alo

So none of those who posted, have seen one. So this must be one of the first models.

Next year or the year after, these will be common.

Someone mentioned that the wheels are for sale on Ebay. Here are some screenshots.

Troul 

The hydroplaning will be real, until tire tech catches up with those wide of a tire. I personally have no desire to go any wider than I need to based on riding weight in conjunction with surface conditions.

trailangel

I wouldn't buy that brand. But interesting non the less. I can't find 4 in. 29r tires though.

Chandne

29er mid fat (29x3) is gaining a little traction but regular fatbikes are still 26" or 27.5", predominantly. They are very popular here in Colorado. Pushing a 29x4.6 would be pretty awful and the geometry challenging with really long wheelbases.

Troul 

more the reason it'll become a "thing" ...

Reflector Guy

Oh, snap! You win.

Chandne

Unless the major manufacturers (at least Specialized or Trek) start to produce them, it will not. They seem to have zero interest and have landed on 26 and 27.5 for fatties. Also, those are heavy tires to begin with. Unless they make it super thin, a 29x4.5 tire will probably weigh over 1,500 grams. With a tough hide, maybe closer to 1,800. That is a chore to push on snow especially. Maybe I'm wrong but I'll stop at the lighter 27.5x4.5 tires. They are heavy enough. I also don't want a bike that has such a long wheelbase that I can't turn well, especially on snow. I'll watch for Specialized and Trek...maybe Salsa.

A 29er Plus Hardtail MAY catch on but even that is not getting much traction, though a few do love the rollover capability.

AdkMtnMonster

A lot of kids are expecting Santa Claus next year, too. And last year, and this year…

CliffordK

It could also come through channels such as Pacific Cycles, which owns Mongoose, and a number of department store brands.

Chandne

Sure, it could, but real traction comes from the major brands. That is where the success and sales will start. Till a Specialized or Trek makes a new size, tire manufacturers are reluctant to start anything and it will not get much press. Gary Fisher's 29er caused the 29er to gain traction and become incredibly popular. Kirk Pacenti pioneered the 27.5 but he floundered for years till the big boys started to build them. Tire manufacturers will not follow just some small random brand or department store brand either.

Troul 

If I were a "major brand" & noticed that the big boxed stores 29ner FB BSO was selling like hot potatoes, I'd quickly divest in the smaller wheeled FB stuff & retool for the 29ner FB.
Market influence.

Chandne

Except that never happens. The high margin bike sales are exclusive to the big brands. They don't give a two hoots about how many $500 bikes are selling in department stores. They want to sell those $5K - $10K bikes. That is where the money is, and has been, since I started mountain biking in the late 90s.

Troul 

The top brands will retool & reflect the other changes to ensure they remain "top" priced as well. "WAS $5,000" , Now "$4,999.99!!!"

Chandne

Companies like Mongoose and Schwinn or Huffy are basically now just that- they rely on inexpensive bikes sold at department stores. If there is a suspension design change or tire size change, it has to happen at that boutique brand or major brand level. I remember Pacenti tried for years and years to get 27.5 traction while 29ers simply killed the 26er. Department store brands were all still 26 through that. Then finally, the 27.5 was adopted and it managed to grab decent marketshare. The 27.5+ (2.8-3.0) also pretty much died but Specialized pushed it and it lived for a few years. There were a couple of years that 36ers were tried but that died too and no relevant brand picked it up anyway.

Of course, suspension design is pricey and FS bikes are pricey so things like the DW Link or Switch Infinity will never finds its way to department store bikes. So that its not a good example but wheel size is. There is nothing in Huffy or Mongoose bikes now that anyone will emulate. They are either hardtails or simple single pivots that nobody wants to put on a high-performance mountain bike, and those designs are either proprietary (Switch Infinity) or very expensive to license (DW Link or Split Pivot) through I THINK the Horst Link can now be done for free now due to patent expirations (not 100% sure). It is still pretty expensive to build and prototype though. It can also cost a couple of hundred per bike to license, along with a hefty initial payment.

I prefer short travel full-suspension 29ers in that 115-135 range, and I usually prefer the mini link designs. I have never every seen anything in a department store that I would ride, nor would any of my mountain biking groups/buddies. The innovation comes the other way. Bikes are so pricey- carbon is pricier than alloy due to the material and the molds for each size. Each size's mold is $50K-$60K on the low end and then you have the layup involved. The whole process is costly and intimidating for a small manufacturer building full-suspension bikes. Companies like Yeti were extremely smart and stayed just on the cutting edge without jumping in the first year or two. They grew and became wealthy. Ibis was more slightly cutting edge and is also doing well, but Intense, Turner, and so many others, didn't keep up thinking things were fads, and paid the price.