Check out this guys blog. He uses a power tap hub on both a 26er and a 29er, records data for identical routes on both rides (fireroad climbing), and compares the scientific efficiency of both rides.
Identical courses, similar weight/suspended bikes, identical cockpits... so you measure the kilojoules necessary to propel a bike a given distance over time. If proportiobnally fewer Kj are required to get you from point a to point b in proportionally less time, it's more efficient, right?
Check it out here.
Sounds like I might want to stick with my small wheels.....
Read the MTBR discussion here.
Of course, he admits that a rough singletrack climb may yield different results. But there's lots of long races in the mountains that are "won" on the fireroad climbs....
6 comments:
I have 4 issues with niners. Be prepared for me to tech dork out on you.
1. Wieght: I haven't been a wieght weenie since 1993 but to think that for the same wieght you can have a little wheel FS or a big wheel hardtail, I'll take the FS.
2. Wheel strength: Those big wheels mean more leverage which makes them less stiff thus easier to taco.
3. Wheel wieght: rotating mass is four times greater. This means the gyroscopic effect is even greater which should result in a bike that doesn't want to change direction as fast. Heavier wheels should also require more effort to speed up and slow down.
4. Unsuspended wieght: This was a big one back in the day. Suspended wieght is better than unsuspended wieght. unspended wieght has to be lifted over the terrain while suspended wieght can float over it. Yeah the larger wheel climbs over obstacles easier but it's still heavier and it's "bad wieght".
Yeah I'm sounding negative. But now for the Zen part.
If you're a purist and looking for the perfect soul purification ride, I'm all in. I don't think anything would be sweeter than a fully rigid, single speed niner. Free your mind and ride. Chain slap, gone; Chain suck, gone; Gear cables, gone. Simplicity should be the goal.
From the MTBR Message board ala Morlarch:
"If someone put out more power on a given ride but had the same overall speed, it would indicate that more watts were needed to maintain the same speed. In other words, that the setup was less efficient. For the same speed more watts is bad, not good.
"So if you are riding along and need 2% more watts to maintain the same speed on the bike, it isn't that the bike's wheels are somehow energizing your legs to put out more watts. It is that the bike's wheels are REQUIRING more watts from your legs to maintain the same speed. You worked harder for the same result."
That said, Mod is right. Simplicity should be the goal. A one-bike lifestyle might not be one the industry would like us to pursue, but a 29er does offer the greatest potential for a future of uncluttered garages -- albeit garages with a lot of different tires hanging in the rafters.
I'm stickin with 4 inch fs
26er wheels.
I'm poor, and stuck in my ways.
For us dorks & racing nerds out here, the "perfect soul purification ride" is the one that I know is the fastest, most efficient ride possible. And I say "efficient" in the broadest sense, encompassing not only ride characteristics but also parts compatibility, maintenance requirements, peace of mind, and bling factor.
In short, I ride 26" b/c its so retro.
I can't believe you spelled "weight" wrong so many times yet had no problem with the word "gyroscopic". You had to know this one was coming.
Sometimes a 29'r just feels right. You gotta go with your gut.
Yeah, I can't spell wait riet to save my life. I no I always spell it rong witch makes it even wers. I fergot to run it be my edither (aka,pancakes) The benafits of dateing an English Teecher.
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