New bicycle

What is the point you are trying to make?

Obviously 29er will cost more that 26er because the frame requires more resources to make, it is heavier so the transport cost is more and lastly it is a better bike so you pay more for it.
 
Rouxenator said:
What is the point you are trying to make?

Obviously 29er will cost more that 26er because the frame requires more resources to make, it is heavier so the transport cost is more and lastly it is a better bike so you pay more for it.
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Roux, you seem determined to force your 29er or nothing opinion on everyone. I was merely providing evidence of what many have said, you are likely to get a better spec 26" for the same price as a 29", or pay a lot less for the same spec.

And you just have to love your very subjective "better bike". Care to explain what you are basing that on? I quite happily shared a link earlier where they did a shootout between the two types of bikes and even then "better" was shown to be rather subjective.

EIT: Oh yes, and about your weight argument.... the 29" above is 12.9kg, the 26" is 12.45kg. I'm sure that is bound to justify the R1.3k price difference for transport.
 
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29er vs 26er it is down to personal choice. If you short get a 26er if you do lots of open cross country riding get a 29er. If you do a lot of technical twisty trail riding get a 26er.

Above all get what suits you best, got both but because of my riding style and size i prefer my 26er.
 
Firstly I am not trying to force anything on anyone. If you feel comfortable riding a 20" or 24" trick bike then who I am I to judge? If you like riding 26" mountain bikes then good for you.

I never argued with your evidence, I agree with it and pointed out the reason why 29er bikes cost more is because they require more metal and as a result they are heavier to transport. Both those factors and many other contribute to them having a higher cost than a smaller sized 26er bike. There is also the "premium" factor (or better factor) which you need to take into account. A 29er bike is considered to be an upgrade over a 26er and therefor it costs more, just like a 19" monitor costs more than a 17" monitor. That is just the way products and their pricing work.

So that is the one side of why 29er is considered better than 26er - the market perception. This is based on people that use the products and find that it is indeed better and therefor worthy of being considered an upgrade and the price premium is justifiable. Once such person is me, I started out on a 26er then got a 29er and I can personally say it is a better bike to ride. Be that for the 9km commute to work or more serious trail rides.

I do not ride in skate parks or on trick circuits so I will not argue with someone who does such rides and insists that a 20" is better than a 24". Neither am I a downhill racer so I cannot debate the merits of a 24" vs a 26" DH bike.

Quantum Theory said:
Clint, you don't need to explain anything to Roux. His opinion is the only one that matters...
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Why do you say that? Because I can backup everything I say or because you are trying to be a troll?
 
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Some will moan about derailling but sometimes a side discussion is unavoidable.

Rouxenator said:
Firstly I am not trying to force anything on anyone. If you feel comfortable riding a 20" or 24" trick bike then who I am I to judge? If you like riding 26" mountain bikes then good for you.
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I am reading this differently then:

Rouxenator said:
Try to avoid any bike that does not have disc brakes, a good shock and is not a 29er.
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Rouxenator said:
They discontinued the Apline, its not in the 2013 product portfolio. Plus its a 26er so I would not bother with it. You can get a pretty sweet 29er for that money.
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I never argued with your evidence, I agree with it and pointed out the reason why 29er bikes cost more is because they require more metal and as a result they are heavier to transport. Both those factors and many other contribute to them having a higher cost than a smaller sized 26er bike. There is also the "premium" factor (or better factor) which you need to take into account.
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Yeah, I quite happily admitted to the "fad" very early in this discussion... I covered the weight argument above too so not need to rehash that.

So that is the one side of why 29er is considered better than 26er - the market perception. This is based on people that use the products and find that it is indeed better and therefor worthy of being considered an upgrade and the price premium is justifiable. Once such person is me, I started out on a 26er then got a 29er and I can personally say it is a better bike to ride. Be that for the 9km commute to work or more serious trail rides.
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You appear to insist that it is so clear cut that it makes you wonder why the internet is still full of arguments for and against both. Notice how I never said he should not touch a 29". I happily conceded that if he manages to get a similarly spec'ed one as a 26" for a similar price he should consider it. That, in my opinion, is advising. Not forcing my opinion on 26" bikes being better on him.
 
