A commentor on a popular 29er site says that Specialized will be coming out with a “full line” of 29er bikes in early summer as 2008 models. If this rumor turns out to be true, this is a great step for 29er bikes.
Who is going to reap the benefits of this? All mountain bikers in general, but potential 29er riders & 29er enthusiasts in particular.
Fox forks are considered by many to be the premiere mass produced fork manufacturer. Some potential 29er riders, though, have lamented the lack of fork choices in the 29er marketplace. If Fox is in the fold, 26er riders have one less barrier to hurdle and their own premiere fork to use on the 29er.
29er enthusiasts are excited because without competition the Reba fork was/is dominating the 29er market. And although the Rock Shox Reba is a great fork, there is always room for competition to give the consumer more choices.
29er consumers win again because another major manufacturer has also decided that 29ers are not a fad, but an actual trend in the mountain biking marketplace. This commentor mentioned that Specialized was not coming out with just one 29er (a la Cannondale), but a full line of them.
Does that mean singlespeeds, geared hardtails, full suspensions, steel? We don’t know. But whatever “full line” turns out to be, it shows that Specialized has a lot of money invested in the 29er market! This can also turn out to be a wake up call for Trek, Giant & others to start producing 29ers which will in turn encourage more components makers to support this growing market.
As a 29er enthusiast I am very hopeful that this rumor comes true.
