WTB Wolverine 29″ Tire – Final Review

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Jeff Moser

Back in November of 2009, I wrote about my initial impressions of the 29″ (29×2.2) Wolverine tire from Wilderness Trail Bikes HERE. I’ve had over a year on the Wolverines now, using them as a front and rear tire, and riding them on all sorts of terrain. Here are my final thoughts on the tire.

Conquering the Mud Hole

Traction

Throughout the year, I got to try the Wolverines in snow, mud, sand, hard pack, and asphalt. These tires handled all these conditions well, making them a great choice for all-terrain applications. The tread pattern of the Wolverine provides plenty of bite no matter what angle the bike is at, from straight up, fully leaned over, and everywhere in between. The tire feels very predictable and confidence inspiring all the way through a turn, progressively biting harder the further you lean the bike over. The squarish profile of the tire further enhances contact with the ground, especially when combined with lower pressures. These same qualities help stop your bike quick when it’s time to brake.

The Wolverines do pretty well on the asphalt as well. I frequently ride my mountain bike on the road to the local trailheads and around town, so having a versatile tire is important to me. You can descend and corner with confidence whether on high speed road descents or just zipping around the city streets.

Snow Print

Rolling Resistance

The moderately spaced tread of the Wolverine allow the tire to roll smoothly without the bumpy knobby feeling of a more openly spaced tread pattern. Because of this, the tire feels lighter than it is. The tread is still aggressive, but the knob spacing works well in all conditions, whether riding through snow, mud, sand, hard pack, or transitioning through a combination of these terrains.

Slippery Singletrack

Fast sandy corner with the Wolverine

Weight

My test tires weighed in at 805 grams and 840 grams. This takes them out of the race tire arena, and puts them into the trail riding category. You may not set record hill climb times with the Wolverines, but it’s still a tire that you can pedal on all day epic rides comfortably. Light enough for climbing performance, large enough for plush comfort, aggressive enough for varying conditions. The new advertised weight is 774 grams, so it looks like WTB was able to shave a little weight off since the first production run. WTB mentioned that they were surprised at the initial weight as well. Running the tires tubeless also helps get the rotating mass of these big hoops down.

Big Casing

On the Tahoe Rim Trail

Durability

I began this review back in the Fall of 2009, and I’ve ridden these tires every week since then. I used the Wolverine as a front tire for several months as I wore out a couple rear tires. I finally ended up moving the Wolverine to the rear to get a “little bit” more use out of it, but I’ve ended up riding it an additional half a year! I can honestly say the tire is done now though. It still corners great, but the center knobs are worn down to the point where it’s slipping on climbs and during braking. It was a great value to get this much use out of a tire. Especially one that works well as a front or rear application.

Amazing traction, front or rear

Good on Epic Rides

Going Tubeless

Although these tires are not part of WTB’s tubeless tire lineup, I’ve ridden them tubeless for over a year with no problems using Stan’s NoTubes Sealant. The tires sealed easily, held consistent air pressure for several days, and have never once had a puncture. They were mounted on On One standard rims for the first part of the test, then Sun Ringle Black Flag tubleless ready rims for the remainder of the test. Dropping extra rotational mass by going tubeless was noticeable. It got the weight into that sweet spot where the wheel accelerates quickly without feeling sluggish. I typically ran the tires at 25psi in the front, and 30psi in the rear. This flattens the tires out nicely for optimal traction with no fear of pinch flats or rim damage.

Traction when you need it most

About Done…

Summary

As a front tire, the Wolverine is fantastic. It’s a perfect blend of traction, low rolling resistance, large volume, and durability. It’s not as plush as the big WTB Weirwolf 29×2.55 LT I’m running now, but the Wolverine definitely has superior traction.

As a rear tire, the Wolverine may be overkill depending on your conditions. With their already larger footprint, 29 inch wheels are not short on traction. The lightly treaded 29″ WTB Nano Raptor I enjoyed last spring and summer hooked up well in most situations, and saved me quite a bit of rotating mass. Switching to the Wolverine in the Fall slowed me down a bit, but it was nice to have more traction in the deep Fall sand and the snow and mud of Winter. Light fast tires don’t buy you much if you’re spinning out when you need traction the most.

