Anyone else gone to the dark side? Confession: I’ve just bought a 29er..

[enigma]

As much fun as I'd have tearing down that I'd get far more satisfaction from riding up it.

Downhill only has never appealed to me as in my opinion it's lazy biking, to me the reward of the downhill section is that you've worked damned hard to get up there in the first place.

I think thats valid and what I thought back in the day, like the whole ski lift nonsense riding a bike or on foot, if I am old or invalided so be it, conceed but other than those circumstances I will get off my ass and ride up!

 

[brocklanders023]

27.5 is defo a good bridge between 26 and 29 IMO. Less sluggish and more playful than 29, much better rolling and access to modern features than 26. Depends what you want really.

A lot of the gripes about modern kit would be equally directed at a 26" version if such a thing existed as the tyres would be wider, droppers would fit and the geometry would be way different.

 

[kaydee]

I was specifically searching for a thread like this and am so glad to have found it. I've been riding vintage bikes hard and have really been enjoying them. I always knew I would ultimately find the perfect modern bike, but I was perfectly content on waiting potentially years for that to happen.

Well, with no warning, I just copped the perfect new bike - and it's a 29er. Incidentally, it's my first time riding a 1x drive train. The short of it is that the bike is incredible and I am actually scared that I will no longer wish to ride my vintage bikes once I've done some serious riding on my new bike. To be clear, my vintage bikes have been my main and only bikes for both street riding and trail shredding. I especially love taking them on trails, because it's just such a fun and unique challenge - and I still adore 26" wheels for their agility - but I know I will feel tempted to reserve my new bike for trail duty.

My hope is that I can at least still enjoy my vintage bikes on occasion. I am still reading through replies on this thread to see who is in the same boat as I am. Silly as it sounds, I almost swore off altogether the idea of buying a new bike because I felt like a decades-old MTB was all I realistically needed.

Hi float,be scared,I sold the Bon Tempe and kept my Castellano soft tail .I rode it recently and despite nearly 4” of front suspension and a softtail rear end with 2” of travel I came back feeling hammered.On the new bike I come back feeling fresh,and not in the slightest bruised so I dont use the old bike as much.Having said that I recently did the rebellion way 240 miles around Norfolk on it with a handlebar bag and saddle bag and it was perfect,really comfortable so I think it is going to be a off road tourer and short flatter ride bike ,but I feel your pain.The new one is just light years ahead and as much as I love the softail it just isn’t on the sme planet.

 

[Trebz]

I just bought a 1965 Moulton Deluxe. I'm using it as my every day commuter. I seem to have gone the other way.

Go figure. Hehe

 

[float]

Hi float,be scared,I sold the Bon Tempe and kept my Castellano soft tail .I rode it recently and despite nearly 4” of front suspension and a softtail rear end with 2” of travel I came back feeling hammered.On the new bike I come back feeling fresh,and not in the slightest bruised so I dont use the old bike as much.Having said that I recently did the rebellion way 240 miles around Norfolk on it with a handlebar bag and saddle bag and it was perfect,really comfortable so I think it is going to be a off road tourer and short flatter ride bike ,but I feel your pain.The new one is just light years ahead and as much as I love the softail it just isn’t on the sme planet.

Yeah, the discomfort I feel seems to hit differently depending on the mood. Sometimes I want to feel like I'm driving a race car, other times I'd prefer feeling like I'm driving a GT, if that all makes sense. My trails are also quite rocky and jagged, leaving me wanting a more comfortable bike. Nevertheless, I hope to continue enjoying the vintage bikes in rotation. If I can find that smooth single track that's always talked about, I don't at all see a need to carry along the new bike all the time anyway. There's some ease with transporting a 26" beater that I don't worry about, plus some trails are pretty good no matter what you're riding.

 

[float]

For me, I love the older bikes more because I'm a more confident rider thanks to the 29er.

That's a very interesting point. I suppose there's a limit with vintage bikes and it's hard to progress once you've hit it. I originally thought riding vintage 26ers would be a handicap that would ultimately give me the upper hand when riding a modern bike..... but new bikes are definitely more confidence inspiring, letting you get out of your comfort zone more easily. Perhaps that in itself would theoretically help a person ride any bike much better. While I get acquainted with my new 29er, I will think about your reply and see if I end up feeling the same way.

 

[Imlach]

I don't know about all these modern standards to be honest, I'm still on 53" x 18" in terms of wheels and I doubt it'll change anytime soon.

 

[enigma]

That's a very interesting point. I suppose there's a limit with vintage bikes and it's hard to progress once you've hit it. I originally thought riding vintage 26ers would be a handicap that would ultimately give me the upper hand when riding a modern bike..... but new bikes are definitely more confidence inspiring, letting you get out of your comfort zone more easily. Perhaps that in itself would theoretically help a person ride any bike much better. While I get acquainted with my new 29er, I will think about your reply and see if I end up feeling the same way.

Confidence inspiring yes, I gather so.. skills building not so sure. I was / am always good at reading terrain, whether in a land rover, a bike, even on foot, I associate what I see to risks or action quickly. So I can ride my old full rigid Kona in a way that modern riders can most of the time...
But my arms are bent, on swoopy downhill, my eyes are open I react rather than just lollop over things letting suspension do the work etc..
Its a different world.
On my local trails my bikes are fine, no issue, but in terms of man made bike parks etc, no because they are built for huge modern chariots with suspension etc.. so it depends where you ride.
I am a more sedate , enjoy the scenery rider now for the most part, bunny hopping, drop offs etc are all in my past.
I am looking at newer bikes because I know a lot of people who ride bike parks etc, and for longer day rides perhaps a newer ride will broaden those horizons literally whilst not making me feel so old.
I have enjoyed people realising I was riding like they used on their bikes the age of mine, long since disposed of, and that they ride very differently but if we are riding trails round here always enjoyed, they are doing so lazily in comparison.
I think next year will see a 27.5 rigid onto the fleet, dip my toes...!

 

[brocklanders023]

That's a very interesting point. I suppose there's a limit with vintage bikes and it's hard to progress once you've hit it. I originally thought riding vintage 26ers would be a handicap that would ultimately give me the upper hand when riding a modern bike..... but new bikes are definitely more confidence inspiring, letting you get out of your comfort zone more easily. Perhaps that in itself would theoretically help a person ride any bike much better. While I get acquainted with my new 29er, I will think about your reply and see if I end up feeling the same way.

Yeah, I can get on board with that. My 29" full suss with 150mm up front and slack geometry gives me the confidence to try pretty much any terrain in a way I wouldn't have dared before. I guess I'm more likely to dive in to stuff on an older bike now, then work out the limits on the way down!

 

[xtaffa]

Are there any adult 26ers with truly modern geometry out there? The boy has just acquired a Vitus Nuceleus 'youth/kids' bike which looks modern, and has 26 inch wheels for sizing, but diddy frame, obvs...