Video seems to show whatever 29ers gain on speed they lose on flickability (ie fun for the most of us!). I was dithering a while ago between 26 CX full suss and 29 - went for the 26 and video above makes me glad I did.

Of course if I could ride as well as him a Dutch Roadster would do.

I seem to recall that Fausto Coppi was signed for a road team..because he followed the tour de France climbing the alps..on his butcher's bike, and outclimbe some of them..

What really counts is have you got the legs..and of course THE BOTTLE!

It's just another type of bike. ride itogether and try not to judge.

http://reatinrides.blogspot.com/

alotronic nice self fulfilling prophesy there!

The article said above that the differences were not significant.

My 29" is more than flickable enough, and is far more FR than their special machine.

I think it is a little bit strange that they are touting a XC 29" bike 'customized' to really see if 29" bikes can do freeride completely overlooking the fact there are already a few freeride capable 29" bikes on the market.

Lenz PBJ and Niner WFO (my bike) come to mind.

They take an XC bike, put an XC fork on it, XC tyres and call it freeride?

Why not use a 7" PBJ, put a Dorado on it, fit 2.5" tyres and then see if it is up to the job!

i have two bikes now, and rocky mountain slayer sxc and an altitude 29er, and sincerely the slayer is in a trouble with the altitude, it rolls better, goes up better and down.... no much differences at all.... 29er fs with 120 mm is a winner combination..

No real axe to grind, but that's actually the first footage I've seen of a 29er being ridden and whether it's the terrain, riding style, or whatever it does look noticeably slower to react to rider input and change direction than a 26er?

Horses for courses though I guess.

What a stupid question. Can you ride XC on a 26'er? Can you ride a mountain bike on the road? Of course you can freeride on a 29'er. Is it better, worse, does it make a difference? If somebody can actually tell from this video they can see something I don't.

Other than that, it looks like a nice place to ride and I wish I could jump like that and not break all my bones.

Hey it's Brian from Oak Bay Bicycles here. A couple quick things:

@cavegiant, we did this build for a more flickable AM build more than freeride, it just so happened that Shrew was psyched on throwing it around. We have a little WFO experiment in the works, should be interesting.

@ak-77, definitely it's a silly question, we just asked it for the google hits. And realistically, the more you need to throw a bike around, the better smaller wheels are... but, as the article says, the vid was really about showing that the trade-offs aren't a huge deal.

I think that someone whose typical riding and terrain are conducive to 29ers, but who occasionally gets rowdier, could still go with the bigger wheels and have a great time, and that's all this video was designed to show.

Asking silly questions can lead to great answers. Stunning countryside - BC looks like the place to be.

Salsa make some nice XC / AM 29 frames like the Salma 29 . I just wonder why they never seem to be reviewed on bike radar. They handle very nicely. I found 29's just as "flickable" as a 26 , but the weren't as nervous going through rocky sections they held the line much better than 26's .

Thaks for the extra info Brian, things make a bit more sense now!

You Doing a WFO test!

Sounds good.

Every WFO review I have read so far had it partnered with the Marz fork, and every review was summed up as the marz fork held the bike back.

please use a different fork for the play.

I will be sitting here in eager anticipation for the results to arrive!

cavegiant - Yes I guess you're right, I am seeing what I want to see. I should also say that I wanted a one-only bike - can fully see that a 29er would be great for a lots of riding but my 26 giant anthem seems utterly fantastic and surprisingly capable and a lot of fun over all terrain, so 26 is good for me. Note I also take my CX 700c (aka lightwieght 29er) out into the forest for a different kind of fun. In the final analysis I would rather be riding ANY bike than walking - It's all good!

I would rather be riding ANY bike than walking - It's all good!

With you on that.

For NatoED

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/review-salsa-selma-frame-09-34919/

and

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/review-salsa-big-mama-frame-10-35516/

Anyone who thinks a 29er is slow to respond or feels sluggish to ride should probably check out a Trek/Gary Fisher.

Presently I'm riding a 29er that I cobbled together out of a Kona Smoke 29 and some 700/38 hybrid tyres and it feels as nimble as any 26in bike I've owned.

I did ride a couple of Gary Fisher 29ers on the last demo day, I have to admit they did feel slow and sluggish. Their XC race bike was slower than the Intense Tracer.

It goes to show having 29" wheels can't make bad design fast.

My 6" Niner was a lot faster.