I will definitely purchase more Wolverines in the future, especially for front tire applications. They hook up in a wide variety of conditions, roll well, are durable, and weigh in at a reasonable weight for all-around trail riding. Additionally, the large volume casing provides a comfortable ride, floats over the sand and other soft surfaces, and protects the rims well. Highly recommended!

Specifications

Dimensions: 29×2.2″ – 54/52
WTB’s fast-rolling, long lasting 60a durometer rubber
Moderately spaced tread pattern
Weight saving folding Aramid Bead
60 Threads Per Inch (TPI) casing
Weight: Test tires weighed in at 805 grams and 840 grams (new advertised weight is 774 grams)

More info at WTB (Wilderness Trail Bikes).

Disclaimer as required by the FTC: This product was given to BikeCarson.com at no charge for test and review. We were not paid or bribed to do this review, and will provide our honest and personal views throughout the entire process.

New at the Bike Habitat

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Jeff Moser

Fall is just around the corner, and that means it’s time for next season’s products to start hitting the bike shops! I was at the Bike Habitat this weekend, and here are some of the new items that caught my eye.

700c 3-speed Electra Townie

The Bike Habitat has recently introduced Electra Bicycles to their lineup. I took this 700c wheeled Townie out for a spin in the parking lot and was really impressed. It’s easy to touch the ground with the laid back geometry and forward pedaling, and the upright riding position combined with smooth and efficient 700c wheels make for a very comfortable ride. The 3 speed grip twist shifting is simple to use, and provides a wide range of gear options, perfect for the flatlands of Carson City. The brown seat and grips matched with the gloss black frame paint adds a lot of sophistication, and the rear rack is all ready for the luggage of your choice.

Endura Shorts

Endura has become my new favorite cycling clothing manufacturer with their perfect blend of styling, durability, and functionality. These new casually designed Endura shorts look like they’re made of durable cotton canvas, but are actually a specially made nylon fabric. The shorts don’t come with a liner, but are click-fast compatible. This means you can purchase Endura liners to snap into the shorts, or simply use the liners from a pair you already own.

Giant 29er

Giant is starting to put out some great looking 29ers. Twenty-nine inch wheeled hardtails are great for the trail riding that most of us do. The big wheels really smooth out the trail and allow you to get away with less suspension. Since much of the cost of today’s bicycles is tied up in suspension components, a hardtail can save you hundreds of dollars over a 26″ full suspension bike. This new 29er from Giant is very sharp and looks like it costs way more than it does. The frame design was very interesting with its massive down tube and much smaller tapered top tube. Like many of the offerings from Giant these days, it also comes with an internal, tapered headset, the bottom bearings being larger than the top bearings. This adds strength and stiffness to the front end without significantly adding weight, and also allows you to still run a standard 1 1/8″ stem.

Also worth mentioning, is the Giant Via 1, an around town bike for the ladies that mixes classic styling with modern technology. The sturdy front rack adds utility, and even comes with a flower holder! How cool is that? Photos of the bike on Giant’s website HERE.

Project Karate Monkey

Posted on August 3, 2010 by Jeff Moser

I had the opportunity to ride my wife’s On One 29er single speed for an extended period of time. It was the funnest bike I had ever ridden, but with a 16″ frame, it was just a little too small for me. Not having any extra cash for a long time, I had plenty of time to think about the bike I’d like to build some day.

Karate Monkey frame Out of the Box

I had entertained the idea of a Salsa El Mariachi, but when I was ready to start shopping seriously, Salsa temporarily stopped production on the line as they are introducing a redesigned model. Another brand I was considering was the Vassago. They have two frames, the JabberWocky and the BanderSnatch, one is a single speed, the other is setup to run gears. Not wanting to tie myself to one discipline, the choice became clear. Especially when I started comparing frame geometry numbers and finding that the bikes I was interested in were all very similar in comparison.

