So, 26", 27.5" and 29".

[Ceefax]

Re: Re:

Also, many experts genuinely believe that 27.5/650b is the ideal size for mountain bikes. Because it offers the best of both 26" and 29", without the disadvantages of either.

I found it the other way round tbh. 650b seemed to be neither as playful as 26" or as crushingly capable as 29". That's not to say I'd rule out ever having one but for now it's all about the 29er for me.

Yeah, but 27.5 owners may say that their bikes are more agile than the big wheel 29ers.
Yet just as fast, because their wheels are lighter - and faster accelerating.

It's a complicated issue isn't it?
Too complicated for consumers. And this is a forum of experienced and knowledgeable cyclists, and we can't agree.

And the general advice to extensively test ride both to see which one suits you best is too vague and too impractical for most.

That's why I support a return to one common wheel size.

 

[legrandefromage]

I like turtles!

 

[Ceefax]

Re:

I like turtles!

No way, my tortoise is much better than any turtle.

Because they can live for up to 326 years, unlike the short lived turtle, that can only manage a mere 86 years.
Although I do admire the turtles flat, streamlined shells - compared to the large dome shaped shell of the tortoise.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

I don't think it's that complicated as each size is significantly different in my opinion. It all comes down to what is important to you as a rider but I'd certainly argue that 29" will suit more people and cover more bases then the others.

 

[THEFALLGUY]

Re:

I went from 26 to 29 and the only difference was bigger is easier and faster. All this stuff about turning speed and wheel accelleration is bobbins you cant feel it only bike journalists can. Bikes are like jeans get the ones that fit in the colour you like.
Although i may of had too much mountain dew again today so ignore this lol.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

Re: Re:

If you buy the triple and the smallest cassette for your 26r then you'll have 33 gears with the lowest being a totally useless 22:40 and the highest being only a 40:11. 33 gears and that's what you get :facepalm:

But surely the point is that these super-wide-range cassettes aren't really intended to be used with triples. A double makes much more sense with 11-40 at the back, no matter what the wheel size. When riding a 26" bike with a triple, I find 22/32 to be so small a gear that's it's normally better to walk. The 32t sprocket makes sense mostly because it extends the range of the triple's middle chainring.

I'm amazed how fast these things have changed. I was living in Paris in 2007 and couldn't find 650B parts for an old postman's bike I was restoring for a friend. The American 650B revival seemed a caprice of the eccentrics at Rivendell Bicycle Works, and Kirk Pacenti's first 650B mtb was widely mocked. I was convinced it was a dead end.

Ah well.

 

[mattr]

Re: Re:

What's wrong with my pedaling??? Round and round init???

FWIW a very reasonable and maintainable 100rpm gives you around 29mph. Even a moderately inept pedaller should be able to maintain that for a good while (Hint, its around a 52 minute 25, which is around quarter of an hour quicker than you can (apparently) do it in a TT).

120rpm, whilst not exactly maintainable without a little practice, would see you banging along at 34mph..... if you were going downhill, you'd get more benefit from getting yourself into an aero tuck, rather than trying to pedal it out.

TBH, if you are regularly travelling at, AND sustaining these speeds on the flat, you need to get yourself down to Manchester and see if sky will give you a contract.

Summary, 40:11 is a massive gear for MTBing. Bigger than 99% of the population will need.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re: Re:

I went from 26 to 29 and the only difference was bigger is easier and faster. All this stuff about turning speed and wheel accelleration is bobbins you cant feel it.

I'd probably go along with that as my 5 29 is not noticeably slower to accelerate or turn corners but carries speed far better and doesn't get bogged down were the 26" would.

 

[JamesM]

Re: Re:

What's wrong with my pedaling??? Round and round init???

FWIW a very reasonable and maintainable 100rpm gives you around 29mph. Even a moderately inept pedaller should be able to maintain that for a good while (Hint, its around a 52 minute 25, which is around quarter of an hour quicker than you can (apparently) do it in a TT).

120rpm, whilst not exactly maintainable without a little practice, would see you banging along at 34mph..... if you were going downhill, you'd get more benefit from getting yourself into an aero tuck, rather than trying to pedal it out.

TBH, if you are regularly travelling at, AND sustaining these speeds on the flat, you need to get yourself down to Manchester and see if sky will give you a contract.

Summary, 40:11 is a massive gear for MTBing. Bigger than 99% of the population will need.

Dude the whole 400w thing was a joke. Of course I can't put out that level of power for any decent length of time. 100rpm maybe maintainable but isn't ideal really, I find I usually end up at 75 to 85 when riding with gears on the road. I don't think a moderately inept pedaller would be able to maintain 29mph on the flat for very long at all, even on a road bike in any gear, let alone an mtb. I've never done a TT!!!

I can maintain 120 rpm for a reasonable length of time and I can pedal a 44:11 to 45mph downhill. I've pedaled past 52 mph with a 48:11 on a 26 wheeled mtb. All on road. Depends how steep the hill is as to whether an aero tuck will get you more speed than pedaling. I once managed to pedal my 32:18 26" SS mtb to 27mph too

Yes 40:11 is a big gear for MTBing but not for riding on the road, we used to have a 44:11 when we had less gear in total. My point was that with all those extra gears this new XT 33 gears groupset doesn't give us the same higher gears that the old 24 and 27 geared groupsets did. With 29" wheels the 40 ring up front is roughly the equivalent of a 44 on 26, so if you have 29" wheels then you do get the higher gears. 650b is only about 3 to 4% bigger in circumference than 26 though so on those wheels you don't.

 

[singletrackmac]

Apparently 27.5" is already dead. Now it's all about the 27.5+ which is basically the same diameter of a 29er. This is rather confusing to me because we've all been told 27.5" is the ideal wheel diameter. So if 27.5" is the ideal wheel diameter, why isn't the industry going 26+ to get the benefit of the fatter tire along with the ideal diameter size 27.5"?

------------------------------------
Get out of the gutter and onto the mountain top.

1988 Bridgestone MB1 / 1989 Rockhopper Comp / 1991 Trek 970 Singletrack /
1993 Brave Ti Racer / Proflex 555 / Proflex 856 / 1999 Trek 6000 /
2004 Gary Fisher Cake