Thanks to everyone who entered the contest. We had some hilarious questions and some odd questions. After reading through all of them, I decided that the most informative and relevant questions was centered on the 26 inch vs. 29 inch wheel debate. So here it is, courtesy of June winner Brian Hellwig! Some new Beyond Coastal, Adventure Medical Kits, and Buff Headwear schwag is on the way!
Q: My question is about Specialized Epic Marathon 29’er…have you ridden this MTB besides as a test but in the race environment? You’re honest to goodness thoughts here please. I’m researching a late season possible purchase wanting to jump into the 29 scene. Oh yeah – at 6’4” & 190lbs I think a 29’er (wagon wheeler) would suit my body’s geometry would use it for 3, 6 12 & 24hr racing also.
RR: I did a 24 hour solo race last year and I specifically wanted to test out the difference between my S-Works Stumpjumper carbon hard tail 29er and my S-Works Era with 26 inch wheels and Brain suspension. I did multiple laps all day and night switching bikes back and forth. My lap times were really similar, but the bikes were totally different on the same course. On the Era, I could rip through the technical downhill twisty single track much faster. On the Stumpy 29, I rolled over the lumpy grass sections with ease and up an over the small ledge climbs. The Era with the Brain Suspension allowed me to stay seated and let my legs recover more often than the hard tail. I love both bikes and I race them both. I choose depending on the style of the course. However, I did come away from that experiment last year thinking that if I could only have ONE mountain bike (God forbid), then the perfect bike would be a Specialized S-works 29er Era and it would combine the best of both worlds. Well, for the Epic, it already exists. I say go for it. P.S. The 29er revolution is no longer a “scene”, but now here to stay. Go demo one and I bet your decision will be made.
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