Karate Monkey rear dropout – ready for single speed or a derailleur, disc brakes, and a cargo rack

I’ve long wanted a Surly. Surly is an interesting company. While some companies hastily work on making their last year’s models obsolete, Surly is putting out ordinary, familiar looking bike frames. Their bikes frames are affordable, simple and practical, and often come with demeaning or silly names to describe the color of their bikes. Beef Gravy Brown. Curry Squirt. Tar Pit Black. Underneath the low tech, indifferent image though, are bikes that are actually pretty well thought out and ride great. Surly has even put out a few bikes that have become the standard by which other bikes are judged like the Big Dummy cargo bike and the Pugsley that is designed for snow and sand.

Truvativ Stylo OCT light weight crank set and bottom bracket

Dan Turner at the Bicycle Authority has a few Surlys of his own, so I had plenty of opportunities to see the bikes in person and pick his brain for the details. Since I’d be building a 29er, I finally decided on Surly’s Karate Monkey. I looked at many photos of Karate Monkeys around the Internet to get some ideas, and talked myself into ordering a black frame. Shortly after ordering though, Dan informed me that black wouldn’t be available for a few months. “Chum Bucket Red” it would be. Or as Dan likes to call it, “Scum Bucket Red”. I still haven’t decided which name if more offensive.

Karate Monkey with On One single speed wheelset

The Karate Monkey is offered as a complete bike from Surly, but I decided to go with just the frame and fork, since the complete is built with too many parts that I would want to change. Ordering just the frame gave me the luxury of building the bike just like I wanted. I started a log book of all the parts I collected and wanted to get, and even recorded all the weights. This made shopping for parts a easier, as I could decide if the performance payoff was worth the extra money. Some parts were just too expensive with very little weight difference where it mattered. I focused the money on the parts that would give me the most bang for the buck, like the cranks and wheels.

Surly Tuggnut chain tensioner / bottle opener

WHAT IF YOU COULD ONLY HAVE ONE BIKE?

Here’s why I decided on the Karate Monkey. I asked myself the questions, “What if you could only have ONE bike? One bike to do it all. What bike would it be?” My bike is my primary source of transportation and recreation. I’m on my bike 5 and 6 days out of the week. Here is the criteria I used when building the bike:

Affordable – Together, the Karate Monkey frame and fork retail for about $465. This leaves a lot of extra cash for other parts. Money was focused on parts that reduced rotating mass, the wheels and the cranks.
29 Inch Wheels – The larger diameter 29 inch wheels really smooth out the trail. This allowed me to forgo suspension parts that require extra tuning and maintenance, and it saved me some weight. Most of the terrain I ride is smooth open and fast, and there has been little penalty for riding rigid. Additionally, the big wheels float over the sand better, corner better, climb and descend better, and they keep their momentum on the dirt and street.
Low Maintenance – The bike is setup with no suspension and only one gear. I went with mechanical disc brakes instead of hydraulics for easier tuning, maintenance, and repair. I focus primarily on tire pressure, lubing the chain, and tuning the brakes.
Comfortable – I didn’t build a race machine. I built a bike that can be ridden every day, sometimes for several hours at a time. I saved weight where it made sense, but took the weight penalty where it added comfort or pay offs in other areas; for example, the Titec J-Bars or the big volume WTB Wolverine front tire. The Karate Monkey’s steel frame also adds much to the comfort of the ride.
Efficient – Bicycles are one of the most efficient machines ever invented. I maxed this out on the Karate Monkey with the smooth single speed drivetrain and rigid frame. Very little energy is lost when pedaling without the complex chain path of a derailleur, and more pedaling energy is directed towards forward momentum without bouncy suspension components.
Versatile - The Karate Monkey frame has many options, and you can build it up anyway you want to. There are cantilever bosses with removable pivots if you want to run rim brakes, and disc mounts front and rear if you want to run disc brakes. There are dual water bottle mounts on the inside of the triangle (sometimes you get only one with other frame designs). The frame is setup for downtube shift cable routing, there are guides for hydraulic hose or solid housing on the seatstay, and standard cable housing stops on the top tube. There are mounts on the frame and fork for installing racks for touring or utility. Basically, you can build a Karate Monkey just about any way imaginable. I also decided to go with a standard wheelset over a single speed specific set. This way I can use the same wheelset for geared or single speed operation depending on what I decide to do down the road.
Reasonably Light Weight – The steel frame and fork are far from being the lightest available at 5.6lbs for my 18″ frame and 2.6 lbs for the fork; however, you will spend more than twice the price on a high end frame to save about a pound over the Karate Monkey. I chose to put the money into a light wheelset instead. It is said that 1 pound off the wheels is like 3 pounds off the frame. My complete bike is about 24.5 pounds. This makes it heavy for a race bike, but pretty light for an all around trail bike.
Fun to Ride – What good is a bike if it isn’t fun to ride? It’s the main reason we ride after all. A good mix of comfort and performance makes my Karate Monkey a blast to ride.

