What Wheel Size Do You Ride?

[accadacca]

Cross country mostly with some downhill mixed in. I'm guessing I'll obliterate my Strava times when I get bigger wheels.

Are you guys sure that 27.5 isn't the best of both world in pedaling and handling? I guess I need to try both before buying...

[tallsteve]

My opinion: For pure x-country riding, go 29. If you're doing mostly downhill or lift-served riding where maneuvering is king, go 27.5 or 26 even. I definitely can't take switchback corners on my 29er like I could on my old 26 but, everything else is by far an advantage.

[Iceaxe]

Are you guys sure that 27.5 isn't the best of both world in pedaling and handling? I guess I need to try both before buying...

Understand the only reason 27.5 wheels exist is because they will fit on most 26 frames. This was a stopgap that allowed those with expensive 26 bikes to gain some of the improvement without having to buy a new bike.

Also 27.5 isn't actually a mid-point as the gain is not a linear line. I could put together a bunch of pie charts and power point presentations to show you what is happening mathematically and physically, but a lot of it would probably go over your head. Bottom-line it's the wheels circumference (angle of incidence), which actually cause the improvement, and the theoretical curve when plotted out looks more exponential.


The only guys still advocating 26 are those who own an expensive 26 and are hoping there might still be some value in their bike, which any classified ads will prove there is not.


The last item you might want to take note of is many companies no longer build 26 or their 26 lines are very limited. That should really tell you everything you need to know.

I'm guessing I'll obliterate my Strava times when I get bigger wheels.

Probably not as your still a pussy and no bike can fix that.

[accadacca]

Probably not as your still a pussy and no bike can fix that.

Don't cry too much this summer when you see my name at the top of all your Strava lists.

[Iceaxe]

Don't cry too much this summer when you see my name at the top of all your Strava lists.

Better bring your A game as I currently own just about every Bogley record in Corner Canyon... not bad for a guy thats 55 years old.

[accadacca]

Better bring your A game as I currently own just about every Bogley record in Corner Canyon... not bad for a guy thats 55 years old.

You've got a good chunk of the uphill records. Congrats on that, it's been impressive to watch. On the downhill, you need to lay off the brakes.

Once I upgrade my bike, it'll shave some time. My current bike is 10 years old! It's about time. Plus, I'll have to ride more. I can count on one hand how many times I rode last summer.

If both things come together, I will start beating my old records and reclaiming the lead.

[Iceaxe]

I'm too old to care about going fast downhill anymore, that's a young man's game. When you get old you'll understand.

All things being equal most your times across the board will tumble once you're peddling a 29er. They roll easier and handle most obstacles better.

[Sombeech]

Are the fat bike tires 26 or 29?

[tallsteve]

Technically, most fatbike tires are 26" with more and more popping up with a 27.5" version. The problem with the 27.5" version is the width is only 3.7 or 3.8" while most 26" tires are 4.8's. From everyone I know who ride fatbikes in Utah, they say the 3.8's are pretty worthless. Again, that's for Utah conditions with our famous fluffy powder snow. They may do just fine in other areas of the country but, not here. Proponents of the 27.5 x 3.8" say, because of the bigger volume tire (27.5 vs. 26"), you get the same footprint. If you look at the long, long debate on the subject at MTBR, in actual application it's not working out that way. I think the 27.5 x 3.8" size would be fun for summer riding (if you're into summer fatbike riding). The Trek Farley 7, which I'll be purchasing this summer, accepts both wheel sizes but comes with the 26's.

[Sombeech]

I'm still rocking the 26ers on my bike, it would be nice to have 29" wheels, or a Fat Bike, but for now the way I look at it, uphill is gonna suck either way.

[gholt]

I have the 26 too. On the ibis sl. Love it. It would be nice to get bigger wheels, but it costs a fortune to upgrade all that.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[Sombeech]

Yeah to be honest, I'm content with my 26ers. I'm more into the downhill stuff and the heavier 26" wheels feel more stable and solid on the ground while banking the hard turns and over some of the drops.

29ers are nice though for the general XC riding. I'm a shuttle brat though

[Iceaxe]

FWIW- I have a 26er and a 29er. Originally the 26 cost about three times what I paid for the 29 as it was the best money could buy when I purchased it. I've ridden the 26 only a couple of times since the 29er arrived, and that was mostly because I hate seeing what was once a lot of money sit in the corner of the garage.

[accadacca]

At this point I want something light and fast for all conditions. This includes climbing, bombing, turning and general handling. If a 29er does not corner and handle as well on downhill sections, then it might not be the ticket for me.

[Sombeech]

Yeah it depends, maybe putting some heavy slime in the 29" tires would help stability on the corners. For pure downhill though, the riders even go down to 24" on the rear. I've been on some nice 29" bikes, they're definitely nice. Too many options and decisions out there though if I'm going to get another bike, throwing a Fat Bike in the mix too.

[Kent K25]

26" on my downhill and 29" on my trail bike.

[tallsteve]

... maybe putting some heavy slime in the 29" tires would help stability on the corners.

Stability on my 29er is fine. For me, the bike is just bigger all around- longer wheelbase and taller so, my center of gravity is higher, which has always been a handicap for my already tall body. For instance, there are a couple of switchbacks in Corner Canyon and the Tibble Fork trail up AF Canyon that I literally have to stop at the corner apex (going downhill), put my feet down, and move the back-end of the bike around. Kinda sucks but, it's not frequently the case and I'm sure it's a combination of the bigger wheel size and an XXL frame. Smaller frame sizes typically don't have that issue. I could always make those corners on my smaller 26.

[Iceaxe]

At this point I want something light and fast for all conditions. This includes climbing, bombing, turning and general handling.

You just described a 29.

[REDFOX]

Giant has listed some information regarding wheel sizes on their website called 27.5 technology. I am interested in the 27.5 size for myself. If you ride smooth trails and don't plan on hitting any jumps a 29er will most likely hold up for you. Has for myself I would destroy a 29" wheel and I am not looking to increase the rotational weight of my bike.

[mxerhale]

Giant has listed some information regarding wheel sizes on their website called 27.5 technology. I am interested in the 27.5 size for myself. If you ride smooth trails and don't plan on hitting any jumps a 29er will most likely hold up for you. Has for myself I would destroy a 29" wheel and I am not looking to increase the rotational weight of my bike.

I actually test rode a Yeti SB5c, which is a 27.5er, last summer and I'll be damned if it wasn't the sweetest riding MTB I've ever swung a leg over. I suppose the suspension was more instrumental than the wheel size was, but it was nice on the uphills to have a wheel that seemed to accelerate a bit quicker than my Salsa Horsethief 29ers do. The Yeti had a 1x11 which was something new too, my normal ride is a 2x10 and if I had my druthers I prefer 3x9 or 3x10. This being said, I rode about 7 miles of my normal 10 mile route and never felt too weird, but that magical Yeti suspension was nearly perfect everywhere I pointed it. The 27.5 wheels never felt like they held me back in the rock gardens or over tree roots, it actually felt like the ultimate bike for all terrains. Mind you this was only a 7 mile ride and I didn't have a computer or Strava going to compare speeds to a regular ride on my 29er but the this particular 27.5er was awesome. This may sound like an advertisement, but I just felt that great on this bike, of course when I asked how much for the bike as it sat I was disappointed to hear $6300! I'm still formulating a plan on how to build one up Johnny Cash style, one piece at a time!