2012 Specialized Actual Weights – Mountain Bikes and 29ers

Hardtails???

A couple interesting things can be said here.

~To get a sub 25 pound 29er FS you have to spend mega bucks because the frame, the wheels, and the fork all weigh more then equivilant 26er parts.

~On a cost vs performance basis 26ers are faster because of the 29er weight penalty.

~The real reason behind the push for 29er’s is increased profit margins and not improved performance.

~ USA Import duties are based on wheel diameter so while their are important duties on 26ers their no duties on 29er bikes.

http://www.usitc.gov/publications/docs/tata/hts/bychapter/1000c87.pdf

alloycowboy says “A couple interesting things can be said here.”

too bad what the cowboy says about cost/performance and “the real reason” behind push for 29er’s is absolute BS. . . ..

read some of the forums. . .read what folks who actually ride 29ers say about them. I’m sure the Lance Armstrong win of a Leadville qualifier on a Superfly Elite was just marketing BS too, eh?

26 vs. 29 is like standard vs. automatic.

If you know what your doing standard is faster, if you can’t drive a standard, then the automatic is obviously faster.

Now awaiting all the reply’s talking about how Todd Wells rides one so it must be faster.

lol, I love the automatic vs standard analogy. It’s pretty accuarte in my opinion.

Everybody needs to chill out. It’s not the bike you ride, it’s how you ride it. Todd Wells could win on a 26’er, Julian Absalon could win on 29’ers. I love 29’ers and race a 29’er… but there are definitely some courses where a 26’er is better. Just like some trails are better suited for hardtail or full-suspension, some are better ridden on 29’ers and some on 26’ers. There is no end-all, do-all, “best wheel size”. Period.

I think a better, if dated analogy for 26/29er is slalom vs GS skis. One is agile gives quick fast turns at the expense of stability. The other provides a stable smooth ride with some lost of agility and sensitivity. (I have one of each).

If anyone takes the time to read the link, maybe alloycowboy may be onto something about the import duties. A big reason for the rise in popularity of SUVs through the 90s was the preferential tax treatment of light trucks vs cars.

So why is my 2011 S-Works Epic 29r only 23.64 lbs? This weight includes, the Bontrager mixed tire set, pedals, bottle cage, 1 spare tube, fat co2, and some dirt ?

We’ll see what they weigh.. My 2011 29 Epic Expert Carbon (european ed) was 28,16lbs in large last year so if this is correct they must have dropped some weight.

alloycowboy,

“~ USA Import duties are based on wheel diameter so while their are important duties on 26ers their no duties on 29er bikes. ”

You have no idea what you are talking about. The tariff heading and duty rate for 29ers is the exact same as the heading for 29ers. A reduced duty rate would come from the import of a road bike as the cross section of the tire is less than 4.13 km.

Does anyone have the actual weight of the 2012 carbon S-works enduro medium?

As a beginner, I recently rode a 2012 Epic demo-tester 29er, aluminum frame, similar to Epic Comp 29er, still had energy after ride, felt like I’d spent more time descending than ascending. Easy to love that bike. I want to buy it, so how do I get the tester without waiting til end of season next year? Color scheme best of all Epics.

Can anybody confirm the actual weight of their Epic expert carbon 29er, 2012 (size M)?

Picked up my 12 Enduro Comp size XL last week. 31lbs 10ozs on the shop’s Park scale without pedals, with Blacklite Command Post and (sorry, forgot to take them off) reflectors.

She’s pretty cute

What I can say about the debate between a 26’er and a 29’er is this.
I own both a Specialized Rockhopper SL 26’er, and a Specialized Carve Comp 29’er.
For me, and I do totally appreciate that we all have our own personal opinions, is that the Rockhopper is an infinitely better, and much nicer bike to ride. The Carve feels cumbersome, heavy in comparison, and generally horrid. As soon as I can find someone to take the Carve off me for a acceptable amount of money, the happier I shall be.
There is in fact nothing that I prefer about the Carve over the Rockhopper and would, at this point in time, urge huge caution on anyone thinking of buying one.