June 9th, 2006
Minimise The Variables
There’s yet another normalised 26 v 29er test going on.
I have some problems with this concept of normalisation.
For a start each bike is compromised. For instance they both have 71 degree head-angle! WTF will that do to the 29er steering? We don’t go out and buy deliberately compromised bikes, so it’s not fair to compromise them in this test.
Secondly the chainstay lengths are different by an inch! FFS!
Kirsty and me both run 17.5″ Spot singlespeeds. She runs two extra chain links over me, increasing her chainstay length by just less than one chain link in length. Even running the same rear wheels (Spot hubs, 32 holes, Mavic 317 rims) this makes a massive difference to the feel and handling of the rear end. An inch is going to make a huge difference to the feel of the rear - never mind the differences in wheel weights.
As a result of longer chainstays and larger offset on the 29er forks each bike has a different wheelbase. The 29er zealots are already getting in excuses for possibly poorer 29er handling saying that the the longer wheelbase of the 29er will work to it’s disadvantage. Well different wheelbases for 29ers and 26er is a real world issue - no-one builds 26ers with deliberately long wheelbases. One thing I did learn from riding 29ers at the weekend is that there can be more difference in handling between two 29ers than between a 29er and a 26er despite longer wheelbase. So the zealots are already making excuses for a problem that might not exist! What are they worried about?
This test will tell us something useful, but probably not what the folk running it are trying to achieve.
I have a new slogan.
Wheelsize, it counts for cock all
I have also asked those armchair pseuds who are great at picking faults in other folks experiments and already knocking this one - especially if it looks like it might favour 26″ wheels - to design their own and tell us how they’d do it. I expect a piss-poor response from the all mouth/no trousers brigade.
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