With the help of two identical Seven IMX hardtails, the folks at Cyclingnews are attempting to answer the question, once and for all, “Is bigger better or is less really more?”
While pondered for years, previous attempts to definitively answer the question of whether a 29″ wheel is better than the traditional 26″ mountain bike wheel have failed because of too many variables between the test subjects. So for the first time ever,Cyclingnews and Seven Cycles have removed all variables to create the perfect test.
In describing the two Seven’s, Cyclingnews notes, “We worked closely with the specialists at Seven Cycles to obtain a pair of Seven’s premier carbon and titanium IMX hardtail frames. Seven’s unique talents were tapped to normalize the ride qualities of the two frames by varying the titanium tubing stock as well as the carbon fiber layups, and the handling characteristics were matched as closely as possible.”
“Of equal importance was the fit of the two IMXs and this was calibrated down to the last millimeter relative not only to the rider, but also to the ground. To that effect, critical dimensions such as cockpit length, saddle height and setback, handlebar height and sweep, and even bottom bracket height are 100 percent identical between our decidedly high-zoot test pair.”