Most 29er riders believe that it’s more difficult to endo on a 29er than it is on a 26 inch bike. They claim that because 29er bikes have a longer front axle to bottom bracket distance, you are less likely to endo. Others claim that because the 29ers have a longer wheelbase than a 26″ bike, they are less likely to endo.
Whatever the reason is, they did not try my patented technique for endoing. That is “not paying attention.” For some reason, when I apply the “not paying attention” technique I fall or endo. Even more surprising is that I can do this just as well on a 26â€Â? bike and a 29er! This morning, I tried my patented “not paying attentionâ€Â? technique and, not surprisingly, it worked again.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the great thing about riding the Fullerton Loop is that it is in the middle of a city. That means I can cut out certain parts of the loop and rejoin the loop by riding the streets. Due to time constraints (I say that a lot) I normally cut out parts of the loop and this morning was no different.
While riding the streets to get back to the loop I decided to drink from my water bottle. As I was putting the bottle back in its cage (practicing my “not paying attention� technique) my front tire got caught in a little hole in the road, probably 6 inches wide by 2 feet long by 4 inches deep. Of course the hole ends sharply (it would be too convenient for it to gradually slope upwards to connect back to the street, wouldn’t it?) and since I only had one hand on the handlebar, I endo’d.
It was kind of like this but with clips-ins, on the street and without all the protection. Ok, it wasn’t like this at all.
The good news? The Tucson survived the crash. It got a little road rash on top of one of the Deore trigger shifters, but that won’t affect the bike. I carefully inspected the rest of the bike and found that that was the only injury it sustained. Sturdy.
Tucson shifter road rash
The bad news? I added more scratches to my growing collection that began last Saturday when I also fell off the Tucson and now I definitely need a new pair of gloves (is that good news or bad news?). I guess I can thank God that it wasn’t worse than scratches and probably more bruising along my shin. At least there weren’t any broken bones, right? And, as I’m sure you’re all wondering, I did finish the ride. I rode the exact route I normally would, just slightly slower.
Just a quick pet peeve: less than 2 seconds after I endo’d and while I’m still trying to get up a car drives by. That means that the driver must have seen me fall. No “are you ok?� or “do you need any help?� Nothing. Is it too much to ask for some common courtesy? Or should I just be happy I wasn’t run over? OK, rant over.
29ers have more wheel flex which can actually stop your wheel and send you over the handlebars. So in some ways it is easier to endo on a 29er. I’m a heavier rider (235) and I wheel flex endo all the time on my 29er. The last one caused a 2nd degree separation of my AC joint. Back to 26ers for me.