Who here is riding a 27.5" Bike?

[Boeing]

Anyone have any quality time on a 27.5" Bike? Fully or Hardtail? Short or Long Travel? Not really looking for an MTBR type end all be all chest thump reply. Just real feedback

 

[DirtyWorks]

650b, the new 29'er. The industry desperately needs people to believe it's somehow amazingly better than a 29er.

IMHO:::
IMHO, it is ideal for medium->large frame sizes. Small->smallest frame sizes IMHO, still benefit from 26" wheels because proportions, geometry, details work out okay.
Is 650b "better" than a 29er or 26" bike? No. The industry just needs new stuff to sell.
Does it roll better than a 26"? Yes, by a tiny bit. Are you going to be faster/stronger/whatever? Probably not.
If you've got money burning a hole in your pocket and a good rig of any generation,then spend the money going riding some place you've never been.

I know, I know, I'm a heretic.

 

[austy37]

I agree that they roll a bit better than my 26r, but more nib,blue than my 29r, but there are so many variations on geo etc that you'd have to ride a lot of bikes to find a definitive answer. I do notice my 26r hangs up a bit on small to medium bumps a bit more that the 650b. I have sen some goofy setups on 29r bikes though in smaller sizes. Take a few for a ride and see what you think.

 

[veganrob]

Anyone have any quality time on a 27.5" Bike? Fully or Hardtail? Short or Long Travel? Not really looking for an MTBR type end all be all chest thump reply. Just real feedback

Wish I could help you with your decision but my review won't come for another few months. Still have 4 feet of snow on the ground. I never really cared for the 29er so I have a Scott Spark 710 ordered for myself and my store will be dominated by the 27.5 this year.

 

[Boeing]

Wish I could help you with your decision but my review won't come for another few months. Still have 4 feet of snow on the ground. I never really cared for the 29er so I have a Scott Spark 710 ordered for myself and my store will be dominated by the 27.5 this year.

As a bigger dude who has a former disposition to shuttle run on long travel 26" bikes (now on a 29 because it fits and feels good going up hill and i ride primarily XC now) I miss the cornering and bike handling agility a of a 26. I really have to dump a lot of speed to maneuver. Braking into turns straightens the bike up too much for my liking. I dont like the sensation of steering a bike cornering. If this makes sense. on a 29 i just feel a real sense of starting and stopping momentum on a technical descent. sure it rolls well on a straight line etc.

I actually now ride a size smaller frame then typical my height just to get as low as I can.

maybe a 27 is a way out.

sure can demo, but a day an a bike does not an evaluation make. by the time I'm used to the set up time is up amusing my size frame is available

It takes time on a bike to really know.

I see guys demo bikes and the terrain is damp and the dirt sticky and any bike hooks up and they think its the bike. Then go out on typical dry rutted conditions here and are like WTF.

 

[q2cyling]

carbon 27.5er MTB

Anyone have any quality time on a 27.5" Bike? Fully or Hardtail? Short or Long Travel? Not really looking for an MTBR type end all be all chest thump reply. Just real feedback

Yes. To choose a best bike definitely needs a lot of research. The quality, the price, the delivery time, and the warranty.

If you are interested, you can have a look at the 27.5er carbon MTB bike we are offering on our online bike store.

If you have any question, let me know.

 

[Master50]

I am an XC rider of modest ability and just suck at the climbs especially steep ones. I just went from 26 to 29 and the things that have improved is only attributable to the change in bike and wheel size.
Really tight switch back turns are a bit of a challenge but everything else has improved with 29 inch wheels. I ride a 17.5" and I am 5'10". My wife at 5'4" is probably a little small to find a 29er is manageable for fit reasons without some very odd geometry. I can see how the bigger wheels has changed the game for me and I can see that they would help my wife too but this is probably the only place I would say that 27.5 are the way to go for her.
Get the bike with the largest wheels that fits your riding style and your body. One of the local MTB shops does not carry many 29ers as they are not an XC kind of shop. more all mountain and downhill. They love their 26ers and there is still a large segment of MTB riders that are getting what they need out of 26 wheels so they are not for all riders but I am completely sold and even evangelical over 29 inch wheels. They have so improved my ride and skills.

