Riding the same tires in 26" and 29" sizes on flat and rolling terrain, on a combination of gravely surfaces with bad washboard, and sandy surfaces with sand up to about 3" deep (deeper than that and I have to walk), I find that the larger wheels "float" better, meaning less effort to negotiate the sand, and more comfort over the rough sections.
I also notice that bikes with the smaller wheels are more nimble, especially when dodging obstructions and riding twisting singletrack fast. But the first difference is, at least IME, more important than the second. That said, while I would not trade my Matthews (29.5" wheels) for a 26er, if all I could get was a nice classic 26" hardtail with drop bar and Rat Trap Pass tires, I'd not be too put out. I imagine that for touring on firm-ish surfaces, the latter would be quite nice. I did find that my 1992 XO-1 was wholly inadequate, with its limited tire capability, for at least the sort of dirt riding I do. So, if you are going to jump, perhaps less reason not to make the jump to the Hunquapillar. On Sat, Jun 9, 2018 at 11:59 AM, Erik Wright <[email protected]> wrote: > Alright y'all, help me work out this inner quandary I've had over getting > a new bike or not (to replace one in my stable). The demo Hunqs shown on > the blug are really making my insides jump at the thought of a 29er Hunq > for offroad riding/bikepacking. > > I have 4 bikes, and I've tried specializing each (to an extent) because in > essence 3 of them are all-rounder type frames. I've turned one of them, a > 26er XO-1 clone, into my off-road tourer. 2.1" knobbies for trails, RTP for > roads/gravel, frame bag, front panniers, Swift saddle bag, On-One Mary bars > + Ergon grips, the whole getup. Recently I've been dabbling into resources > around 27.5 and 29er bikes for bikepacking (i.e. Surly Bridge Club and > Hunq), feeling that my 26er might not be the best choice nowadays in > today's landscape of bike options, falling short in the jack-of-all-trades > master-of-none kind of way. > > What I keep telling myself is the old adage that really, any bike will do > the trick (for the most part), and that my 26er XO-1 clone is a fine bike > for off-road touring. Plus, people rode (and ride) 26" MTBs for a loooong > time and all was good. I don't ride offroad *that* much, but nowadways > when I plan multi-day trips they're geared toward mixed terrain**. I don't > doubt that a jump from my XO-1 clone to a Hunq would in itself make a huge > difference in ride quality, but in terms of wheel size, would swapping to a > 29er really make that big a difference? > > Thank you for your insight! > > Erik in Philly > > **Right now I'm in the midst of planning to ride a portion of the Idaho > Hot Springs MTB route in September. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. Other professional writing services. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ Patrick Moore Alburquerque, New Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique ************************************************************************** ************** *Auditis an me ludit amabilis insania?* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