Surly 19 tooth cog and spacers

THE BUILD

Here’s the Karate Monkey’s current build:

Frame and Fork: 18″ Surly Karate Monkey frame and rigid fork – 100% Surly 4130 CroMoly steel
Headset: FSA Orbit X with sealed cartridge bearings
Bars: Titec “Jones” J-Bar with foam grips and bar tape (reviewed here on BikeCarson.com)
Stem: Generic stem with 4 bolts and 31.8mm clamp area
Brakes: Avid BB7 Mechanical disk brakes and levers, Shimano cables and housing
Saddle: WTB Laser V SLT (titanium rails)
Seatpost: Race Face Evolve XC
Seatpost Clamp: Surly Constrictor (included with frame)
Wheelset: Sun Ringle Black Flag Pro Wheelset with standard freewheel body (reviewed here on BikeCarson.com)
Tires: WTB 29×2.2 Wolverine (front – reviewed here on BikeCarson.com), WTB Nano Raptor 29×2.1 (rear), running Stan’s Tubeless kit
Crankset and Bottom Bracket: Truvativ Stylo OCT cranks with GXP bottom bracket
Pedals: Crank Brothers Egg Beater SL
Chain: SRAM PC890 8 speed chain
Rear Cog and Spacers: Surly 19 tooth cog and Surly spacer kit
Chain Tensioner: Surly Tuggnut chain tensioner/bottle opener
Water Bottle Cages – 2

Big 29″ Fat Tired Wheels

Dan Turner at the Bicycle Authority prepped the frame and installed the headset for me, an FSA Orbit X that he had in the shop and recommended. It has a look and weight similar to a Chris King, but at half the price. A Chris King was on the wish list, but not in the budget. I took the frame home where it sat for a few weeks as I collected parts. I had a few parts that weren’t in use, and new parts were bought with the sale proceeds of my Kona Coiler. I (temporarily) stole the wheels off my wife’s On One. Jeff Potter cut my steering tube down to size, and the bike was ready to ride!

Finished (for now) Karate Monkey on the morning commute in Mills Park

I loved the bike the way it was, but had to start thinking about getting my wife’s wheelset back to her. I saved some dough, and had Denis at the Bike Habitat order me the Sun Ringle Black Flag Pro wheelset. The On One wheelset had a 20 tooth BMX freewheel on it, but I couldn’t adjust the chain without slack. I went with a 19 tooth cog and spacer kit with the new wheelset, removed a link from the chain, and now I have good adjustment. The rear axle is near the front of the dropouts now, so I have room to drop a tooth or two on the front chain ring if I need lower gearing.

Karate Monkey in Ash Canyon above Carson City

Now that the bike is pretty much finished, it’s quite a bit different than I had originally envisioned it. It was going to be black with plenty of chrome. When the frame turned out to be red, I came up with a new color scheme. I wanted the black rims with gold hubs, but Sun Ringle had just the opposite in stock, gold rims with black hubs. In the end I have a red bike with gold wheels, but I love it! The bike has only spent a few nights in the garage and still spends most of its time in the living room when not being ridden. When I’m at work, it sits inches behind me in my cubicle. It’s a good commuter, it’s fun for fast paced lunch rides, and comfortable for all day epic rides. I rarely ride other bikes now.

