I’ve been thinking a lot about wheels lately, particularly about big wheels versus small wheels. For a long time, the standard mountain bike wheel was 26 inches in diameter. More recently, 29-inch wheels were developed and 29er’s – as mountain bikes with 29-inch wheels are referred to – have grown in popularity over the past ten years. I myself made the switch from 26 to 29-inch wheels last year, with a titanium Serotta mountain bike. This year, I’ve been trying out a new set of wheels on that bike, a set of carbon wheels from Edge Composites. As equipment goes, I couldn’t be happier, but the beauty of cycling is that there is so much variation in equipment that everyone can find the best tool for their given pursuit.
I was talking with a friend this weekend who will also be riding the Leadville 100 in two weeks. Like many cyclists, he has a basement full of bikes, but he’s not sure which one to ride at Leadville. Having ridden the race on a 26-inch-wheeled hardtail (a mountain bike with a suspension fork up front but no suspension in the back to absorb hits to the rear wheel) and a 26-inch-wheeled full-suspension bike (a fork up front and a shock controlling the travel of the rear wheel as well), I’m a believer in the 29er hardtail. It’s lighter than the full-suspension but the ride is not as harsh as the 26-inch hardtail. The bigger wheels fill the gaps between rocks and bumps better than the smaller wheels, allowing the 29er to ride smoother over rough terrain without the big weight penalty of a full-suspension.
But my friend isn’t so convinced. He has a 29er hardtail, and a 26-inch-wheeled full-suspension, and a 26-inch-wheeled hardtail (his wife would really like him to sell at least one…) and his biggest dilemma leading into Leadville is which bike to ride. Like me, he sees the benefit of the 29er. With its lighter weight and smoother ride, it’s basically the best of both worlds between the full-suspension and the 26-inch hardtail. On the other hand, the full-suspension is the most comfortable ride of the three.
We debated the merits of each bike for quite a while, and rather than bore you with all of the details, here’s where my friend netted out: he’s riding the full-suspension. Since the Leadville 100 is going to be a nine and a half to eleven-hour day for him, comfort trumped weight. Basically, he knows he’s going to be dragging about 5-7 extra pounds up the 14,000 total feet of climbing during the race, but in return he’ll be comfortable on all terrains. And before you call him a wuss for opting for comfort, think about it this way: going faster on a lighter bike doesn’t do you much good if your back hurts so badly after six hours that you’re either crawling along or no longer able to continue. Case in point: a few years ago – before the 29er was an option for my friend – he chose the full-suspension instead of his 26-inch hardtail at Leadville; and despite the weight penalty he went nearly 30 minutes faster than the year before.
Me, I’m sticking with my 29er. This will be my fourth Leadville 100, and the course is not rough enough that I feel I need the added benefit of a full-suspension bike. My experience was the opposite: the year I went from the full-suspension to the 29er hardtail, I went nearly 30 minutes faster than the previous year.
To each his own, but for me a titanium Serotta 29er with Edge Composite wheels is the perfect machine for the Leadville 100 and all the back-country Colorado mountain bike adventures I choose to find.
Chris Carmichael
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