that said 2002wranglerx has some good points. Some 26" wheel bikes have better geometry for aggressive riding. Although if you were to compare apples to apples you will find the 26" wheels bikes are more sketchy. The Paragon he had is a XC race hardtail, ride a 26" wheel XC race hardtail and it will feel even twitchier. The bike I ride (Specialized Epic 29er) is XC oriented but not quite as twitchy as a hardtail 29er. The Stumpjumper FSR 29er or Camber would be a little better for rough trail riding. Most of the areas you listed have fast flowy trails and the Epic would be a great bike for there. If you listed Moraine or the Laural Highlands as the places you ride a lot, I would have said get a bigger travel bike.
As far as the Giant goes, I have had a couple Giant full suspension bikes and the FSR rear suspension is a much better design.

I like the epic. That fsr platform is just awesome. I personally prefer a more slack head tube angle. That coupled with more travel tends to forgive my lack of skill lol. I'm not a technical rider and definitely not a precision rider. Log rides scare the sh!t out of me lol.

The slack head tube angle lends itself more to my riding style. I brake late and dive too deep into corners. I switched my rear shock position and shortened my fork tubes to set my enduro up for xc and hated it.

Sine he already has an xc bike, I simply thought it might be a good idea to buy a more all mountain oriented setup. Plus I like running wider more aggressive tires that are harder to come by on a 29er


What was your impression of the rumble fish? The Roscoe impressed the he'll outa me and the rumble fish is supposed to be it's 29er cousin.

And like I said before, any time you wanna borrow my enduro to try an all mountain bike let me know.

PaMountianbiker
02-25-2011, 05:58 PM
I am far from a 150lb spinner .I weigh in at 210 and I love the simplicity of a single speed all the time .I've had plenty of 26 suspension bikes(turners) and they always have something about them (linkage;bushings;air pressure;etc. ) I've never had a suspension 29er .I like when I push pedal instant power .Maybe because I'm 6'1 29ers just fit better but all I ever ride is single track Morraine and laurel mtn only a couple times a year . Right now I have a Niner onenine and a Paragon 1 x 9 and I never ride the paragon .

cjw94xk
02-25-2011, 11:16 PM
Well, today I did it. It's paid for and ordered. Should be here on Weds'ish. I am really excited about getting it... well, until a guy I know who helps run Trek up in Robinson text's me and let's me know he has a 09' KONA Hei HEi 29er for $1500.00 on clearance and a Hei Hei Ultra for $2100.00. That is when I started rethinking things for the fortieth time. WTF! lol. I can't go back on my order now, and the Anthem has 4" or travel were the Kona has 2.5" or 3.5", so I think I did ok.
If anyone is interested in that deal, let me know and I can give you his number. It will go on the floor tomorrow night and then it's up for grabs to anyone.

2002wranglerX
02-25-2011, 11:49 PM
Well, today I did it. It's paid for and ordered. Should be here on Weds'ish. I am really excited about getting it... well, until a guy I know who helps run Trek up in Robinson text's me and let's me know he has a 09' KONA Hei HEi 29er for $1500.00 on clearance and a Hei Hei Ultra for $2100.00. That is when I started rethinking things for the fortieth time. WTF! lol. I can't go back on my order now, and the Anthem has 4" or travel were the Kona has 2.5" or 3.5", so I think I did ok.
If anyone is interested in that deal, let me know and I can give you his number. It will go on the floor tomorrow night and then it's up for grabs to anyone.

let me know if you want to ride next week. i have lights if we want to go after work. it'll be weather/trail condition dependent too i'm sure. congrats on the new bike! 29er or not, i think you did the right thing getting more travel.

cjw94xk
02-26-2011, 12:07 AM
Thanks!
I definitely will. I was actually just playing on MTBR and google looking for some new trail networks in the Pittsburgh Areal. Hartwood looks like it could be a lot of fun and there is another network Yellow creek I wanna try too. We will see what the weather/ground conditions are in. What area are you from?