Rouxenator said:
Why do you say that? Because I can backup everything I say or because you are trying to be a troll?
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No, because you were forcing your opinion, while I was just stating mine... I backed up my reason for recommending a 26er. Better value for money. What is your reason for recommending a 29er? You recommend bigger wheels, over better parts, without any other considerations.

Pot calling kettle... You are THE Opel/29er troll.
 
Agreed, you will get a better equipped 26er for the price of a 29er. On that count you are both right and I think we all agree on the reason for that.

I am highly skeptical about saying 29er bikes are a fad, if anything I see more and more riders on them and most 26er riders I have spoken too seems to plan an upgrade to a 29er. However if you feel its a fad then that is your opinion and you are welcome to have it.

Perhaps what would be more constructive is if you can give examples of personal experiences where you found a 26er to be better than a 29er?
 
Rouxenator said:
Agreed, you will get a better equipped 26er for the price of a 29er.

Perhaps what would be more constructive is if you can give examples of personal experiences where you found a 26er to be better than a 29er?
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Based on the actual reason for this thread, and the bold part above, is it really necessary?
 
ClintZA said:
Based on the actual reason for this thread, and the bold part above, is it really necessary?
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Sorry for perhaps being slightly ambiguous, let me ask you directly then : What are you going to do with the better equipped 26er?
 
reminds me of the old VW and opel debate this thread :D Rouxenator did you pose for your avatar picture ? or did someone snap a picture of you whizzing past on your 29er ? Just asking
 
Rouxenator said:
Sorry for perhaps being slightly ambiguous, let me ask you directly then : What are you going to do with the better equipped 26er?
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Still not sure I know where you are heading with this. Surely it is apparent why a better spec bike would be a far better choice if you can get it for the same price as another which has bigger wheels? I am yet to find any places that those who I ride with, who have 29ers, can go that I can't. So why should someone who mentioned budget being an issue look at paying more when he can get just as much enjoyment from a cheaper option (with the same or better components!).
 
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Firstly this has nothing to so with brand preference, so whether you ride a Giant, Merida, VW, Silverback, Kia... that is not the point here.

I am sure you will be able to ride on the same places with a 26er that you can with a 29er. In fact on most trails you'll even be OK on a 24" bike so I fully agree with that statement.

But for how far? For how long? How fast?
 
Some great advice here.

So far I'm leaning towards a Karakoram 3, going cheaper to start off with, and can always upgrade in a year or so.

Any alternatives I should look at for about the same price? (26er or 29er)
 
Rouxenator said:
Firstly this has nothing to so with brand preference, so whether you ride a Giant, Merida, VW, Silverback, Kia... that is not the point here.

I am sure you will be able to ride on the same places with a 26er that you can with a 29er. In fact on most trails you'll even be OK on a 24" bike so I fully agree with that statement.

But for how far? For how long? How fast?
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For as long as my little legs will take me, your argument makes no sense. Some people prefer 29er's others 26er's. Stating that a 29er is going to make you ride faster and longer is quite frankly rubbish. You obviously race nationals or at least competitively to be so knowledgeable about which is better. Or are you one of those people that pitch up at MTB races in all the latest and most expensive kit you can afford and always finish near the back.
 
Oh, my argument makes no sense? Its a personal preference? Stating that a 29er is going to make you ride faster and longer is quite frankly rubbish?

Now that you mention it, I am the guy that starts with the elite and rides a bike that costs R5k while I am surrounded by carbon frame dual suspension bikes costing in excess of 10 times more than my bike. Why do I start with the elite you ask? Because that's the seeding I got by riding my ass off and making do with what I got.

Actually now that we are on the topic, Web, QT, Clint why don't you guys tell me a little about your experiences on 26ers? I have actually done some of the rides I previously did on my old 26er on my current 29er and from first hand experience I can tell you its better, faster and I can go for longer.

You know what, have a look for yourself and see that I am not just a loud mouth trying to make my voice heard, I am talking from thousands of kilometers of experience : http://results.racetec.co.za/results_by_person.aspx?PID=449763
 
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