Find your sweet spot – and don’t expect it to stay put!
I started a reply to this recent discussion on 24" muni and it soon became an autobiographical “book,” so I didn’t submit it. Here’s the short (?!?) version. 
I started riding MUni on a 24" in the Spring of 2009, and found it to be just right for learning to ride off road. (I initially learned to ride on sidewalks on a 20" some 40 years prior.) Once I became proficient riding trails on the 24" (after a year or two) I started feeling a strong desire for more speed. That led me to graduate to a 29," which presented all kinds of new challenges (a good thing 
).
After a few UPDs that shook me up in 2011 & 2012, I wondered if a 26" would be better for me 
. I tried out a 26 Oracle at the 2012 Outerbike and it turned out it was – at that particular time in my skills progression. But, after a “remedial” year on the Oracle 26", I found myself longing once again for more speed, which lead me back to the 29".
Now I feel the 29" is “just right” for the riding I do (semi technical intermediate XC outings of 6 to 16 miles), and I love the speed :D.
One big factor in all of this was my confidence level on each uni. The 29-er is tall, and if you stall, it’s a long way down 
.
Another factor turned out to be the handlebar setup I was using. My 24" had the standard grab handle and no handle “bars” to bruise me. My early 29er riding was done a Nimbus Shadow handle with a slightly shortened, up-turned bent T-bar of stock width. I got tangled up in that setup more than once, and developed an inherent fear of stalling and falling. I’ve now switched to the straight bar cut very short (instead of a longer curved-up bar), and with both ends of the “T” trimmed by 1/2", so the handle is lower and closer to the seat, and a full inch narrower. I no longer fear getting tangled up in the new handlebar setup when I fall off the front, and I’ve been able to push my riding skills more than ever before 
. (I finally recognized and confronted my fear of handle bars when riding a demo Oracle 29 at Outerbike earlier this month – it was only equipped with the standard plastic grab handle – and I was able to ride much harder stuff since there was no handlebar to fear. :D)
Bottom line: Expect your preferred wheel size to change over time (generally increasing), and also expect that the type of riding you do will strongly influence both your preferred wheel size and handlebar configuration. Find your sweet spot (in terms of wheelsize) but don’t expect it to stay static as you improve your skills or try riding different terrain/trails.
Incidentally, my N24 now sports a 24" x 3" Felt Berm Master tire and a KH stiffener plate under the Nimbus Gel Saddle. Why? Because it’s now delegated to use for learning new tricks in an urban setting during my lunch hour, and when our trails get too snow-covered or muddy to ride.
Back on topics (sort of): The main reason I started this thread was to become aware of any new tire/tyre options for the 24" as they became available. Initially my objective was for MUni. Now I’m more interested in what folks are using on their 24" unis for street/trials.
The Berm Master 24" x 3" is okay for what I’m trying to do/learn on my 24 in the city, but has a bit too rounded a cross-sectional profile for me to give it three stars. The Duro Wildlife is totally wrong (for me) for my city riding on the 24. I wish I could try a Hookworm in 24", and I’m curious about the Halo Twin Rail, the Schwalbe Table Top and the Kenda K-Rad or Kiniption (all in the neighborhood of 24" x 2.2" - 24" x 2.3").
So, back off topic again ;): Any thoughts or observations on these more street-friendly 24" tires/tyres?
Cheers,
UPD in Utah
).
