hi all,

i've joined the 29er hipe and i'm glad. i opted for a large astrix monk. a friend helped me pick out the components. the fork arrived tuesday, the rest friday. in one evening at his house we had it all built up. what fun! it was like christmas in early june!

#1 my friend bret opening the boxes
#2 me wrenching away
#3 & #4 a few of the components
#5 friday nite at home. notice he matches the color of my E:D

then it happened. it all started friday night in the spare bedroom where angus and oliver dwell...

angus: "mom's home, but who's that big, ugly thing she's wheeling in, oliver?"

oliver: "who? where?"

angus: "there, in the dining room! you blind?"

oliver: "i don't know, i've never seen him before. he's not that big or ugly. his wheels are big like mine, but quite fatter, and his frame is beefier than mine...i don't think he's a road bike. could it be a 29er mtbike??"

angus: "oh, great, another mtbike? what about meeee? i don't like this one bit!"

oliver: "sure looks like it! and, hey, he even matches the color of mom's car. i think he looks sharp! you're not worried, angus, are you?"

angus: "no, i'm not! well, ok, maybe a little. i wasn't too happy when you came along but i didn't mind too much cuz you're a road bike and i knew you would not steal any mtb rides from me. but this behemoth, i wanna know what he's doing here!"

oliver: "hummmm... it looks like mom is getting things ready for a ride tomorrow morning. i wonder who she's gonna take this time, me or you. she took me last saturday, you know..."

angus: "well, i don't care who she takes as long as it's not him!"

oliver: "i hear her in the garage putting things in the car. soon she's gonna come in and take one of us. oh oh, she's taking him out to the garage! oh no, angus, she's not taking either one of us; she's taking him!!!"

angus: "i knew it!!! she don't love me any more cuz i got this ugly, puke-colored fork on me. why meeee??? waaaaahhhh!!"

oliver: "dude, take a hold of yourself. mtbikes don't cry."

angus: "sure, it's easy for you to say, you're not the one who's being replaced. this really stinks! he better not think he's going to share this room with us. i'll scratch his eyes out."


saturday ~10am

oliver: "angus, wake up, mom is back and look who she's bringing in here."

mom: "hi guys, i want you to meet andre, the new addition to the family. is there room in here for him?"

oliver (grinning): "sure, he can fit in here, no problemo. angus can move to the back of the room."

angus: "NO, I WON'T!! it's bad enough that you put this ugly fork on me! now you're bringing a new mtn bike in and wanting to give him my spot?? no way!! i don't want him in here! take him away!"

mom: (wheeling andre back to the dining room): "oy vey, a jealous mtbike; who would've thought..."

Reagan8-)

Sweet build - I don't get the whole 29er thing though. I rode a Gary Fisher a while back, and, while I thought it was nice, I really didn't see any difference -at least not enough to make me accept the limitations in tire, tube, fork and frame choices.

Of course, I didn't "get" singlespeeds, either and now guess what's my primary ride....?

nice 29ner....:)

I'm thinkng my next will be a SS

I'm thinkng my next will be a SS

Yessssss......come over to the dark side......

Very nice component setup on your 29er. Love the 5spot! What fork is on that poor thing though? :shock: :wink:

What's the reason you got the 29er when you already had one of the best mtb's on the planet?

Nice to have a trio of bikes to choose from I'm sure. :)

SSs, HTs, rigids and fixies - i don't get them at all.
what will be next? solid rubber tires like the ones on our childhood tricycles?

me, i like boing n gears. i like to climb hills easily and crank the big ring and smallest cog for fast rolling dHs. sure, the bikes are a bit heavier and you gotta think to shift, but that's what God gave me a brain for! besides, i'm old and i wanna keep my kidneys and hands in the good shape they're in :razz:

with only one ride in the 9er (his maiden voyage yesterday) i'm no expert at telling the difference between them and 26ers. ah, but if angus doesn't throw any more hissy fits, i'll be able to find out...:smile:

from my understanding the 29er's are supposed to roll better, go over rocks, roots and other obstacles easier as well as climb a little better when compared to a similarly sized MTB. They aren't for everyone, but I see no issue with them if someone wants to get one. So long as you're out there enjoying yourself I say go for it. :)

I wish they made 26" solid rubber tires though... I hate flats! lol You know, 700c tires would be nice for the same reason. :)

Very nice component setup on your 29er. Love the 5spot! What fork is on that poor thing though? :shock: :wink:

What's the reason you got the 29er when you already had one of the best mtb's on the planet?

