Which modern wheel size will win out?

[sancho]

Up until I read this I had thought fat bikes were just a gimmick. Those giant rims and tires look like they'd give major weight and acceleration penalties when compared to regular MTBs. But what you seem to be suggesting is with a fat bike, you can easily switch between fat and XC wheels is this correct?

Right, I run 29" wheels with 2.4 Continental tires on my fatbike much of the year. The only catch is that you have to use wider hubs--typically 135mm up front and 170mm in back (in some cases even wider), but there are good hub options available from Salsa, White Ind., Hope etc.

 

[ultrazenith]

Up until I read this I had thought fat bikes were just a gimmick. Those giant rims and tires look like they'd give major weight and acceleration penalties when compared to regular MTBs. But what you seem to be suggesting is with a fat bike, you can easily switch between fat and XC wheels is this correct?

Right, I run 29" wheels with 2.4 Continental tires on my fatbike much of the year. The only catch is that you have to use wider hubs--typically 135mm up front and 170mm in back (in some cases even wider), but there are good hub options available from Salsa, White Ind., Hope etc.

That's pretty cool to know! How does it ride when in 29er mode?

 

[hamster]

I fear it is too early to tell what wins out. FWIW I think there are two points:
1. It makes a lot of sense to scale wheel size with frame size. 29ers are fine but small frames encounter problems with very high head tubes and toe overlap. Likewise, why make big frames with unnecessarily small wheels? 650b seems like a compromise in the middle.
2. I fear the current slew of wheel sizes is a desperate attempt by the industry to introduce planned obsolescence in response to the MTB business slowing down, innovation drying up in suspension etc.

 

[sancho]

Up until I read this I had thought fat bikes were just a gimmick. Those giant rims and tires look like they'd give major weight and acceleration penalties when compared to regular MTBs. But what you seem to be suggesting is with a fat bike, you can easily switch between fat and XC wheels is this correct?

Right, I run 29" wheels with 2.4 Continental tires on my fatbike much of the year. The only catch is that you have to use wider hubs--typically 135mm up front and 170mm in back (in some cases even wider), but there are good hub options available from Salsa, White Ind., Hope etc.

That's pretty cool to know! How does it ride when in 29er mode?

Pretty much like a standard 29er except there is a bit more lateral stiffness in the wheels due to the wide axles (and the wider flanges on the hubs).

 

[greencat]

I agree with the hamster.

I'll happily wait this one out, and stick with 26 as long as I can. 26 always seemed like a nice compromise between the toughness of the 20 inch BMX size, and the better obstacle coverage/reduced rolling resistance of 700c on touring/racing bikes. Maybe there's room for 3 mountain bike wheel standards - but I ain't got room in the shed for 3 of them (and I like my parts to be interchangeable between bikes as much as possible). It might be famous last words but I don't see 26 disappearing anytime soon because there's a mainstream legacy of more than two decades.

Very intrigued by fat bikes, but they, and some of their parts, look too boutique for me at the moment. I want bikes which are serviced by a large second hand and cheap spares market.

 

[coomber]

Ignoring the wheel size themselves, the "new" geometry of bikes in the last 2 years or so has made for some great bikes in all wheel sizes

 

[dyna-ti]

Are you sure this race is over :? Could be a 26 3/4" on the cards

 

[ultrazenith]

Are you sure this race is over :? Could be a 26 3/4" on the cards

Being 6' 3" tall, I;m waiting for 33 inch wheels before quitting 26ers.

 

[dyna-ti]

Are you sure this race is over :? Could be a 26 3/4" on the cards

Being 6' 3" tall, I;m waiting for 33 inch wheels before quitting 26ers.

That would be the 36er you'd be needing

 

[hamster]

Scary toe overlap on that I suspect. I tolerate it on my road bike but not exactly useful for singletrack if you cannot turn the front wheel...