A couple of weeks ago, I borrowed a mountain bike from the local shop's huge demo collection of two bikes. It is a slightly battered 2012 Specialized Camber Comp 29 with Fox fork and rear shock, a nice 2x10 drivetrain, and those wonderful twenty-nine inch wheels and tires. My wife already has a Fisher 29'er, and she likes the ride. I set up the sag on the Camber, we loaded the bikes on the car rack, suited up, and then drove to the park. Although we rode around the woods for only about an hour or so before daylight began to run out, we had a blast. It was quite nice.
Over the years, I have owned a few mountain bikes, and although road cycling has always been my primary mode, I have always enjoyed riding around in the woods.
It is a great way to get a ride on a blustery day when the trees can offer a little shelter from the winds, or to get in some pedaling time when I don't feel like being out on the same old roads on a particular day for no particular reason.
Perhaps because of my affection for high end bicycle gear and the way that it just works so well, or perhaps because of the competitive nature I once possessed, the off road bikes that I have owned have always been pretty good bikes. One thing that my former mountain bikes all have in common is the twenty-six inch wheel size. Back in the day, I always kept away from the 29'ers because tire selection was limited, and many bicycle shops did not even stock the inner tubes for them. Today, I find that not only have 29'ers become common on the trails and paths of this country, but that replacement and upgrade tires, tubes, and even wheels are easily found in most bicycle shops. Awesome! So I am now considering the purchase of the very demo bike that I had borrowed a couple of weeks ago. What causes my hesitation? Well, for one thing, it is still a used bike. I could purchase the demo bike for a very low price since it is already pre-scratched, and no doubt has already been pre-crashed by at least one person. There is the possibility for me to purchase an aluminum hard tail 29'er equipped with very similar high end components, brand new for about the same price. On paper, this appears to be the logical choice. New, so it doesn't need anything to be replaced, lighter weight, and a factory warranty. But then again, the Camber Comp is a more expensive bike new. It is also a full suspension bike, and I simply cannot afford to get a new one of those. Then it dawned on me. I really don't think that any of those criteria are all that important to me. What is holding me back from pushing the button, is the rear axle. The Camber Comp has a proprietary rear axle system known as 142+. Most mountain bikes currently under production use a 135mm rear wheel dropout width along with a traditional quick-release axle. The 142+ system uses a 142mm dropout width and a proprietary through axle.
The greater width allows the rear hub flanges to be spaced in a manner that allows the spoke tension to be more even on both sides of the back wheel, resulting in a stronger wheel build. Neat-o. The thing holding me back is the apparent limited selection of after market wheelsets that are compatible with the 142+ system. Some other wheel systems exist with a 142mm spacing, but the type of axle and the manner in which they are affixed to the bicycle frame is slightly different from 142+. Perhaps, I am over thinking the decision. Hmmm.... hardtail 29'er with 135mm (not as strong, but more common), or dually with 142+ (stronger, and less common..for the time being)? Tough call. I wonder if 142+ will one day be common as the twenty-nine inch mountain bike tire size is today.
Update: 12/21/2012 I pulled the trigger on it. I purchased the Camber Comp. It is an awesome bike, and now that I have put in some trail time with it, I love everything about it including 142+.
