We went to Trail Junkies on Saturday for G to take a test ride on a Titus Eleven.
When we got there the bloke that owns the shop threw a Kona Unit 2-9 at me for me to have a ride on.
It's a bit agricultural, and it certainly turned some heads as we rode through Streatley and Goring. There's something about these 29er things that just don't look "right" (even to Joe Public). It felt a bit like riding a grown up MTB.
It had normal tyres on but it gripped well in the wet sticky mud. It took a while to wind up but once it was going it span along quite well. I got up all the hills I pointed it at but it did somehow feel like hard work. Solid forks were no problem on the 25km ride we were doing, even when banging down a flight of steps. The brakes had been upgraded from cable disks to Magura Marta hydraulic discs and they were superb. I'm not sure how it would manage through tight single track but I didn't get the feeling that it was going to be a problem as it turned in well whenever I asked it to (this was no XC rocket no matter what the wheel size).
There's no conclusion to this report other than I won't be dashing to the shop to buy a 29er but I wouldn't miss out on the opportunity to ride one again as it was a lot of fun. It made me want to have a go on a cyclocross bike as that's got the big wheels and stuff but it isn't as clumpy.
I'd worked out a route from the shop (see below) it's a bit of a bridleway special but it's got a great flight of steps in it.
Matt
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