Is the Karate Monkey perfect? Just about…for me. The decals seem a bit weak, but the paint job is holding up good and should look good for a long time. The only thing I can really nitpick is the method for removing the rear wheel. You have to loosen the rear brake calipers to get the wheel off. This can cost you a lot of extra time and hassle on the trail, and is a reason some of the other manufactures have a different design for their rear dropout. This is a small price to pay for such a versatile frame though. Especially if you seldom get flats.

Karate Monkey on the way to Star Lake

FUTURE IDEAS

Although I love the bike in its current form, I do think of other possibilities for down the road. The bike could be setup with some gears, skinny tires, and racks for bicycle touring. I’ve even thought about getting a Pugsley fork and front wheel to make it into a snow bike for winter.

MORE KARATE MONKEY BITS

There is a good collection of different Karate Monkey builds out on the Surly Karate Monkey Junkie Flickr photo group if you are looking for some build ideas.

Curious about the origins of the name Karate Monkey? Here’s one possibility, Karate Monkey by Chubby Checker. Catchy, ain’t it?

Sun Ringle Black Flag Pro 29er Review – Out of the Box

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Jeff Moser

I needed a new wheelset for my Surly Karate Monkey build, so I started looking around at all the high end hubs and rims available. I’ve noticed a lot of Stan’s NoTube rims showing up on bikes, and I even had the opportunity to change a flat tube on a Stan’s Rim. I was really impressed at how tight the seal was, and thought it would make a great tubeless rim. I decided to consult Guitar Ted, the primary writer of the Twenty Nine Inches website, as he’s tested just about all the 29er parts available.

Out of the Box

I told Guitar Ted about my interest in the Stan’s NoTube Rims, and he recommend I check out the Sun Ringle Black Flag Pro 29er wheelset, the company’s high end offering. Sun Ringle manufacturers the rims for Stan’s, and Stan’s has licensed the NoTubes design for the Black Flag rims. I couldn’t find a whole lot of information on the sealed bearing hubs, but I like the straight pull spoke design (no bend in the spoke where it joins the hub), and the weight of the wheelset was just in the range I was looking for.

Extras included in the box

I sent Denis at the Bike Habitat an email to see what he thought about the wheels, and when I got back from lunch, he replied that the wheels were on their way! I had originally wanted the black rims with the gold hubs, but these were not currently available. I ended up getting the opposite color, gold rims with the black hubs. As it turns out, they look great with the dark red of the bike frame.

Standard 6-bolt Disc Mount and Straight Pull Spokes

Here are the Product Specs:

Stan’s NoTubes™ BST Technology (w/Rim Tape)
24mm Rim Width
Premium, Cartridge Bearing, Straight-Pull Hubs
Quick Release, QR15, 20mm Thru-Axle Front Axle Options
Quick Release, 135×12, 142×12 Rear Axle Options
Wheelsmith Straight-Pull, Double-Butted Spokes, Laced 3-cross
Wheelsmith Alloy Nipples
28 / 28 Hole Count
Cro-moly Skewers
830 grams front, 940 grams rear, 1770 grams for the set (weighed on my scale without skewers or brake discs)
$650 MSRP

Freewheel Body

What I really like about this wheelset is that it includes everything you need to get it going. Tubeless ready means just that. The rim tape is designed for tubeless installation, two tubeless valve stems are included, and it even comes with enough Stan’s NoTube sealant to complete both wheels. Also included are Sun Ringle chromoly skewers, and adapters to run various axle sizes. I didn’t pop out the axle size converters, since they came setup just the way I wanted; however, you can check out BikeRumor.com for some good detail photos of how they work.

Black Flag

Weight for the wheelset came in just a bit higher than advertised, but at 1,770 grams, it’s right on target for similar wheels in this price range. The Black Flags are a full pound lighter than the On One wheelset I had borrowed off another bike, and the rim width is slightly wider too. The rim’s Bead Socket Technology (BST) creates a rim with a shorter sidewall which allows the rim to be lighter, lets you to run lower pressures, and allows the tire to use more of its sidewall and have a larger volume. Much more detail about BST can be found on the Stan’s NoTube site HERE.

