Dos Niner demo

First day for the pasty whites to come out.

Yesterday I took the demo bike I picked up from H'wood last week to Battle Creek for my first mtb ride of the year.We hit 79 degrees so it was a good time to start on the tan.Trail conditions were perfect.Just a little tacky with only 2 short wet sections that were avoidable.Anyway the verdict on the Dos Niner: My bike spec was Shimano XT disc brakes and drivetrain,Marzocchi Marathon sl fork,and xt hubs laced up on Salsa delgado-x rims.Those were wrapped with little Albert tires. The bigger wheels were noticable right off the bat and the front end felt reasonably higher. But over the course of a few laps I got used to it.Where the bigger wheels really shine is climbing traction,and carrying momentium through the rough stuff.The spots where a 26 inch tire would normally slip the 29er stayed glued down, even up a sloppy climb.You could easily run a medeocre tire and have just as much traction as a grippy 26".It rolls noticeably better through the rocks and roots.As for the 1" of rear travel, its not much but it takes the sharpness out of the hard pounding.I would forget that there was a shock back there at times.It feels more like a hard tail than a plush full-suspention.As far a nimbleness, I got used to it fast and I was going up and down sharp switchbacks just as fast as the Bandito. It was on the heavy side due to the spec,but I can shave a pound or two off by the spec I would get. I think I found my new ride this year.-EO