Monocog 29er

(Or how I learned to stop shifting and love one gear)

So... About a month ago I snapped the frame on the Trek. Wasn't doing anything crazy, just going down some fire road. I hit a water ditch, and at the bottom of it there was a "snap" and the frame got all squishy feeling. Hardtails should not be squishy. The frame snapped on a weld where the bottom bracket shell and the seat tub meet. On a whim (and a vague memory of a lifetime warrantee on the frame) I took it by the shop. The shop said they'd try to warrantee it for me. It worked. The break was determined to be a manufacturing flaw. So I am waiting for a new frame to be shipped out to me. So this last weekend I was shopping around the local shops for someone to swap the parts from the broken frame to the new one (I don't really trust the mechanics at the place I bought the bike. They are all young, and... well... a little stoney). At one of the shops that has a good reputation I noticed their selection of 29" wheel mountain bikes. Most mountain bikes are 26" wheeled. In the past few years more manufactures have been making the larger wheel bikes. They supposedly ride better, turn better, etc. What caught my eye about them is they are supposed to be better for taller riders by moving the center of gravity lower in relation to the rotational mass, thus providing a feeling close to what shorter (normal) people feel on a 26" bike. I noted a cheaper one and talked to the mechanics about it. I got one of the sales people to let me take it on a test spin. About 3/4 of a mile later I rode back into the shop with a huge grin. I REALLY liked the feel of the 29" wheels. Being off road bikeless the temptation was even strong. There was one downside. It was not a "geared" bike. It was a single speed. It had a rigid fork, no suspension But the frame fit me so well, I bought it. It was cheaper than my geared bike, weighing in at $450. I got home and some buyers remorse set in. So I geared up and rode the single track up behind the high school. The climb was a little brutal. I had to stand to pump my way to the top. The washboard sections were a little harsh on the hands without suspension. But it rolled soooo nice. The trail felt very different. In one rooty section that always gives me trouble, I just flowed through it. Beautiful. By the end of the ride I understood the lunatics who climb up to sand point on one gear. There is a simplicity and beauty to dumping all those gears and just riding liek you did when you were a kid. I got home with a huge grin, tired legs, and no trace of the buyers remorse. The bike is twice the workout in the same distance. I an not going to be ditching geared bikes soon. The Monocog will be great for my local trails and for shorter rides, but the ability to downshift and make it easier is a wonderful thing. It has convinced me though, that my next geared bike will be a 29er.