manualing a 29er

spills
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spills
Edited Date/Time 6/19/2015 10:54am
just for some back info i can manual a BMX bike really well.. i can turn in manualing, i can hop to manual, etc...

is it just me or is the 29er a huge pain to manual? it feels like the rear end is 5 feet long and even cranking back on the bars as hard as i can and sitting into the manual as hard as i can I'm still having trouble getting my weight behind the balance point... how can i remedy this? in bmx i would have slid the wheel forward in the drop out some, and pulled the bars back just a tad, that would have helped the learning curve, but i can't really do either with my MTB.. what are you guys' thoughts?

I'm thinking:
- run a much shorter stem, if i can reduce the stem but say an inch thats one more inch i can get my butt back there..
- maybe run a 27.5 rear wheel?

I'm just not sure how that would affect the rest of the ride. ? ideas?
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bturman
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bturman 6/15/2015 12:12pm
6/15/2015 12:12pm
Don't go swapping your wheel size. That'll goof up the geometry big time.

What bike are you on? MTB's (especially 29ers) have much longer chainstays than your BMX, which is part of the reason why they can be harder to manual. If it's a full suspension, getting used the suspension compressing and chainstay length changing while manualing can take a little while to get used to.

For a guys who wants to get after it and have fun like yourself, we recommend wide bars 750-780mm and a 50mm or shorter length stem.
spills
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spills 6/15/2015 12:35pm
6/15/2015 12:35pm
bturman wrote:
Looks like your stem is on the longer side, likely ~100mm, and your bars are just 680mm wide. Try something a bit shorter and wider. You'll...
Looks like your stem is on the longer side, likely ~100mm, and your bars are just 680mm wide.

Try something a bit shorter and wider. You'll dig the added stability and control. Here are some good tips: http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/How-To-Mountain-Bike-Cockpit-Se…
oh awesome. thanks

do you guys think 40mm is too short?
bturman
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bturman 6/15/2015 12:40pm
6/15/2015 12:40pm
It really depends on your frame size, rider height, and preferences. I use 35 or 40mm stems on bikes that are really long for me, but I typically like a bike with a 50mm stem and 430mm reach the most. I'm 5'10" tall. (You can read about the reach measurement here.)

If you can get a deal, go for the 40mm and some wider bars and give it try. Adjust as needed.
zo
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zo 6/19/2015 6:32am
6/19/2015 6:32am
29er's have tons of bottom bracket drop (like 30+ mm's). Having your weight so far below the axles is the main reason they are more difficult to manual than a bike with 26" or 27.5" wheels. That increased BB drop is also the reason 29er's can feel so stable in many riding situations. Give and take...
spills
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spills 6/19/2015 10:54am
6/19/2015 10:54am
zo wrote:
29er's have tons of bottom bracket drop (like 30+ mm's). Having your weight so far below the axles is the main reason they are more difficult...
29er's have tons of bottom bracket drop (like 30+ mm's). Having your weight so far below the axles is the main reason they are more difficult to manual than a bike with 26" or 27.5" wheels. That increased BB drop is also the reason 29er's can feel so stable in many riding situations. Give and take...
Ah I see, I've actually had some luck lately with pedaling up to the balance point and then settling into a manual.. It's different but it's one way

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