29ers are conquering the world. First, the large wheels laid siege to the Cross Country World Cup, then they continued their triumphal march on mountain bikes with more suspension travel. Whether hardtail, trail bike or enduro: 29-inch wheels are now commonplace in every mountain bike category. Almost every one. Just as the Gauls Asterix and Obelix rebelled against the Roman oppressors, downhillers resisted the otherwise so successful wheel size for years. In the beginning, there were even signs next to the race tracks of the Downhill World Cup that read "29ers are gay". In the meantime, "gay" is no longer a dirty word and the resistance has turned into sympathy. Four out of seven World Cups in 2018 were won on a bike with 29-inch wheels. The marketing departments of the big companies would love to throw the 27.5-inch wheels into the family grave with the 26-inchers. But are big wheels really better for downhillers? Before we get lost in theoretical discussions, let's let our duel partners answer the question. Does the YT with 27.5-inch wheels even stand a chance against Kona's Operator 29?
As a duel is a serious matter and a participant usually falls to their knees gasping for breath, we have selected the bikes for this test with the utmost care. We don't want to be accused of sending someone to their death lightly. In order to find equal partners, we scrutinised the results lists of the Downhill World Cup. Santa Cruz, Commençal, Norco and GT, with their successful team riders, provide the fuel for the triumphant advance of the 29ers, but were unable to provide us with a production-ready test bike. Only Kona managed to deliver its brand new Operator Carbon 29 in time. Nevertheless, the Australian Connor Fearon has already manoeuvred the bike to tenth place in the overall World Cup this season. If you slide your finger one line further in the overall World Cup ranking, you end up with Aaron Gwin. The American was injured for a long time this season and also used 29er prototypes towards the end. However, he took his only World Cup victory in 2018 on his 27.5-inch YT Tues. In other words: both duel bikes are successful in the Downhill World Cup, both bikes are made of carbon and both bikes are brand new. The YT costs 5499 euros and comes by post, the Kona can be picked up at the dealer for 5999 euros. It doesn't get much more equal than that. Let the showdown begin!
Although the YT is fitted with the supposedly doomed 27.5-inch wheels, it still attracts everyone's attention in the lift queue. Rear suspension axles neatly integrated into the carbon fibre, form-fitting plastic protectors on the down tube and chainstay and the golden air suspension from Fox make the Kona look old, at least visually. The massive rocker and the aluminium rear triangle of the Operator provide less sex appeal. Only at second glance do you discover the technical refinements of the yellow giant. The length of the main frame (reach) can be adjusted by ten millimetres with the help of an adjustable headset. The extremely short chainstays (427 mm) can be extended by 13.5 millimetres with a screw. A flip chip on the rear triangle even offers the option of adapting the geometry of the Operator to 27.5-inch wheels. However, the bike is only sold with the trendy 29ers.
The YT has no geometry adjustment, but still wins the first battle. When we lift the bikes into the nacelle for the first time, it immediately becomes clear that you need power to move the Kona. At 17.1 kilos, the Operator feels as if it has taken root in the ground in front of the nacelle. While the YT, at 15.6 kilos, is easy to hang on the hook, the Kona, which weighs 1.5 kilos, causes the first beads of sweat to roll down our foreheads in the valley. However, the extra weight can only partly be blamed on the larger wheels. They are only around 650 grams heavier with tyres than the YT. The rest of the extra pounds are due to the steel spring shock and the massive frame. But we keep the same weight as the boxers. Weighing in before the fight is just a way of mentally weakening your opponent. We are interested in how the bikes perform in the ring in the first round. So get out of the gondola and hit the trails!
