That old 27.5 in 26 debate

I'm going around in circles deciding on the next build. Frame: 26er singlespeed hardtail, seems to be long travel judging by the 71 degree ish headtube angle which I guess equates to 120/140 suspension corrected.
I prefer to keep it 26 for 'purity' but 27.5 opens options particularly regarding rim and tyre choice.
So option one is wait around for the right 26er parts - rims being a bit difficult I think. 120 suspension less so but straight and long steerers aren't ten a penny (130mm headtube) and I'm fussy. Or, could I use a 29er carbon fork, say 470 atoc, with a 26" wheel.
Alternatively, convert to 27.5. Stay clearance looks okay but 292mm 27.5 wheel radius plus tyre depth looks mighty close to the stay bridges.

I'd make it work as intended if I were you. I like 27.5 and for day to day riding would choose it over 26 but I reckon you'll run in to problems. Last thing an older bike wants is a higher bottom bracket too! Oh, and since the mainstream seems to have ditched 27.5 decent tyres are getting pricy anyway.

If it has a tapered head tube you cold go 27.5 on the forks and use 26 wheels?

brocklanders023 said:

I'd make it work as intended if I were you. I like 27.5 and for day to day riding would choose it over 26 but I reckon you'll run in to problems. Last thing an older bike wants is a higher bottom bracket too! Oh, and since the mainstream seems to have ditched 27.5 decent tyres are getting pricy anyway.

If it has a tapered head tube you cold go 27.5 on the forks and use 26 wheels?

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Is 27.5 dead already - I thought it was the new standard! Maybe I shoiuld stick to what I know haha

27.5 is not as dead as 26 when it comes to choice of new rims and tyres. I really like 27.5 - it has nippier acceleration than 29 with a bit more roll-ability. I also quite like a 26 on the back with a 27.5 up front and something like a 420mm axle to crown fork.

What sort of fork are you after? I've got a reba with a very long, straight 1 1/8 steerer which is 120mm travel iirc.

ishaw said:

What sort of fork are you after? I've got a reba with a very long, straight 1 1/8 steerer which is 120mm travel iirc.

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Tbh - I don’t know yet. If I go suspenders route as light as I can get, but I’m still considering options. Thanks for the reply

DKFan said:

Is 27.5 dead already - I thought it was the new standard! Maybe I shoiuld stick to what I know haha

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Yep, pretty much dropped by all the big boys except for mullet back wheels.

i have a load of 26 inch wheels i ned to sort through can see me keeping them all

All kinds of stuff you can do with the front wheel, but only so much you can do with the rear. You can cram a bigger rim in there, but not a bigger wheel in terms of diameter. Given the limits on diameter, I'd just as soon put a fat (ish) 26" tire back there.

I converted a frame like that into a 69er. Nice conversation starter. To just ride the thing, I woulda been better of with 26 F&R and a decent suspension fork. That rear wheel is your limiting factor. Is what it is.

There's a million 26" rims out there. If you're running rim brakes, TBH there's nothing wrong with the Rhyno Lite. It's not terribly Lite but not terribly heavy either, and it seems sturdy enough. Possibly not the worst choice in the world considering what that bike was likely designed for.

Plenty of super nice 26" tires out there too. On my "primary" off-road 26er, I'm running an Ikon w/ Rhyno Lite on the rear, DHF 2.3 on a Rhyno Lite XL rim on the front. It's not a bad setup. Fun bike actually. Not gonna win any races, but who's racing those things eh. Price was sure right.