Gary Fisher - In the 28 years since the invention of the mountain bike, no one has questioned whether 26" - the world standard - is the ideal wheel. Now, I want a bike that rides a little faster and a little more stable than the standard. My new Two-Niner, with 29" wheels, rolls over everything smoother and faster. Bigger wheels make obstacles smaller. In the mud, the Niner doesn't sink as much as a 26". A low center of gravity makes it harder to endo on this bigger wheel bike. The Two-Niner really works and that's why we've put it into production for 2002.
The concept of a larger diameter wheel rolling over obstacles more easily is simple. If a skateboard hits a 1" stone with the 2" diameter wheels, the board stops hard and the skater goes flying The small wheel's angle of attack on the stone is so severe that it cannot roll over the rock.
Skeptical? I was too. I thought that this is going to be one of those fad things that would come and go in the bike world. But after I test rode the Gary Fisher Mt. Tam 29, I remain impressed with the bike's performance. I don't think it's a bike for everyone, but it will certainly carve out a substantial niche of the market.
You can't argue with the physics, yes, it does roll over bumps, roots, and rocks easier. And it even seem to track straighter in sand too.
I've read some reviews that argue that the larger wheelset places your center of gravity lower which allowed the bike to handle well through tight, fast singletrack. I would again agree with the physics of the fact that the larger wheelset does indeed lower your centerpoint of gravity relative to the bikeframe itself. But your center of gravity is not lower relative to the ground. My personal experience with it made me feel that it was less responsive in turns and not as nimble as a 26" wheel, especially at slow speeds. The review did say that the bike needs to be ridden fast to show off the advantage of the 29 incher.
Because of the associated slightly larger frame, I think the bigger rider should definitely do a test ride of the 29" wheel. I found the Gary Fisher Mt. Tam 29 to be a perfect fit without any further modification to my 6' 2" frame. It just provides a bike that is in proportion to me! After all, most racers are 145 lbs and short little guys :-) And all the high end bikes are designed for that size of person. Small bikes also mean less overall weight, so bike companies can boast that fact. But less weight often means less strength and reliability, which is not a good thing to compromise on for a larger rider.
Overall, I like the concept! I'm in the market for a good hardtail bike and I think this 29" wheel will be a part of it.