2002wranglerX
02-26-2011, 12:13 AM
Thanks!
I definitely will. I was actually just playing on MTBR and google looking for some new trail networks in the Pittsburgh Areal. Hartwood looks like it could be a lot of fun and there is another network Yellow creek I wanna try too. We will see what the weather/ground conditions are in. What area are you from?

i'm in bradfordwoods, up off the wexford exit off 79. 15 mins north of the city. i know of a lot of trails we can ride in north park if they're muddy without destroying them (which is my primary concern).

hartwood is a BLAST when it's dry. there's a few trails on there that you just pedal hard and haul ass... of course, after not riding all winter i'm gonna be HURTIN my first time out lol.

i have an HID, LED, and a halogen light setup too, so we should be good on lights.

PaMountianbiker
02-26-2011, 12:15 AM
How far are you guys from Bavington ? It's usually pretty good in the winter months not that muddy. We could go there some night.

cjw94xk
02-26-2011, 12:28 AM
I was gonna pick up a Geo manager 900 until I found out the batteries were catching on fire when charging. I still need to pick something up bc I plan on commuting to work to get some conditioning. Anyhow, I could also do a weekday or a Sunday. Bavington or North hills could work for me.

2002wranglerX
02-26-2011, 12:52 AM
I was gonna pick up a Geo manager 900 until I found out the batteries were catching on fire when charging. I still need to pick something up bc I plan on commuting to work to get some conditioning. Anyhow, I could also do a weekday or a Sunday. Bavington or North hills could work for me.

i have this:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=niterider+LED&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=7080102501185565262&sa=X&ei=WIVoTbKiEoOCgAfq1eXLCg&ved=0CDgQ8wIwBA#

and this:

http://www.cactusoutdoors.com/store/product/4731/NiteRider-Moab-Lith-Ion/

and my wife has a trail rat halogen that she uses when we ride at night

trailerrails
02-26-2011, 10:50 AM
I like the epic. That fsr platform is just awesome. I personally prefer a more slack head tube angle. That coupled with more travel tends to forgive my lack of skill lol. I'm not a technical rider and definitely not a precision rider. Log rides scare the sh!t out of me lol.

The slack head tube angle lends itself more to my riding style. I brake late and dive too deep into corners. I switched my rear shock position and shortened my fork tubes to set my enduro up for xc and hated it.

Sine he already has an xc bike, I simply thought it might be a good idea to buy a more all mountain oriented setup. Plus I like running wider more aggressive tires that are harder to come by on a 29er


What was your impression of the rumble fish? The Roscoe impressed the he'll outa me and the rumble fish is supposed to be it's 29er cousin.

And like I said before, any time you wanna borrow my enduro to try an all mountain bike let me know.

If you like the Epic platform but want slacker geometry and longer travel, look at the stumpjumper (it still has the brain). I like the Camber 29er a lot also, it has 4" of travel like the epic but has the stumpjumper geometry (but it has no brain). I personally do not feel that longer travel is needed for most riding around here.

The way your paragon was setup is not a fair comparison. It was not built for your riding style. You had the AC wheels on there with skinny rims. If you were to run a wider rim like what is on your enduro with a 2.2 tire you would change your story a bit about 29ers. The enduro is still the correct bike for your riding style, but with wider rims, bigger tires, 100 or 120mm travel fork you would have a different opinion of 29ers.

The rumble fish is a cool bike, the Trek ABP rear end works well and is a good alternative to the FSR rear end. I still prefer the way a FSR rear end rides.

I like slack geometry too, the only reason I ride an epic is because I don't ride a whole lot anymore and I want something to help make up for my lack of fitness.

I have owned several enduros in the past (i think that is single model bike I owned the most models of). I have owned 3 epics, so that bike is gaining. I have had 4 enduros, from the 5" travel comp model from about 7 years ago with the itch switch rear end to the 6" travel s-works carbon (24lb 6" travel bike was awesome) from a few years ago. If my fitness was better I would be riding one now.

Sycotik Skier
02-26-2011, 12:18 PM
This is all really interesting. I am kinda sorta in the market for a new bike. Right now I'm on a fisher hoo koo e koo that was recently converted to rigid and single speed. I haven't really ridden it too much yet due to the weather but I like it so far. I also just ordered a 26" muni.

88wd21
02-26-2011, 04:38 PM
I ride this POS
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll225/ok2pndt/659a197b.jpg

and even the little bit the full suspension works on it is not even needed for the lame riding I do...

cjw94xk
02-27-2011, 09:12 PM
Keep your eye on craigslist if you're looking for a better bike. I seem them on there all the time cheap, just not what I was looking for.
This weather is awesome! Anyone been out on the trails to see if they're dry or not?

