SHORT VERSION:
Will old school (rigid steel) 29ers maintain their current popularity/availability.
LONG VERSION:
Having followed this forum for a while and having reviewed the history of the 29er movement it seems like a compressed version of MTB development. Starting with the steel tubed rigid bikes and moving into the front suspension then on to then fully suspended bikes. I guess the question I have is will the old school stuff (which I love) stick around this time? I am sure the purist will chime in that it will and I hope they are right. Obviously it will remain available through specialty channels but my fear is that the rigid steel 29er will become as rare as the rigid steel 26er. Even in the last year I have noticed that the rigid 29ers in my local shops have been replace with hydroformed front and full suspensioned bikes. And manufacturers seem to be dropping the Fisher Ferrous type bikes in favor of other types of frames. Was the "steel is real" movement just a stop gap till tech caught up?
Obviously all things are not equal, the 29er is a better rigid than the 26er and therefore more viable. I am just curious to see what everyone thinks in this regard.
Will old school (rigid steel) 29ers maintain their current popularity/availability.
LONG VERSION:
Having followed this forum for a while and having reviewed the history of the 29er movement it seems like a compressed version of MTB development. Starting with the steel tubed rigid bikes and moving into the front suspension then on to then fully suspended bikes. I guess the question I have is will the old school stuff (which I love) stick around this time? I am sure the purist will chime in that it will and I hope they are right. Obviously it will remain available through specialty channels but my fear is that the rigid steel 29er will become as rare as the rigid steel 26er. Even in the last year I have noticed that the rigid 29ers in my local shops have been replace with hydroformed front and full suspensioned bikes. And manufacturers seem to be dropping the Fisher Ferrous type bikes in favor of other types of frames. Was the "steel is real" movement just a stop gap till tech caught up?
Obviously all things are not equal, the 29er is a better rigid than the 26er and therefore more viable. I am just curious to see what everyone thinks in this regard.