Stevief Posted October 17, 2012 Share I have been riding a Giant trance 5 inch Dual susser for the last 4 years and am now looking to go 29er. I want a decent spec 29er preferbly carbon as i dont wnat a heavy ox of a bike and the bikes i like are very expensive. I see the hardtails are much more reasonable like R10k cheaper in most cases. So i have been thinking should i perhaps i should try a hardtail. As i could get a decent hardtail for approx R20k v a rubbish Ds 29er I am pretty good on downhills and technical stuff and my weakness is climbing and long flat stages. I do a lot of 60km races and the odd w2w and sani so at my 41 years of age i like a comfy bike and the trance has been magic. I also ride a lot of technical stuff like jonkershoek, tokai etc But its time i upped my game somewhat. The Plan would be to keep the trance for the fun stuff and use the 29er on the longer rides that require climbing, speed etc. The question is will my butt and back hate me for it are the 29ers pretty forgiving to ride in hardtail format? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted October 17, 2012 Share Your butt will forgive you, don't worry. I ride a 26" long travel hardtail and I don't suffer from bruised-butt-syndrome. Just stick some high volume tires on it, and go race! RossW 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 17, 2012 Share If you have been riding a duallie for sometime you would be amazed at the bad habits you pick up vs when you were previously riding a HT. You need to learn to flow more and shift your weight around to maintain traction on steep loose climbs, nothing wrong with this, but be aware that in the beginning you will feel a little "skittish" and then you also need to learn to float over stutter y terrain you would previously just have sat in the saddle while pedaling through. You will however be a faster and smoother rider when you get back on your duallie again. RE how will your body hold up to a HT on long rides, only you can honestly answer this question. How fit and conditioned are you? What about holding on a little till they bring out the Trance 29'er locally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 17, 2012 Share Your butt will forgive you, don't worry. I ride a 26" long travel hardtail and I don't suffer from bruised-butt-syndrome. Just stick some high volume tires on it, and go race! Yo ... what mileage you doing on the Frankenstein HT of yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevief Posted October 17, 2012 Share If you have been riding a duallie for sometime you would be amazed at the bad habits you pick up vs when you were previously riding a HT. You need to learn to flow more and shift your weight around to maintain traction on steep loose climbs, nothing wrong with this, but be aware that in the beginning you will feel a little "skittish" and then you also need to learn to float over stutter y terrain you would previously just have sat in the saddle while pedaling through. You will however be a faster and smoother rider when you get back on your duallie again. RE how will your body hold up to a HT on long rides, only you can honestly answer this question. How fit and conditioned are you? What about holding on a little till they bring out the Trance 29'er locally?You right about the bad habits the trance literally floats over anything i do take lines that i probably shouldnt knowing the suspension sucks it up, its only weakness is its a bit heavy and slow to pedal uphills. Im pretty fit could be fitter so im not sure what 4hrs on a Ht would do to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BergForce Posted October 17, 2012 Share If comfort is important I would suggest 29er dually, something like an Anthem, Salsa Spearfish or Niner. A good 29er 100mm dually will be faster than the Trance and just as comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mets Posted October 17, 2012 Share I'm also in your position. Been riding on the queen's carriage for four years, smiling and waving, never having to bother with lines and bumps. I was exposed to a 29" H/T a couple of weeks ago and was sold. The speed and momentum gain on the bigger wheeled H/T was amazing. I did however experience a couple of times where a thud and a bump made me realize that I should have taken a different line or lifted my @ss. I'm sure I'll learn to negotiate these beter in time, but for now, I'm going one way 29" H/T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 17, 2012 Share You right about the bad habits the trance literally floats over anything i do take lines that i probably shouldnt knowing the suspension sucks it up, its only weakness is its a bit heavy and slow to pedal uphills. Im pretty fit could be fitter so im not sure what 4hrs on a Ht would do to me.If you are keeping both bikes then there really is no issue at all and the more you ride the HT the more conditioned you will become to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted October 17, 2012 Share Yo ... what mileage you doing on the Frankenstein HT of yours? Over the last 4 weeks - none! Been sick as a dog, and still have the remnants of a bad cough. Not ready to do all out sessions yet. And besides, I was never a die-hard XC okie doing 200km per week. When I am back in the saddle properly, it will be approx 80-100km per week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevief Posted October 17, 2012 Share If you are keeping both bikes then there really is no issue at all and the more you ride the HT the more conditioned you will become to it.My only issue is should i just get a ds 29 and sell my 26 or is it a good comprimise to keep the 26er and get a niner ht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted October 17, 2012 Share My only issue is should i just get a ds 29 and sell my 26 or is it a good comprimise to keep the 26er and get a niner ht Tough call .... I have a 26'er trail bike and a 29'er HT SS ... each has it's own allure. Just waiting to swing a leg over a Trance 29'er though to see if this might replace the 26'er trail bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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