Nice to have a trio of bikes to choose from I'm sure. :)

i do love angus; its' an awesome bike. i just wanted a new toy :grin:
since i'm not into pain (rigids, solids etc) i decided to join the bigwheel bunch. with only one ride under my belt, i can only say that i liked how it handled. it was not hard to get it rolling and it climbed well. i'm no bike expert, so i'm sure even after many rides i won't be able to disect it and explain it's performance.

the fork on angus is a 2005 marzocci all mountain 1 - awesome fork! MUCH better than the manitou minute 1 it had b4. i wanted cush and i gottit!

R

Nice bike collection. I noticed that you're rolling on Laser Disc Lite hubs. They are great hubs and you have the updated version of them which have a beefier freehub mechanism but be careful with them in mud and water. They absolutely do not like moisture since one of the reasons they spin so well is they have minimal seals. I've been riding on laserdisc Lites for a little while now and they have performed flawlessly but I have gone to great lengths to keep them clean and dry.

Nice pictures too!

...but be careful with them in mud and water...

HAHAHAHA!! what's that???? i live in phoenix, arizona; there is NO water and definitely NO mud here! :D

but we do have lots of dust.:cry: since i keep the bikes inside, when i get home i use the hose with a gentle, no pressure stream like mist or shower, and i hose the bike down and wipe it clean. should i not do that??

also, do you know how to set a regular speedometer (computer thingee) for a 29" wheel? i don't think they sell 29er specific ones, do they??

R

HAHAHAHA!! what's that???? i live in phoenix, arizona; there is NO water and definitely NO mud here! :D

but we do have lots of dust.:cry: since i keep the bikes inside, when i get home i use the hose with a gentle, no pressure stream like mist or shower, and i hose the bike down and wipe it clean. should i not do that??

also, do you know how to set a regular speedometer (computer thingee) for a 29" wheel? i don't think they sell 29er specific ones, do they??

R

which computer do you have? It should offer a Custom setting. This usually entails you marking a complete rotation on the ground to measure. Then you put the computer into Custom mode, roll it the marked distance and tell the computer you're done. It then has the distance one revolution takes. Every CatEye I have ever had (5 or 6) were all like that.

HAHAHAHA!! what's that???? i live in phoenix, arizona; there is NO water and definitely NO mud here! :D

but we do have lots of dust.:cry: since i keep the bikes inside, when i get home i use the hose with a gentle, no pressure stream like mist or shower, and i hose the bike down and wipe it clean. should i not do that??

also, do you know how to set a regular speedometer (computer thingee) for a 29" wheel? i don't think they sell 29er specific ones, do they??

R


Just avoid directly spraying the hubs. Since you live in Arizona you should be able to get some great use out of them, however the hubs are high maintenance especially since I live in Vermont. My first training series race here last wednesday was a mudfest and it looks like we're in store for an even worse race this wednesday since it's been raining here non stop and will continue throughout the week.

hi all,
i've joined the 29er hipe and i'm glad. i opted for a large astrix monk. a friend helped me pick out the components. the fork arrived tuesday, the rest friday. in one evening at his house we had it all built up. what fun! it was like christmas in early june!
#1 my friend bret opening the boxes
#2 me wrenching away
#3 & #4 a few of the components
#5 friday nite at home. notice he matches the color of my E:D
Very nice MTN BIKE! It looks great with your E.:cool:

Your front QR is on the wrong way, put the cam lever on the non-drive side pointing up in line with the fork leg. Drive's me insane, these little things.
-Brock