2002wranglerX
02-27-2011, 09:25 PM
Keep your eye on craigslist if you're looking for a better bike. I seem them on there all the time cheap, just not what I was looking for.
This weather is awesome! Anyone been out on the trails to see if they're dry or not?

the report from moraine was they're dry... i hate moraine though... so i'd rather ride in mud lol

2002wranglerX
02-27-2011, 10:49 PM
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/bik/2230302014.html

would be a nice start if anyone's lookin

cjw94xk
03-06-2011, 10:36 PM
Well, I picked it up last Tuesday night. It was a weird feeling. I liked it but couldn't digest how much I spent on it.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b333/cjwalkeriii/White%20Clay/anthem.jpg
But then I got a chance to ride it. I am originally from the Philly area and am in a friends wedding so I went our there for the weekend. So a few of us went for a ride at White Clay park in Delaware. All I can say is it was freaking awesome. We did about 20 miles and it soaked up everything. It saved my ass on the expert course a few times. I only got a few pics bc we were riding most of the time. If you havent made the trip to White Clay, you need to.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b333/cjwalkeriii/White%20Clay/2011-03-05140326.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b333/cjwalkeriii/White%20Clay/2011-03-05152208.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b333/cjwalkeriii/White%20Clay/2011-03-05140333.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b333/cjwalkeriii/White%20Clay/DSCF0499.jpg

2002wranglerX
03-06-2011, 10:50 PM
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b333/cjwalkeriii/White%20Clay/DSCF0499.jpg

mmmmmm pinchflats.. it's the 29er way

cjw94xk
03-07-2011, 12:55 AM
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b333/cjwalkeriii/White%20Clay/DSCF0499.jpg

mmmmmm pinchflats.. it's the 29er way
yeahhh.. So the one with the flat, that was the only 26inch. lol

2002wranglerX
03-07-2011, 01:58 AM
yeahhh.. So the one with the flat, that was the only 26inch. lol

i ran tubeless to try to help with that and in the end, that was just as big of a hassle. i used to pinchflat my 29er at least once every 3 or 4 rides...

Sycotik Skier
03-07-2011, 10:39 PM
I was looking at a similar bike at Probikes on saturday when I picked up my uni. What a gorgeous bike. Hell all of the newer bikes are just beautiful

cjw94xk
03-09-2011, 11:28 PM
i ran tubeless to try to help with that and in the end, that was just as big of a hassle. i used to pinchflat my 29er at least once every 3 or 4 rides...
I know what you mean. On my 29er hardtail, it seems like I am always getting a flat one way or another.
I wish this weather would break. Next week the clocks go ahead and hopefully we get some dry weather. Maybe we can get a ride together sometime soon.

cjw94xk
03-09-2011, 11:29 PM
I was looking at a similar bike at Probikes on saturday when I picked up my uni. What a gorgeous bike. Hell all of the newer bikes are just beautiful

Thanks! They really are. Almost to the point you don't want to hurt them. But then you start riding it and that's when you really get to appreciate them.

trailerrails
03-10-2011, 09:53 AM
i ran tubeless to try to help with that and in the end, that was just as big of a hassle. i used to pinchflat my 29er at least once every 3 or 4 rides...

The only truly reliable tubless setup is to run stans rims or bontrager rims with their plastic tubeless rim strip. Any other brand rim is going to have issues, there are ways to work around the issues and make the setup reliable but it will never be as good. I have heard that some companies are leasing stans patent and are designing rims with the beadsocket but I have not seen any first hand yet.

jeepxj3
03-31-2011, 07:19 PM
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/199224_732291824382_23100212_38553433_2440438_n.jp g
Here's my latest build:
2009 Gary Fisher Paragon Frame
2010 Fox F29 RL 100mm travel 15mm QR TA
Cane Creek Headset
Juicy 7 Hydro Disks
Full SRAM X9 components
TruAtive Bash Guard
2x9 conversion
DT Swiss 240s Hubs with quick engagement mod
X470 Rims setup to run tubeless
Lockon Grips
WTB Silverado Saddle
CrankBro's Candy Pedals

Weighs in at just over 20lbs.