The YT doesn't need a familiarisation phase. Of course, after the death of the 26-inch wheels, we had plenty of time to familiarise ourselves with the 27.5-inch replacement. So: get on it and get going! Aaron Gwin's influence in the development of the new Tues is immediately noticeable, as the carbon fibre bullet from Forchheim only reaches its comfort zone at higher speeds. Tight bends: doable, but not that cool. High-speed scree fields: awesome! Once you've got over the tuning madness of the air suspension, the Fox suspension elements flatten everything that gets in the way of the bike. Despite the small wheels, the Tues has a smooth ride. The low weight makes the handling pleasantly intuitive and retains the bike's residual playfulness. A quick pull over a root field: no problem. Only the TRP brakes spoil the harmonious picture. This is probably not a problem for super racer Gwin, but for our riding skills the TRP has too little braking power. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with Gwin's bike. Or does the 29er Kona open up spheres of speed that we didn't even know about with the YT Tues?
The Operator combines everything that is currently in vogue: large wheels, slack head angle, long reach and extremely short chainstays. It is clear what the engineers wanted to achieve with this: the Kona should be bursting with smoothness on fast straights and still be able to weave through tight bends thanks to the short rear end. In practice, unfortunately, the calculation doesn't work out. There is nothing left of the playfulness on the trail. If you want to manoeuvre the Kona around tight corners, you shouldn't let your own body weight get in the way. The handling is sluggish. Quickly pulling off an off-road edge? No chance! The fun falls by the wayside. The higher, unsprung mass of the wheels makes the suspension less forgiving than on the YT. Whether on twisty trails, high-speed battles or bike park tracks with high berms and jumps - the YT is simply more fun. Apart from the Code brakes, the 29er Operator doesn't stand a chance against the 27.5-inch YT Tues.
Conclusion on the Kona Operator CR 29 vs YT Industries Tues CF Pro Race
At least the 27.5-inch wheels clearly win this duel. Conversely, less weight means more fun on the trails. The new Tues from YT is a big bike in a class of its own and thus defends the dignity of small wheels.
KONA OPERATOR CR 29
MANUFACTURER INFORMATION
Distribution Kona Sports International, www.konaworld.com
Material / Sizes Carbon / aluminium / M,L
Price / weight without pedals 5999 Euro / 17.1 kg
MEASURED DATA
Front / rear suspension travel 200 mm / 195 mm
Rear suspension system Supported single-joint
EQUIPMENT
Fork / Damper Rock Shox Boxxer World Cup 29 / RockShox Super Deluxe Coil RC World Cup
Cranks / gears Sram Descendant / Sram GX DH
Brake system Sram Code R
Impellers Kona hubs with Mavic EX 630 rims
Tyres Maxxis Minion DHF 3C Maxx Grip TR DH Chasing 29x2.5 inch
Reach 463-472 mm
Stack 627 mm
BB-Drop -24 mm
PERFORMANCE
Park 3 of 6 points
DH-Race 4 out of 6 points
YT INDUSTRIES TUES CF PRO RACE
MANUFACTURER INFORMATION
Distribution YT Industries GmbH, www.yt-industries.com
Material / Sizes Carbon / S, M,L, XL, XXL
Price / weight without pedals 5499 Euro / 15.2 kg
MEASURED DATA
Front / rear suspension travel 200 mm / 200 mm
Rear suspension system Four-bar linkage
EQUIPMENT
Fork / Damper Rock Fox 40 Float Factory / Fox Float X2 Factory DKKW
Cranks / gears E13 LG1R Carbon/ Sram XO1
Brake system TRP Quadiem G-Spec
Impellers E13 LG1R carbon system wheelset
Tyres Onza Aquila DHC RC2 45a 27.5x2.4 inch
Reach 458 mm
Stack 604 mm
BB-Drop 22 mm
PERFORMANCE
Park 5 out of 6 points
DH-Race 6 out of 6 points
FREERIDE RANKING: The number (maximum 10 points) reflects the overall impression of the testers and is not an addition of park and race points. 10 = test winner, it couldn't be better. 9 = very good. Recommended purchase. 8 = solid performance. 7 = below average. The product has weaknesses. 1 to 6 = We can only warn against this!
