Is this a crazy idea? I's it feasible to put a 29 inch fork and front wheel on a 26" frame? Would you gain any of the advantages of the 29 inch wheel if it was only in front? I know some DH style bikes use a 24" rear and a 26" front. Would the advantages only be noticeable on a bike custom designed to use a 26" rear / 29" front? Thanks in advance.
-Sean
It's been done, I was one of them. Suppose you nowhave a 80mm front suspension hardtail, and would put in a 29" 80mm fork and wheel, the front of your bike would risesome 60mm, and slacken the whole thing up by some 3º. I put in a rigid 410mm Dimension Disc-Only fork, which meant geometry remainded the same. A very cost-effective conversion. And it worked well, the front end offered more grip and comfort, but all at once the rear of the bike seemed much harsher than before. To me, the rigid 29/26 bike was better than a 26/26 rigid, but 29/29 will always be better still.
Here's my 26X29 rig. It rides great! Handles great! Looks cool-very moto. A cheap conversion too. You can bunny hop and wheelie just like on a little wheeled bike. The downside is that it climbs like a little wheeled bike. I'd encourage you to try it, you might like it.
The (previously mentioned by Cloxxki) Dimensions disk-only fork for 26" wheels. The 29" wheels fit but it's a little tight. I ordered it from Quality Bike Supply from my local bike shop. It's nice because a frame for an 80mm fork and 26" wheels will work fine with the fork and a 29" wheel.
If people are still checking this page out... so, I saw that with the 410 mm dimension disc fork, the clearance was minimal. I'm looking at the Planet x 400 mm disc only fork http://http://www.planet-x-bikes.co...er_op=view_page&PAGE_id=16&MMN_position=22:13
Will this for allow me enough clearance. They also make a 435 mm version, but I'm afraid that this would alter the steering too much. Would it? Would I be correct in estimating that a 29" wheel automatically adds 1.5" (or 38mm approx.) to the rise of a fork, hence the reasoning behind getting the 26" 410 mm fork to offset the additional rise? Could someone explain the math here? Thanks in advance.
-Sean
Hmm, I'll have to try that Planet-X fork once, I sell them but never but a 29" wheel in it. The Dimension even accepts the biggest tires at present, but a bigger WTB is about to happen, rumors say. Right now, 29" tires like the WTB Nanoraptor are around 370mm in radius, so with a 400mm fork, the left over 30mm will have to accomdate the fork crown AND tire clearance.
What's your present fork's length after sag? Top of crown - centre front axle.
A 700c rim is 31.5mm taller in radius over 26", so that's what the front axle is raised with. To lose 31.5mm in the fork vertically, supposing a 68º angle, would be some 35mm measured along the fork. To optimize your ride, you may want to mount the biggest tire that will fit on the rear, to steepen up the head angle a bit and add some cush.
has anyone put a 26 in rear wheel on a 29 in specific bike? obviously it would have to be disc. or would that lower the bb too much? has anyone welded up a frame that was made specifically for this layout? Walt? Sounds advantageous to me. MX ers have big front and small rear wheels. Do you get benefits of both or just mitigating benefits of both? I'll try it on the monkey and return and report.
My Bianchi rigid forks are 420mm axle-to-crown, 29x2.1 Nano fits with 1/2" (~12.7mm) clearance... so I don't think a 400mm will work.
sean350 said:
If people are still checking this page out... so, I saw that with the 410 mm dimension disc fork, the clearance was minimal. I'm looking at the Planet x 400 mm disc only fork http://http://www.planet-x-bikes.co...er_op=view_page&PAGE_id=16&MMN_position=22:13
Will this for allow me enough clearance. They also make a 435 mm version, but I'm afraid that this would alter the steering too much. Would it? Would I be correct in estimating that a 29" wheel automatically adds 1.5" (or 38mm approx.) to the rise of a fork, hence the reasoning behind getting the 26" 410 mm fork to offset the additional rise? Could someone explain the math here? Thanks in advance.
-Sean
has anyone put a 26 in rear wheel on a 29 in specific bike? obviously it would have to be disc. or would that lower the bb too much? has anyone welded up a frame that was made specifically for this layout? Walt? Sounds advantageous to me. MX ers have big front and small rear wheels. Do you get benefits of both or just mitigating benefits of both? I'll try it on the monkey and return and report.
I am doing this when/if I get my GF Rig. The BB is fairly high and its an enoccentric BB/disc setup so its perfect for the 26" rear. I do some light urban/trailriding/northshore stuff and think it would be great to be able to slack it with a 26" rear. I am concerned about finding a decent fork for the front end, however.
I might have to try that when I get the urge to revamp something vs. ride but it sounds pretty cool. You'll have to post a report if you do it. And I'm sure you will find something that'll work for the front end. White Brothers will have a thru axle 29" fork soon so maybe that would work.
I don't think it's smart to try a ~4lb EBB frame for anything like that, although geometry-wise it's a solid plan. BB would be lowerd by around 20mm due to the rear wheel, but then you would also want to throw on a wider tire so you'll end up with barely over a degree of slackened seattube.
I have seen that fork in person on a couple of people's trials bikes. It's a tank, around 4lbs. It's that heavy so it can take dirt jumping abuse and the front-end impact of badly botched bunnyhop ups and hopping on the front wheel. I've ridden them, too, just by coasting through the grass or a section of trail to get to the next pile of rocks really I felt every bump.
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