“So why 29 when 26 has been prefect for years?”

Well, Dude its smoooooth.

The larger diameter of the wheel just rolls over bumps and holes much more easily, they slow you down less when you hit things (obvious really; just draw two circles, one bigger than the other, then draw the same small size rock in front of each).

Combine this with a full size mountainbike tyre (cross bike rims are already this big) and you have a plush bike that stops for nothing.

Of course the bikes geometry has to be very different to make it handle well and they don’t make them for us 5 foot nothing folks, but the endurance riders love them and they are much favoured by fully rigid riders. A rigid 29er feels as good as some short travel full sus bikes.

Loads of bike manufactures are jumping in to the 29 market, but for a few of them it’s a lifestyle, check out Salsa for instance ( “26” MTB ?? what’s that???”)

“Well why are we not all riding them already?”

Big wheels are heavier so they do take longer to turn and accelerate. A 29 will never be as sharp on tight single track or sprint out of the gate as quick as a 26, so its still horses for courses.

If you have not tried it yet and you are over 5’6”, you really should and if you are a 6 foot singlespeed rigid endurance rider you probably already own two of them.