A day on a bike...

Well I had a chance to demo a Titus Racer-X 29er in the San Ysidro Dirty Century thanks to the folks at High Desert Cycles. So I thought I’d do a write up on my impressions. Now mind you this is my opinion and I’m not looking to start any religious discussions here. Go to MTBR if you want one of those.

With that said I will give you a quick run-down on MY opinion of 29ers. I have an Orbea Alma 29er as my light duty XC Racing rig and I like it...A LOT!!! However, a 29er, like everything, has advantages and dis-advantages.

Obviously, what sets them apart from a 26er is the big wheel. The big wheel has more reciprocating mass further from the axel and has a larger contact patch to the ground. The rest of this is pure physics, even though it seems to get argued about…A LOT!!!

Like a Single Speed, I think that 29ers make you a stronger rider because they work you harder on the long sustained climbs. There is extra effort needed to get that reciprocating mass and the drag of the larger contact patch to the top of the climbs. But it is rewarded when you then unleash all that potential energy you have built up and stored, to roll back down hill.

A 29er builds up momentum faster because of the reciprocating weight. Due to the bigger wheel they roll smoother because of the shallower “angle of attack” to the ground. Consequently, they roll over obstacles easier. And because of the larger contact patch, they have better traction while climbing technical ledge sections as well as cornering. But they cut apexes wider and can be somewhat sluggish in their steering. The reciprocating mass and large contact patch also means they accelerate slower. There, enough said about that subject.












I presently ride a 26er Titus Racer-X Exogrid and was curious to see how it compared to the 29er version. Since I’m tackling religious subjects today, let me take a moment to extol the virtues of Exogrid.

Many people look at Exogrid and call it purely “bling”. Well it is bling no doubt, but it is also technology in action.

Until you have ridden an Exogrid frame it’s hard to express. I liken it to the ride difference between Titanium and Aluminum frames. The smoothness of Exogrid compared to pure Titanium is amazing. It really is that dramatic and can be instantly felt at the first stroke of the pedal.
















http://www.titusti.com/titus09/exogrid.php

The Exogrid frame is an “engineered” tube set that is designed to be light, stiff and provide exceptional “dampening”. The way that it dampens vibration is phenomenal, really really "quiet". This gets back to the point that until you ride one, it's hard to appreciate it.

My experience riding a RacerX Exogrid is, without a doubt, the finest riding frame I’ve ever had the honor of swinging a leg over. Ok, enough of that Titus advertisement.

So what did I think of the RacerX 29er? Well, in summary I would say it is an increadibly smooth race chassis. The RacerX is well respected for its stable climbing ability combined with excellent suspension response under braking and pedaling forces. Horst Link suspensions just plain work and even though many have tried to duplicate the capabilities in many ways, the simplicity of the Horst Swing Link design is hard to improve upon.

So it’s no surprise that the 29er version of the RacerX retains the climbing stability and suspension response of the original. This combination with a 29” wheel makes for an incredibly smooth and comfortable ride.

As to handling, manufacturers are starting to get the geometry of the frames dialed in. The head tube angles have been steepened, thanks to the increased 29er fork offsets. This has resulted in 29er bikes now feeling much more neutral compared to the sluggishness of earlier versions. What I mean by “neutral” is that they respond quickly to steering input, but aren’t twitchy. They feel like steering a good 26” wheeled frame. The RacerX as well as my Orbea, seem to exhibit this neutral quickness of steering.

So how does it climb? Well it works you, as it is a 29er after all. However, it seems really well balanced. I know MTBA commented that they felt the chain stays might be a little long at 18”. I found that “on the nose of the saddle” spinning resulted in a real solid climbing capability. Out of the saddle maybe was biased a bit forward and so you could spin the rear if not careful, but I was able to shift and weight the rear to get traction. So I’m not sure I’m totally convinced that the chain stays need to be shorter. I guess it could be a matter of cockpit setup and riding style.

As to weight, the Aluminum version I was on weighed about 28-29lbs. My Exogrid 26er weighs about 25lbs and it is pretty well understood that a 29er version of the exact same bike will weigh about 2 lbs more given the wheels and extra frame material. So I could see an Exogrid 29er coming in at around 27 lbs.

So now the big question, would I give up my 26er for a 29er RacerX. That’s a hard one and one I’m still struggling with, but I think ultimately I will make the switch. Why?

I really did like the ride of the 29er. I feel that the geometry is now getting refined to the point where the handling is really spot on and responsive. I’m also beginning to be convinced that the advantages of the 29er wheelset out weigh the main disadvantage of the extra effort required on the long sustained climbs. The extra traction is a big plus both on decents and while climbing technical ledgy sections. The ability to smooth out rugged terrain on the decents also helps with control.

As I said in the beginning of this post, the extra effort needed to climb on a 29er will make you a stronger rider. That extra power that you develop climbing will pay off in the flats and undulating terrain where you can let the big wheels do what they do best….roll baby roll!!!