29er

Licensed by Stan’s NoTubes

Mounting and inflating the tires was a snap. My favorite WTB non-tubeless tires mounted easily on the rims. Before we put the last bit of bead on the rim, we filled the tire with the supplied sealant. Then we popped the last of the bead onto the rim, and inflated the tire with an air compressor. Both tires sealed up so easy that I suspect a regular hand pump would have worked too. I shook the wheels around to disperse the sealant around the tire, and then mounted the wheels on the bike. Both tires have been holding air extremely well ever since.

Tubeless Ready Rim Strip

The finished product installed on the Karate Monkey

The gold wheels look great with the red paint on my bike, and really make the bike look sharp. The next step of course will be to get these wheels tested out on the trail! It will almost be a shame to get these beautiful wheels dirty. Almost… Stay tuned!

WTB Wolverine 29″ Review – First Impressions

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Jeff Moser

Bike Carson just received a set of the all-new 2010 Wolverine 29×2.2″ tires from Wilderness Trail Bikes for test and review! Previously, the Wolverine mountain bike tire has only been available in a 26″ size, but due to increased demand from the growing 29er community, they have now been made available in a larger 29″ version as well.

The Wolverine is advertised as having a tread pattern that works well in a wide variety of conditions. As we head into Winter here in Northern Nevada, we’re certainly going to have a large assortment of conditions to ride in for the next several months. We will have the perfect testing grounds for the new Wolverine.

WTB Wolverine 29×2.2″ Race, 60tpi casing, Aramid folding bead

The 29″ Wolverine is a fairly high volume tire with moderately spaced knobs. The knobs are small and numerous, and provide many biting edges. The center knobs are of medium height, but become much more aggressive toward the edges of the tires. Additionally, there are micro knobbies between the spaces of the larger knobs. It appears that the Wolverine will have a good balance of low rolling resistance, traction, and mud shedding capability.

Moderately spaced tread pattern with large side knobs

I’ve been using the big volume WTB Weirwolf LT 29×2.55″ as a front tire on my single speed for over a year now. While I’ve really enjoyed this large plush tire, the low profile side knobbies tend to drift in our Eastern Sierra sandy conditions. Not much mind you, but enough for me to want a tad more bite. It’s my hope that the Wolverine will provide that extra turning traction I’m looking for, without sacrificing too much suspension.

The big 2.2″ casing feels plush enough for rigid fork use

Before mounting the tires, I put them on my scale. One tire weighed in at 805 grams, the other 840 grams. The WTB website originally advertised the tire as being 700 grams, so I asked WTB about this. They say they’ve been seeing the weights come in quite a bit heavier than the pre-production samples, and they’ve since updated the website to advertise the tire as 800 grams. Still, there is hope that they may find why the variation occurred and correct it. Especially if the weight of the 26″ version is as light as advertised at 560 grams.

Even though the tire was a bit heavier than I had hoped for, I don’t mind pedaling a heavier tire if there’s a pay-off in performance. If you’re looking for big volume, lots of traction, and light weight, you probably won’t find it all in one tire. You generally have to pick two of these qualities, and decide which remaining quality you’ll need the least of. It should be noted though, that tires with low rolling resistance tend to feel lighter than tires with big open tread patterns. The moderately spaced knobbies of the Wolverine should allow the tire to roll easily, and help cancel out some of the additional weight.

Wolverines on the Trail

Specifications

Dimensions: 29×2.2″ – 54/52
WTB’s fast-rolling, long lasting 60a durometer rubber
Moderately spaced tread pattern
Weight saving folding Aramid Bead
60 Threads Per Inch (TPI) casing
Weight: Test tires weighed in at 805 grams and 840 grams.
Here’s a video from WTB that has further information about the tire.

