5
I've been touring on a 29er for the last five years -south and southeast asia, Mexico City to Bogota, New Orleans to New York, I'm in the Philippines now - 40,000 km with no problems that were specific to 29ers. I carry tubes, patches, one spare tire just like everyone else who takes long trips in remote place; and some spokes.I'm tall - 1.93m/6'4" -. so the bigger frame is much more comfortable for me than a standard mountain bike..Long days -120km+ - that really hurt on a 26 inch are no problem on the 29er
If there is an improvement in rolling resistance on good roads it's too subtle for me to notice and in any case I cancel it by using really heavy ThornProof ( I think that's the brand name) inner tubes. The real advantage of the bigger wheel is in rolling over obstacles - the rockier and more rutted the road, the bigger the payoff.
Three suggestion:
1. Be sure you can find a good rack that fits a 29er w/ disk brakes before you buy the bike. The Axiom rack I use is no longer listed on their web site I guess there's not much of a market for it.
2. Use cable actuated brakes. If hydraulic brakes were to fail in a non-western country you'd be screwed;
3. Get the strongest rims you can find. It's true that you won't find replacements in most parts of the world (In my travels Bangkok, Singapore and Mexico City are the only places I've seen 29ers in bike shops) so start the trip w/ really good wheels .
Cheers,
Will
6
I was very skeptical about 29ers until last year when I rode some rental bikes doing some mtb-ing - I love them now, I think they have a lot to be said for them if you are doing off-road and wild touring, especially in the US. They definitely roll better on rough ground and give improved comfort.But the big question mark is over rims/inner tubes/tyres. They are only just becoming common in Europe and would be very hard to get in South America/Africa/Asia. If you are confident with the quality of what you have, and don't sitting it out somewhere for a week if you have to get stuff mailed to you, then I think they'd be good. Otherwise, stick to 26 inch for now.
9
Thank You WillmcC....so one could use the full spectrum of widths on a 29'r from the 700C quiver..plus big fatties.Are there any TechWeenies who would like address #1's comment that tire pressure is more important for 'efficiency' than tire circumference?
I'll venture that ''everything being equal'' larger diameter is more 'efficient'......
OR
Can one be directed to rabid arguements elsewhere......
11
I had a 29er mountain bike briefly. I bought it because I wanted some of the parts, but rode it a few times before I sold it on.It rolled much better on rough ground than a regular 26" mountain bike, but there was a weight penalty. I'm 5'9" and thought it didn't work too well on a frame that size.
As for touring, it would work well on dirt roads and would be pointless the rest of the time. Worth doing for reasons of scale - if you're tall, 26" wheels are rather undersized.
Most of the places I've ridden where there are lots of dirt roads, there's also not much available in the way of spares, so 26 would have been a better choice, even though a 29er would have rolled better. I guess in places where absolutely nothing is available you might as well ride what you fancy.
12
Not very sure you need the fatter tires unless you're going to do a lot of "off-roading" during your touring. Used an steel road bike for a long trip and no problems with 700c/23 tires. Only two punctures in 22.000km. You got to bring spares and a good pump to keep things at 100psi. Only loose sand and stones where a bit of pain to ride on. But most of the time I preferred the speed and ease of skinny tires.13
29er would be fine for touring if thats what you want to do.I won't get into a discussion on rolling resistance, but suffice to say that if road racers run 700c wheels there must be a reason for it.
You don't have to run big knobby tyres... cyclocross tyres can be fitted to 29er rims.
As mentioned above, there is no reason you can't use a 26 inch rim for an emergency if you are running disc brakes.
I think this obsession in the touring community with "only 26 inch rims available in developing countries" is getting a bit out-dated.
-Firstly, 29ers are growing rapidly in popularity. They will soon reach critical mass, and will start appearing amongst the "K-mart bikes". You can already buy one in just about any major Asian city.
-Secondly, if a place is so remote that you can't get any parts for 700c wheels, will you actually be able to get ANY parts that are actually compatible?
-Tour light, don't load up your bike with the kitchen sink, and you probably won't HAVE any mechanical problems.
