To all you 29er's out there!

Diamondback eh? Only an idiot would even buy a second hand one.

Diamondback eh? Only an idiot would even buy a second hand one.

They have suddenly lost their cool. Cant think why?

That one is pretty well priced for the spec. I'd want to be at least 5" taller before I started concidering a 29er full squish.

I had you down as more of a steep angles, skinny tyres, aggressive cockpit, type of rider, though.

You've got my number :-)

Thanks for putting me back into reality. This is reality, oh shit...

The Fatback website mentions adjustable headtubes. Which I assume is similar to that found on the cosair marque. Allowwing you to adjust the HTA. Should mean you could quicken the handling for trail use when the snow melts.

Suddenly I'm thinking.....
Big fat larrys front and back - winter
Husker du's front and back - summer

Thats $$$ worth of tyres though.

I'd want to be at least 5" taller before I started concidering a 29er full squish.

Try one, you might be surprised. I've got one and I don't consider myself a giant by any stretch.

Try one, you might be surprised. I've got one and I don't consider myself a giant by any stretch.

I'm 5'7" though. Much as I love my fully rigid 29er, it was'nt bought through practical and technical assessment of what would best the best* bike for me, and my mountain trail riding. Altrhough its the singlespeed aspect that keeps trying to kill me. Makes me want to carry my speed when I should be braking. Thats probably specific to me being a clumbsing shite though. If I had a couple of inches rear sus. I'd have to part my butt cheeks for the rear tyre on every bump.

(*MrSmyth will be along shortly to define 'best' ;) )

Some Jeff Jones loveliness....
http://www.jonesbikes.com/images/X_c2.jpg
http://www.jonesbikes.com/images/X_b6.jpg
http://www.jonesbikes.com/images/X_a3.jpg

Proof that rigid twenty niners can handle the harcore side of riding...
http://www.jonesbikes.com/images/X_c4.jpg

(*MrSmyth will be along shortly to define 'best' ;) )

whichever bike makes you feel good about yourself when you post pics of it newly built up on an internet forum.

whichever bike makes you feel good about yourself when you post pics of it newly built up on an internet forum.

Nah, you'd be far better off ditching all the bikes and devoting your time to critiquing the builds that others post up or discuss.

Considering the slavish devotion some apply to this past time it must have some monumental rewards.

whichever bike makes you feel good about yourself when you post pics of it newly built up on an internet forum.

Good to know I'm doing it right.

Proof that rigid twenty niners can handle the harcore side of riding...
http://www.jonesbikes.com/images/X_c4.jpg

I've learnt the hard way that landing a rigid bike, takes precision. That^, quite frankly, scares me.

Jeff Jones is a VERY skilled rider...He used to have a video on his site of him riding a local trail...he uses his trials skills to great effect.

are those bargain haro ss 29er's still available anywhere?

Nope. The last ones available were the 16 inch ones and now they've gone too.

Can I ask a 26" question here? Anyone got any experience of 'ghetto tubless'ing a 559 wheel?
Do you have to use a 20" tube, or will a 24" do? UTFSing Google suggests I've ordered the wrong size.

Can I ask a 26" question here? Anyone got any experience of 'ghetto tubless'ing a 559 wheel?
Do you have to use a 20" tube, or will a 24" do? UTFSing Google suggests I've ordered the wrong size.

I think it has to be a 20" to make it tight enough.

I've not tried it myself though.

I've done it plenty of times. Cut the tube to size before you fit the tyre, not the trimming it after technique as this makes the tyre seat badly.

Slit the tube to around the width of the valve, so it looks like rim tape with a valve attached. fit it, it'll be fairly tight, and then run around the edges of the cut up tube with some Duck / Elephant / Gaffer waterproof tape. Wang a cup of sealant in there and pump like a mutha. I use a CO2 cartridge to get enough pressure to seal, but sometimes a merciless attack of track pump is adequate.

You'll hear leaks, probably from all around the rim, splash a little soapy water onto the outside of the tyre and you'll see bubbles where the leaks are. Hold the wheel leak-downwards and give it a swoosh about, the sealant will seal the leak pretty quickly. Keep wanging more air in, it'll keep losing pressure until you've got sealant into all the leaks. The best way to get it to seal is to keep it moving, so go for a little local ride, not too far as you might be walking home.

I'd do one tyre at a time, it can be very frustrating. Some will say not to use CO2 as it makes the sealant 'go off' faster, but you'll be adding a lot of track pump air in addition, so sucks to them. Also it's a stinky greenhouse gas.

Good luck, it's a messy job, but I've not had a puncture for a couple of years.

This^

I add loads of soap while inflating to aid the seating. A cheap paint brush, diped in washing up liquid + water, works well for me.

wire beaded tyres are easier to do. Foldables, bought on clearance, with battered beads from storage will drive you close to insanity.

Well worth the effort though.

Thanks people, I'll slope off to a shop and get the right size.

If you hear a lot of swearing in the near future, that'll be the struggle happening.

richard

i did not do the ghetto version but have done the stans tubleless

i am assuming you have a car tyre pump, it is meant to make the inflation procedure much easier

would be happy to come over and help/make facetious remarks when you do this

If you do use folding tyres leave them unfolded lying flat on the floor for 24 hours before installing as this helps get the kinks out of the bead.

If you do use folding tyres leave them unfolded lying flat on the floor for 24 hours before installing as this helps get the kinks out of the bead.

Did this with mine. But you could see the kevlar through the worn rubber on what became the rear tyre. Had soap, a compressor (at work), a well fitted rim strip etc. The rear took striaght away the rear was impossible.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Started the process again, and all I achived was to escalate the foam party look, to workshop bukkake.

a car tyre pump, // facetious remarks

Ha. James, I'd have loved the company, but we may have had some explaining to do...

Ceiling v

Alkali, spot on instructions. I did the 'rim tape width' tube cutting, and it all went more or less according to plan, so thanks for that.

which bit of the ceiling bukkake party above is the 'according to plan' bit?

Well done, there is a chance that you'll need to put more air in over the next few days, and Conti tyres (race king maybe, I can't remember) can weep out of the side walls in a rather alarming fashion. Did you do both tyres or was one enough for now?