Putting the Wolverine’s Traction to the Test

First Impressions

I’m a big fan of WTB tires. I’ve found their long-wearing rubber compound to be a good value, and have enjoyed WTB’s selection of big volume tires that are still light enough for trail riding. I’ve only had a couple days on the Wolverines so far, but I’ve had the opportunity to ride them in a wide variety of conditions. In under 30 miles, I’ve ridden them on pavement, sand, hardpack, mud, snow, and ice! The results have been very pleasing, and I’ve had a big smile on my face trying to see how far I can lean the bike over in the turns. The Wolverines roll fast, and seem to hook up well whether climbing, turning, or descending. Still, more testing must be done…

Stay Tuned for the Full Bike Carson Crew Test

The next step will be for the Bike Carson crew to take the 29″ Wolverines out for full testing on a variety of different bikes and terrain. The tires will be put to the test on rigid single speeds, geared hardtails, and full suspension bikes. The local Fall/Winter riding conditions will expose the tires to a wide variety of terrain. They’ll be ridden in the decomposed granite, mud, and snow of the Eastern Sierras, and the hardpack clay and rocks in the deserts to the east. Near the end of the testing, we’ll see how the Wolverine works when converted to tubeless. Stay tuned for the full results.

Obligatory disclaimer as required by the FTC: This product was given to BikeCarson.com at no charge for test and review. We were not paid or bribed to do this review, and will provide our honest and personal views throughout the entire process.

The Big Kahuna

Posted on April 10, 2009 by Jeff Moser

Twentynine inch wheeled mountain bikes are becoming more popular in Carson City. I know quite a few people that have them now. The bigger wheels float on top of the sand better than the smaller wheels, and climbing and cornering traction are also improved. The larger wheels also make the bumps and obstacles feel smaller. Although there is a weight penalty for increased rotating mass, the benefits of consistent momentum seem to outweigh the added grams.

The Big Kahuna

Jesse recently purchased a new bike, and he decided to go with a 29er hardtail. Here are his first impressions of the Kona Big Kahuna that he purchased at the Bike Habitat. Jesse writes on his blog Nowhere Nevada:

I recently purchased the 2009 Kona Big Kahuna 2-9er from Bike Habitat in Carson City. I rode the 2008 Kona Kula 2-9, 2009 Kona Kahuna 2-9 and a 2004 Kona Coiler the week before to get a feel of what I wanted to buy. Dennis at Bike Habitat took care of me from start to finish and I finally decided I wanted the Kahuna but I also wanted beefier components that the Big Kahuna model provided. The only thing I would change would be the Maxiis Ignitor tires, they are not suited to Nevada’s dry conditions, but that is just a small detail that is easily ignored and quickly replaced.

I picked up my new rig on Friday. After taking a deep breath while swiping that bank card and picking up a few extra tubes I was off and rolling. First off, let me tell you, this bike was designed for technical climbs and rolling terrain. At first, the big wheels are a little awkward but as you progress into the turns it gets a little more comfortable. The RockShox Tora Race shock was nice and responsive compared to my old RockShox Dart 2. The big wheels make large rocks feel like small ones and encountering steeper terrain was a little less challenging.

I have tested this rig out on some different terrain, namely Ash Canyon and Centennial Park. The latter is a combination of volcanic rock, rutted jeep trails and sandy single track. At first I bounced around a little bit. After dropping my tire PSI down to around 30 pounds per tire I really got to see this bike perform. I was rolling right over the smaller bumps and hitting the larger stuff with greater confidence. Right away I got the sensation that I was rolling in slow motion. It’s really hard to describe the feeling you get on a 29er, you feel like you are rolling through molasses yet the bike is moving at a normal pace. The slow sensation took me a few rides to get over but now I hardly notice it.

The bottom line? This bike kicks ass and takes names. I love the stretched out feel of the Big Kahuna. Downhill runs are done with more confidence and less need to lean off the back end of the seat. The big tires lessen the bumps and vibrations and it’s just all around fun to ride. Go down to your local Kona dealer and take one for a spin to see for yourself!

Bike Carson

Bicycle News, Culture, and Lifestyle in Carson City, Nevada

Tag Archives: 29er