29er Trail Time

Took some time off the bike this weekend but I had a good week by my standards...something like 5.5 hours of saddle time all on the Monkey 29er.

Lovin' it.



The 1x9 drivetrain is surprisingly versatile. I am pretty convinced that in many parts of the country this would be all the gears you would ever need. If I was a stronger rider, I maybe could get away with it here, but there would come a day where the lack of a granny would get me at about hour 3 of the ride and I would detonate and walk a while. Having no big ring is no big deal as I only want to go soooo fast on the hard tail anyway.

Speaking of hardtails, the 29er really does ride much nicer than the equivalent 26er. Pretty smooth and if I was not so beat up in the low back from too many miles on the old odometer, I bet I could get away with this or maybe a soft tail for 90% of my riding. As it is, after about 2 hours or less depending on the type of trail, it starts to fatigue me pretty fast. Still pretty amazing how quickly I can move down the trail on a hardtail. Big wheels keep on rollin'.

Very pleased with the squishy seatpost. Without that, I would be hurtin' for certain.

The next ride will be on my 26" 5" travel bike just to see how things compare. Wonder if I will miss the big wheels?