Despite my lack of understanding as to how or why anyone would ever want to push massive 29" wheels around on the trail, I just couldn't help myself and decided to give it a try. Ever since Interbike last year, I had the "big wheel" idea rolling around in the back of my head. Once some other employees I work with started to order some 29'rs for themselves, I was having even more trouble resisting the urge. It only took the mention that I was able to get the sweet green Raleigh that caught my eye at the show for a special price to push me over the edge.
So... I found the biggest spoon I could, tucked a napkin into my shirt collar and got ready to devour some crow pie. Pass the whip cream so I can place my order.
A few days later a big cardboard box with my name marked on the outside showed up in the shop. I ripped into it and found more bike than I had actually expected to receive. Sure, the color combo was perfect and was just as represented at the show. Wonderful green just a few shades shy or 80's neon intermixed with highlights of anodized orange tid-bits. Was even sporting orange spoke nipples which I have yet to see available or used anywhere else. But the groupo itself was more than reasonable for the price paid. Cane Creek alloy cup headset, Tru-Vativ 2-piece cranks, Weinman rims. Even chose an aluminum 20T rear cog to boot.
The Raleigh XXIX
The build was straight forward enough. Being a SS there was little to adjust. I swapped out the Avid BB5's for some Juicy 7's that had been collecting dust in the garage. Raleigh actually spec'd the bike pretty intelligently with a 180mm front rotor and 160mm rear. The factory grips had to go and with the addition of some carbon HS spacers, fancy bottle opener and custom top-cap the bike was almost ready to roll.
The frame is designed to gain chain tension through the use of an eccentric bottom bracket shell instead of horizontal dropouts. I was leery about this system at first, but found right away there were more benefits to it than I had expected.
First, the wheel drops out very simply making for easy flat changes without a readjustment in chain tension. The same simplicity was to be found when it came to rear caliper setup. Since the axle was always in the same place, the caliper would be as well... so trying to compensate for a hub moving back and forth was eliminated. The EBB also gave Raleigh the design freedom to tuck the wheel as close to the seat tube as reasonable clearance would allow, effectively fixing the position and giving total control over wheelbase to the designer.
The final plus was the ability I now had to effectively "drop" the BB in the frame. This allowed me to get proper leg extension without getting my seat sky high over the handlebars. Sure, the pedals would be a little closer to the ground... but with the rigid fork I would see no drop in the bumps and clearance most likely would average higher than a front suspended rig.
Oh... did I fail to mention this ride is a fully rigid 29'r? Silly me.
I decided to head out and see what this bike could do. Choosing Desert Classic for a mild break in test run I actually got up early and went looking for the dirt. To be honest, I have taken it out twice already and the following pics are from day two. Seeing that I clocked over 700 miles in the month of March alone, I am going to grant my self some creative leeway for this write up as I can't honestly keep straight what, where and for how long I pedaled at this point anyways.
First Impressions
29'r roll over everything philosophy be damned, this bike rode rougher than hell. I mean, I knew it wouldn't feel like a FS but the larger wheels didn't seem to do a damn thing to compensate for the loss of suspension. I was all over the place. Simple downhills now held my utmost attention and much to my surprise the climbing was no picnic either. Each and every bump on the upslope seemed to easily halt my forward progress and kept forcing the bike almost behind me. It was a struggle to keep my position where I wanted it to be and found the trail navigation itself utterly frustrating.
I looked down and these massive color matched rims lumbering along the dusty ribbon of rock strewn singletrack below me still looked cool, but at what cost?.This bike was going to give me no help what so ever.It demanded the rider to do all the work required to keep up momentum, maintain control and keep themselves balanced. It wasn't just going to coddle me. It wasn't there to smooth out the bumps and let me sloppily bounce along unmolested by the terrain. My mistakes were going to be blatant and obvious. My lack of skill was going to be revealed to the world with no regard to my ego. The bike had only two things to offer... simplicity and precision. Oh... and an ass kicking if I wasn't paying attention.
