29er Mountain Bikes

The term 29er or "two-niner" refers to 29" wheels rather than the 26" wheels more common to mountain biking. 29" or 700c wheels and tires are the type used in cyclocross or road racing. Various incarnations of the 29er were introduced to little success in the 90s and early 2000s. Bianchi USA introduced it's line of 29er "Project" bikes in 1991 and Diamondback created a bike called the Overdrive in the mid 1990s. The idea began to take hold among small circles of riders in the early 2000s when some niche bike makers like Surly (Karate Monkey Frameset) began to offer big wheeled bikes. 29ers didn't really take off until Gary Fisher introduced the single-speed "Rig" in 2004. Today there are many quality 29er forks and tires available and almost every major bike maker is offering a 29er. More about the benefits and drawbacks of 29ers

	29er mtb frame 1580g $174.06 Sale Ends: 1h 44m
	Gravity 4 point 4 29er(18) $800.00 Sale Ends: 3h 55m
	Gary Fisher X-Cal 29er 17.5 Frame and Fork with sram x9 drive train $685.00 Sale Ends: 5h 13m
	2009 Ventana El Rey 29er, $750.00 Sale Ends: 5h 14m
	2009 Gary Fisher Paragon 29er Mountain Bike Frame $349.00 Sale Ends: 8h 26m
	2006 NEW Gary Fisher Rig 29er' singlespeed frame post crank chain seat $200.00 Sale Ends: 8h 31m
	2008 Gary Fisher Paragon 29er hardtail mountain bike $800.00 Sale Ends: 10h 1m
	2012 Yeti Big Top 29er. Medium $2,000.00 $2,500.00 Sale Ends: 10h 9m
	Specialized 2008 Stumpjumper 29er $1,350.00 Sale Ends: 10h 31m
	Autuori 874 29er Full Carbon Fiber 17" Hardtail Mountain Bike Frame $700.00 $1,250.00 Sale Ends: 13h 7m
	2010 Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper Hard Tail 29er Sram XX Size 17.5" $2,949.00 Sale Ends: 14h 8m
	ORBEA LANZA X9 29ER 20� LARGE MOUNTAIN BIKE LIGHTWEIGHT $1, 999 AVID DISC BRAKES $899.95 Sale Ends: 14h 10m
	2011 Specialized S Works stumpjumper 19"hard tail carbon 29er UPGRADED! $5,200.00 Sale Ends: 14h 17m
	made in the USA Turner Sultan 29er size large fox f29 fork with shimano XTR $2,750.00 Sale Ends: 14h 18m
	2009 Felt NINE SOLO FRAME Seat Post HS 17.5" M 29er EBB Single Speed SS Medium $189.00 Sale Ends: 14h 30m
	Vassago Jabberwocky SS 29er mountain bike, small $975.00 Sale Ends: 15h 10m
	Specialized Epic Marathon 29er, XL, Great Condition, UPGRADES, LOW MILES $3,250.00 Sale Ends: 15h 35m
	ORBEA LOBULAR XL Cyclocross 29er 29 Bike Frame Alloy 2006 NEW $399.97 Sale Ends: 15h 55m
	Cannondale 29er, F29 Two, Caffeine 29er, Cannondale Frame, Handmade, Large, 29 $400.00 Sale Ends: 16h 29m
	Cannondale Flash 29er 29'ER 29 1 Frame Alloy 2011 NEW Mountain Bike $600.00 $675.00 Sale Ends: 16h 31m
	Specialized Rockhopper Comp 29 29er 17" Frame Med M4 Aluminum $199.00 Sale Ends: 16h 48m
	Salsa Dos Niner MTB frame hard soft tail super LOW miles M medium 29er 16"17" $138.19 Sale Ends: 17h 12m
	29er Mountain Bike MTB Frame UD Weave 100% Carbon Fiber 17 19 21" Disc Brake UCI $479.99 Sale Ends: 21h 52m
	***2011 Cannondale Flash Hi-Mod Carbon 29er 1- Large*** $3,399.99 Sale Ends: 1d 2h 57m
	New Alchemy 29er Frame, beautiful, high end steel, handmade $595.00 Sale Ends: 1d 2h 58m
	2012 S-works Epic 29er Sram Specialized $7,500.00 Sale Ends: 1d 5h 22m
	2011 Specialized Myka 29er Women's Expert 29er Mountain Bike $780.00 Sale Ends: 1d 7h 4m
	ORBEA ALMA 29ER $800.00 $2,000.00 Sale Ends: 1d 8h 16m
	Gary Fisher Paragon 29er mountain bike large 19" (Trek specialized scott giant) $1,000.00 Sale Ends: 1d 9h 52m
	Cannondale Flash 29er 2 carbon 2011 xlarge $2,250.00 Sale Ends: 1d 10h 2m

There has been much debate over the benefits and drawbacks of 29er bikes over the years. In general, proponents of the 29er platform point to the ability of big wheels to more easily roll over obstacles due to the decrease in approach angle. Others feel like the larger wheels offer a better fit for taller riders and don't sink into soft surfaces like mud and sand as easily as smaller wheels do.

29er skeptics cite increased wheel weight, reduction in lateral stiffness and poor geometry for smaller riders to be key drawbacks. Whatever camp you're in, it's hard to peg the 29er as a passing fad, increase sales over the past few year insure that big wheels on mountain bikes are here to stay.