Drinking the 29er Kool Aid
When I bought my Motobecane Outcast 29er last spring, I bought it as a commuter. It has eyelets for a rack and fenders, big wheels to smooth out the road, and a single gear to simplify maintenance. Of course, since it arrived just as school was ending and was set up as mountain bike, I decided that I'd ride it as a mountain bike, at least for the summer.
As a mountain bike, it was adequate. It had some weird quirks (170 mm cranks, 42T chainring, spaced out rear track hub, bolt on front hub) that required "adjustment." I was disappointed to find that the factory had bolted down the rear wheel so tight that it stamped a good sized dent into the aluminum dropouts; ever since then it has been tricky to tighten down the rear wheel without the hub gripping against the dropout and "crawling" forward a bit, throwing off the chain tension. I was never satisfied with it as a mountain bike, which was fine - I had a mountain bike I liked and this bike was meant for the commute.
However, riding the Moto all last summer taught me two things: I like the challenge of riding single speed and I LOVE 29" wheels. Riding with just one gear is fun. Want to go faster? Pedal faster! Need to get up that hill? Hammer down! It forces me to ride more aggressive, to maintain my momentum, and keep up my speed. And it pairs up perfectly with 29" wheels.
In my experience, the 29" wheel platform has two advantages over a tradition 26" wheeled mountain bike: traction and roll-over ability. When you stand on a climb, you get all the traction you need to really hammer. Maintaining momentum is easier with the big wheels since they make trail obstacles relatively smaller. It's amazing to roll through a rock garden at speed on a 29er.
I was really enjoying the Moto as a mountain bike until I rode Fountainhead. For those of you unfamiliar with the rooty, rocky regional park, tucked in among the steep hills of northern Virginia, let me say this: Fountainhead is not for the faint of heart. There are more rocks and roots, impossibly steep climbs, and fast sketchy downhills than you could imagine in an 8-mi. singletrack loop in the middle of a posh suburb.
Because the trail is so rough, it was very difficult to hold speed on the Moto. Rigid and stiff, the aluminum frame communicated every little (or large) bump and dip to my body. Braking like crazy to maintain control on the downhills left me with little speed to carry me up the steep uphills. Fountainhead had schooled me before, but this time I finished battered and beaten.
That was perhaps my last mountain bike excursion on the Moto. Since then, it has acquired a larger gearing, narrower tires, and a rack. (I used it on our Pitt-to-DC bike trip this summer.) Still, the pleasure of singlespeeding offroad on those big hoops kept me dreaming of a new mountain bike.
Doing the Research, Finding the Ride
Flash forward to the beginning of this summer, when my wife started dropping hints that I could buy a new mountain bike. I did my research, visited the local bike shops, and perused craigslist and the MTBR classifieds daily. I wanted a steel 29er that could be set up singlespeed or geared, rigid or suspended. I figured I'd start out rigid and singlespeed, like the Moto. When I lost my first filling, I'd get a suspension fork. When I got tired of walking too many hills, I'd throw some gears on. Versatility was key.
A number of opportunities presented themselves and I decided on a 2008 Kona Unit. (I got lucky too! At the end of the season like this, it was on sale. Plus, it's the last of its kind; Kona has switched to a lower quality steel for the '09. Unit) It's just about exactly what I wanted. I intend on buying a suspension fork eventually. I'd like a nicer wheelset. But, even stock, it's a sweet sweet ride.
New Bike Smell
I bought the bike last Saturday after having test ridden a half dozen times and peppering the guys at Oasis with a salvo of questions. (Dave, Jan, and Tim deserve a huge shout out for their help and patience!) On Labor Day, I took it on its first ride, the classic Tour de Wakefield. Cali and I cruised the trails down by Accotink and played on the singletrack at Wakefield. It was a blast!
The Unit has all of the pluses of the Moto, without the harsh ride. Big wheels? Check! Singlespeed? Check! It's amazing how much smoother it is than the Moto. While it's still a rigid mountain bike - it's hard to forget that when blasting down a rough trail - it's never been as jarring as the Moto. The steel frame and fork have a nice feel to 'em. I am very pleased with it!
Finale: Proof of Excellent Purchase
I LOVE my new bike!
