To all you 29er's out there!

^ This

I find climbing 300 altitude meters off-road SS, infuriates my heart rate. If I could'nt coast at the top, I'd be finished.

Going down the other side fixed would scare me shitless.

I'd be up for meeting people in Epping, I ride there a bit.

Occasionally stumble across a good trail, but my sense of navigation is appalling so can never link them or find them again.

Unfortunately my navigation is almost as bad as my off road bike handling...

Although I've just noticed this is the 29er thread and not the off road thread. Will I be bullied for inadequately sized wheels?

yeah swanley is so far
epping is 10 mins up the road for me
i'd be up for some muddy fun in autumn / winter and finding some new trails
last few winters have been out in the snow around epping such nice riding

I normally ride to Epping also, just head up the canal.

I'll be setting off there soon......the plan is to do my usual 17 mile or so loop to gauge what's what with the 29er thing, then I plan to bomb down the river from Stortford to Waltham abbey and have a blat round the forest.......then home. Should be about 60-70 ish miles.......then I can decide what I'll be upgrading/changing!

I'm already looking at some new cranks.........I always bloody do this!

Laters

Should be about 60-70 ish miles

Just a quick test then?

;-)

Just a smidge over 50 in the end.....I forgot that my regular little loop takes me back along the river that I was going to use to take me to the abbey,

From the shop.....

Quick change of a few bits....

A bit later, after a tonk through Hatfield forest.....

The Americans probably don't ride in clay type mud...

Things I've learnt....
It's a bit lardy......33lbs compared to my ti airborne at 25lbs.....
Can't get used to the gearing.......it seems to be not quite enough, or a little bit too much....
It's got to lose a bit of weight.....lard arseish
It's hard to keep a good speed up on the flat.....my legs,are burning!
It's a bit chunky.....even more so when the mud is on it.

But!
It is the most comfortable bike ever.......and crashes through shite like there's no tomorrow :0)
I can shift a fair bit by changing the shit chainset, from alivio to xt......I've already ditched the ugly controltech mallet stem, for an FSA one that looks prettier.......
I may have to pump the tyres up a bit, as I like the 'pingy' feeling, but then I compromise something else.......I'll get there though!

All in all, a cracking machine.......I will put it on a diet, and then it will be spot on!

I know that mud!

How did the tyres cope? Looks great & yes, you'll probably spend a load on upgrades for it :-)

If the gears feel inbetweeny & you currently have a 22 32 44 chainset, you could ditch the 32 & 44 for 36 with a bash. A popular set up for that type of bike. I'd reccomend something like the SLX double that DJ posted further up the page.

Tyres were better than they looked, to be honest.....they look like some sort of semi slick.....I only had one sideways moment, but picked it up really quick. The steering is sharp!
I like the look of the slx one too.....I'm going to do some research to find out the best weight/price combo. It has an octolink bb though, and I know hollow tech is lighter. I'm not looking to go mental weight weenie, but if I can get it below 30lbs, I'd be happier... I might do that 36/22 thing, as I hardly used the big ring, but on my airborne I'm rarely out of it, except to climb. I couldn't get my head round that for a while.

Serious winter bike. But I just cant love those racks. versitile as they may be. They is ugly.

what's the chain cover?

^^^ That front rack looks like a saddle. Looks like a great workhorse though.

I wish my 29er had ice spikers. Its been snowing all morning, and theres actually a few cms on the road.

Did me fine on the way in at least :)

snowing all morning

Snowing? Where?

Northwest Norway.

Ah, right. It probably is.

I dunno. Took me by surprise.

Fecking car needs picking up from the garage, and has summer tyres on. That wont go well.

I'd love to stud up some 29er minions.

Blimey, and there was me worried about a bit of clay!

what's the chain cover?

Hebie.

"...A chain case is a great idea for utility bikes – it weatherproofs your chain and keeps oil off your trousers. The Hebie Chainglider is a clip-together plastic sleeve for singlespeed or hub gear chains. It rests on top of your chain rather than attaching to your frame, which adds a bit of friction but means you don't need tools to fit it. .."

To save the 29er thread from becoming too utilitarian.

Some shiny.

Not to my taste. Would definitely like to try it though.

So, my wheels weigh nearly 11lbs complete, with tyres, tubes, skewers etc.......what would be a decent upgrade, without breaking the bank? They are bontrager ranger rims, which I don't think can be run tubeless?

These are about as good as anyone really needs.

http://www.hopetech.com/page.aspx?itemID=SPG347