 

[biokemguy]

I'm a 29er guy, but one of my riding buddies who's the small climber type rides both 26 and 27.5.

The 26er is a X-country race rig, and the 27.5 is more of an all mountain trail bike. Both bikes have an X11 drive train.

He has more fun on on the 27.5, but on the same technical descent he's faster on the 26er due to quicker acceleration out of switchbacks.

My proxy $0.02

 

[dsut4392]

Anyone have any quality time on a 27.5" Bike? Fully or Hardtail? Short or Long Travel? Not really looking for an MTBR type end all be all chest thump reply. Just real feedback

Yes. Recently got a Giant Trance advanced 27.5 - 140mm travel rear, 140/120 travel front. Replaces my old 2007 Reign (150 rear, 150/130/110 front travel), so apart from the wheel size change it's the same basic suspension design with slightly steeper angles and a major diet FWIW I'm 184cm/79kg and ride a large frame.

Differences I can pin down to the wheels:

Positives: 1) The rollover is noticeably better than a 26" despite my initial skepticism. I routinely clear technical rocky sections on the new bike where I often used to find the wheels got hung up then I'd catch a pedal trying to power through. Yes, the bb is higher contributing to less pedal strike, but I'm not forced to pedal through as much in the first pace.
2) traction seems to be improved, but it's hard to isolate this from other factors. E.g. I clear some climbs I used to usually lose traction on, but the effects of steeper geometry and different tyres, as well as being forced to attack more by the higher gearing (2x10 instead of 3x9, and bigger wheels) can't be ignored.

Negatives: 1)The wheels 'feel' bigger when threading the bike around stumps and boulders on tight singletrack - still getting used to the front of the tyre being that much further in front of the contact patch, and have bumped into things unexpectedly as a result. Some of this is also likely due to the modern trend of wide bars and short stem which I'm not completely sold on for tight singletrack (yet?).

2) Despite 27.5 being the current fad, tyre selection is still patchy. I don't like the front tyre (Maxxis Ardent) my bike shipped with, and my favourite 26 " front tyre (Conti Mt King) isn't currently imported in 650b. Not finding the rubber I want in the local stores, and even the usual suspect online stores are out of stock of many 650b variants. YMMV.

 

[papisimo98]

As a bigger dude who has a former disposition to shuttle run on long travel 26" bikes (now on a 29 because it fits and feels good going up hill and i ride primarily XC now) I miss the cornering and bike handling agility a of a 26. I really have to dump a lot of speed to maneuver. Braking into turns straightens the bike up too much for my liking. I dont like the sensation of steering a bike cornering. If this makes sense. on a 29 i just feel a real sense of starting and stopping momentum on a technical descent. sure it rolls well on a straight line etc.

I actually now ride a size smaller frame then typical my height just to get as low as I can.

maybe a 27 is a way out.

sure can demo, but a day an a bike does not an evaluation make. by the time I'm used to the set up time is up amusing my size frame is available

It takes time on a bike to really know.

I see guys demo bikes and the terrain is damp and the dirt sticky and any bike hooks up and they think its the bike. Then go out on typical dry rutted conditions here and are like WTF.

When I was racing for a certain bike manufacturer that led the 29er movement a decade ago they equipped all riders with a size larger than was needed.
I never did it because riding and racing a 29er felt so natural to me but some of my former teammates really liked the feeling. Maybe you should consider that instead of going smaller. A 29er frame is smaller in size than a 26er counterpart.

 

[Boeing]

When I was racing for a certain bike manufacturer that led the 29er movement a decade ago they equipped all riders with a size larger than was needed.
I never did it because riding and racing a 29er felt so natural to me but some of my former teammates really liked the feeling. Maybe you should consider that instead of going smaller. A 29er frame is smaller in size than a 26er counterpart.

So a longer wheelbase and taller head tube will help me how?

 

[papisimo98]

So a longer wheelbase and taller head tube will help me how?

Well if you don't know it's plainly obvious nobody else would or could afford to know.

 

[Boeing]

Well if you don't know it's plainly obvious nobody else would or could afford to know.

is that anything like 'if you dont know now you know'

if it is then you know that going straight isnt a concern

you brought it up so if you may, please elaborate on your thesis.