Fans of 29+ rejoice, Trek sees you. After a surprising amount of success with the original Trek Stache 29+ hardtail, Trek is back with something a bit more plush. The new Full Stache could be just what you’re looking for – if that’s a burly 130mm travel trail bike with massive tires to get you out into the backcountry.
Plus bikes are like driving a 4×4 at low speed, it’s not especially exciting but you can just go blump blump blump over all the rocks without any drama. They’re rubbish for going fast on uphill or downhill, but to get on and go for a nice ride in the country they’re actually really good. I admit to being surprised at how popular they have become, I was expecting a repeat of fat bikes.
I have a HT stache that I ride with skinny tires/rims and stock tires/rims (carbon). There’s a little difference in rotational weight but overall my times on climbs are about the same when going full gas (rotation weight takes, but also gives). If its a long smoother grinder the skinnies win out, but if it’s technical, the fat tires win hands down. You can relax your body and let the tires do the gripping and ride smooth. In races I’ve seen the skinny tires have to do all sorts of yo-yo accelerations to get over loose or rocky sections where I just get zen. The same goes for descents: big tires aren’t slow, I can pull far greater G’s than skinny tires–that fun and fast.
Word from Trek is you can run the full state with 2.6 or larger tires. The smaller you go the lower the BB clearance. Unofficially you can fit 2.6 (with gobs of clearance) in a fuel ex though it’s supposedly designed for a 2.5 max. Same 130/130mm travel. I currently am running a 140mm travel fork with 2.6 Specialized butchers. Though they truly measure out at 2.5. even at 2.6 they would be fine.
I haven’t ridden my 29ers since I built my Mojo 3+ bike! In fact, I just parted out both of them and bought my 10&12 yr olds small 2011 Jet 9 frames on eBay. Yup, they both have NINER’s with ENVE wheelsets! Super sick kids bikes! Oh, yes people do ride plus bikes…..then give their old 29er technology to their kids
I would have preferred if this bike came with 2.8 tires which is how most 27+ bikes now come. The challenge with 29+ is getting the wheel weight down to a reasonable level. Using light 2.8 tires on i30-35 rims (as compared to heavy 3.0 tires on i45 rims) can lighten the wheels significantly while still retaining most of the “Plus” magic. A 140mm fork on this bike would also be a great addition.
I’ve been riding 29+ for two years and I like it a lot. However, your not going to “get” 29+ doing a couple of laps around the bike shop parking lot. You need to ride a 29+ (with a light wheel setup) on a few technical trails to understand why it is becoming popular. Roll over anything. Get traction everywhere. Float across deep sand or gravel. What’s not to like!