The Groove
Try as I may, I couldn't find flow. I wasn't sure if it was the lack of gearing or lack of bounce. The big wheels still felt awkward and heavy but the ride itself was slowly starting to make sense. I dropped of my first ledge and actually found the landing to be not so bad. I began to let the bike go in the rough stuff to see what these massive hoops were going to let me get away with. The 32/20 gear ratio seemed reasonable on the climbs, but I began to spin out very quickly on the downs. My memory had faded long ago as to what a 2:1 ratio felt like on my 26" singlespeed and with no one to gauge my speed against I began to wonder if I was creeping or flying.
I did notice that once up to speed the large wheels didn't like to flop over. Was like having two massive gyroscopes spinning beneath you. Line choice had to be decided farther in advance and required much more handlebar input to change course. I was having fun, but not really sure what the whole 29'r hub-bub was actually about.
Had I fallen victim to the Mountain Bike Action and BLOG-O-Sphere hype?
Could I have actually been correct all this time?
Was I going to have to vomit up this crow pie?
Should I stop at the top of this next hill and think about all this some more?
I pulled over, leaned the bike up against a rock and took out the digital camera. At least it was cosmetically appealing.
The Photoshoot
Truly glorious:
Reach for the sky:
The chain for all those horses:
Eccentric details:
Simple drops:
Great clearance:
Joy of youth... or deeply disturbing?:
No need to say more:
Best graphic ever:
Fresh rubber:
Innocence on all fours:
The Miracle
After obviously taking a few to many pictures, I hopped back on and turned towards the start. Time was limited with work beginning shortly, so the return route was a little less strenuous. I felt a bit fresher for some reason and despite some odd bobbles on obstacles that up until this day were all but invisible... I was starting to figure things out. The death grip I had on the handlebars was beginning to relax and I was letting my thoughts wander a bit. No longer was I focused on trying to feel the differences a 29" wheel might offer me. Instead I was just out for a ride on a beautiful morning. Enjoying the lower temps in the last few weeks of spring and realizing this escape wouldn't be possible for much longer. Riding up north would soon be required.
After a steep ditch or two I suddenly realized I had forgotten for a moment that I was rolling fully rigid. I was surprised to find out that several rough sections behind me had actually felt smooth. My momentum wasn't getting hung up anymore and my hesitations began to disappear. I was beginning to understand what this bike wanted to do. What it could do, and what it couldn't. Maybe this bike had more to offer me than I thought.
Could this be the beginning of a true trail partnership?
A rushing "swoooosh" was now beneath me as the augmented rollers bit into the crushed granite. I was carving, twisting, throwing and dicing. Dare I say flowing down the singletrack. I dare say it... as I truly was. The bike was working. It was working very well. I was pedaling and it was responding. I was cornering and it was starting to ask for more. Hell, the creepy graphics were even starting to make sense. The bike was all about purity.
purity of form... purity of function... purity of roll
The Results
I am hooked. I am really enjoying this new experience and the positives are far outweighing the negatives at this point. Although there are a few downfalls.
Lengthy rock gardens just don't work very well. Intense steeps are difficult, but that holds true with any single geared rig. It will be interesting to see how I feel after a longer ride. Surprisingly so far there have been no painful side effects such as sore wrists or shoulders, but that may come with miles. I am definitely more impressed with the 29 inch format than I thought I would be. The awkward, heavy feel has vanished and I'd claim this bike almost as flickable as any 26" rig I own. Well, not any. My big travel hardtail can handle far more aggressive line changes and drops, but I'd wager that this XXIX could be comfortably taken almost anywhere my Salsa can roll.
Just have to give it some more saddle time and see how things pan out. My guess is I'll start to "see" the trail with a rigid mindset rather quickly and this adaptation will lead to a smoother ride and more overall speed. I think this vision will help me a great deal when I get some suspension back underneath me. Help eliminate the slop in my game and just tighten up my line selection and trail awareness a bit more.
Now I just have to figure out how to get my registration for the Whiskey 50 swapped from gears so I can run the SS instead.
I see nothing but blue skies in the 29'r future.
Update 04.05.10:
Entry switched for the Whiskey 50... now committed to rock the one cog.
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