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Post by akasmithy on Oct 16, 2013 13:02:03 GMT
People who know me know I love my 29ers. My question is, has anyone had a 29er and then gone down to a 27.5? If so why? What terrain to you ride and did you notice a benefit with the 27.5?
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Post by Trailrash on Oct 16, 2013 18:22:46 GMT
Over to you Gareth???
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Post by cyclone on Oct 16, 2013 18:58:10 GMT
Interested in this to, havnt heard much local feedback on 27.5s yet , know they are still the new kids on the block though
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Post by Ross on Oct 16, 2013 19:02:18 GMT
Not even sold a 650b yet but people seem to love the 29ers.
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Post by Trailrash on Oct 16, 2013 20:15:19 GMT
Oh sh...! Sorry Gaz just realised that might've come across as I a tad insensitive as I just remembered some scrotes had the Bronny away
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Post by motoxman on Oct 16, 2013 20:59:50 GMT
Oh sh...! Sorry Gaz just realised that might've come across as I a tad insensitive as I just remembered some scrotes had the Bronny away Not at all Woody. It wasn't you who took it after all, or did you Have to say Shaun after buying your old 29er I was highly impressed with the phenomenon and understood then what all the fuss was about. I did however think when I took it around the Beast that it didn't seem to flow around tight twisty sections as much as my 26er full sus had previously so decided then there was still a place in my life for a full bouncer with smaller wheels. I always felt on the 29er I couldn't lean into the corners as much as previously but having spoken to others on 29ers it seems it's only me who has felt this Having gone 29er then down to 27.5 I didn't feel I felt the benefit of 27.5 initially but whilst riding I've felt it on rougher sections. When I get my Charlie replaced (whenever that is) you can have a go but think it would be worthwhile you trying a 29er full bouncer as well if you haven't already
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Post by akasmithy on Oct 17, 2013 8:24:09 GMT
Thanks Gareth. I've got a Trek Rumblefish FS which has been fantastic. And at our age we need a little comfort at CYB. I was in Alf's yesterday and Giant seem particularly focused on 27.5 which got me thinking about a change. My Rumblefish is about 34lbs so I'm after something lighter. The Giant Anthem 27.5 would be about 28lbs with Post & Pedals.
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Post by rog on Oct 18, 2013 13:06:21 GMT
If you are going for a new bike then your choices are 650b or 29", 26er are being forced out by the "Apple" like mentallity of the bike companies, eg: tell people that what they have is now no good and only has a place on a scrap heap. - Customers get caught up in all these money making lies and hype, see that 26ers which they have been riding for 10 or 20+ years are now no good and they need the new 27.5" wheeled dream bikes, which leads me to another poing at hand....
If you measure a 26" wheel complete with tyre, say a 2.1" tyre, the outer diameter is very very close to 26.5" (dependant on thread depth) and maybe some bigger tyres (2.2", 2.4") make the overall wheel even larger, just like a 1.8 tyre makes the wheel outer smaller. Now measure a "SO CALLED" 27.5" wheel with 2.1 tyre, it comes at an outer diameter of 27" (not 27.5"!!!), now look at the difference, 26.5" to 27", that's an outer diameter difference of 0.5", now half that and you get 12.5mm difference in overall wheel size from the axle to the outer part of the tyre.
If you now look at the massive hype of the so called extra traction you get between a 26" and 27.5" (650b) wheel, how does that pan out to the actual amount of tyre tread that is actually in contact to the ground, a 27.5" wheel has a couple millimeters (if that) more in contact with the ground over a 26", this to the average / normal rider makes no difference at all (let some air out of the 26" tyre (or 650b) and you get more ground contact), but most new buyers of a 650b bike will have the placebo effect of "this is a new bike, it's way better than my old 26er, it has to be I just spent thousands on it". The fact that it's a new and different bike sometimes doesn't even get thought of, it must be down to the new BIGGER BETTER wheels, the media says so.
But what if you're in the market for a new frame and want to transfer all your other bits over from your 26er, better get yourself some new forks and wheels and tyres etc. because you're not able to get a 26er frame brand new anymore unless you go for an older sale model.
Now to the point of 29ers, from a 26 or 650b the difference is enough to make a difference, does that mean the difference of a 29er makes all 29ers better, well that depends on you and what you as a rider wants. Just like all 26er bikes, there are good and bad 29ers, MBUK have some youtube vids on why 29ers are the way to go, one of these vids shows a rider climbing over roots and loose ground in a forest, on the 29er he seems to climb with no problem and makes it to the top... then he does the same climb on a 26er, it's clear that he doesn't want to make the climb aboard the 26er this is evident by the overly exaggerated body movements he makes, low and behold the 26er fails completely at the climb, a few years ago the same MBUK rider was climbing much much harder steeper and technical climbs aboard a 26er and showed us how to do it without skiding and loosing traction.
If you have a 26er or 650b or 29er and you're happy with it, then stick with it and don't believe all the BS marketing hype.
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Post by singlespeeder on Oct 18, 2013 14:01:59 GMT
I agree, it's daft having a wheelsize 1.5 inches greater.Just get a fatter tyre!. There is no reason one cannot put 26inch wheels onto a 27.5 frame as long as both wheels are the same size. A 29inch wheel will not be as strong as a 26 unless you add more spokes and rim mass.The laws of physics don't lie.
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Post by oldbird on Oct 18, 2013 19:07:48 GMT
Not that ive been drooling over certain bike's, but the ibis have one that you can change from 26 to the 27.5.cant remember the model. will just have to wait for demo weekend.
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Post by Trailrash on Oct 18, 2013 21:23:43 GMT
If I was to buy an "also" bike it would have to be a light hard-tail 29er as I reckon it would give you the right spread of choice. Although my trusted old 26" wheeled Commy full bouncer (and the only MTB I've ever had) gets a battering and does everything I could possibly throw at it, I can't see the 650b wheel size making enough of a noticeable difference. A light-weight 29" bike would give you the XC requirement for the likes of the Clwyds etc. and I reckon a real "Mile-muncher", I can't speak from real experience though other than witnessing someone completely disappearing into the distance on a 29er on mildy undulating terrain with the same amount of pedal strokes! So I suppose it all depends on what sort of riding you do and enjoy the most.
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Post by Rupert on Oct 19, 2013 9:28:27 GMT
I tried a 29er and 27.5 back to back and ended up buying the 29 as I felt with the 27.5 you were gaining a lot more rotating mass of the heavier wheel and tyre without significant extra grip compared with 26. I bought a relatively small frame for my height which gives me room to throw the bike around in the corners, so don't really feel the difficulty in corners any more than my 26 bike. If you are less tall then 29 may not be ideal, so I think then the only real option is 27.5 if you want a new bike. Regardless of whether or not the logic of 27.5 is flawed, it will be the new standard for tyres, forks etc, so better to be future proof? If you have a 26 bike at the moment and are happy with it, I don't really see why an upgrade to 27.5 would make sense. The only reason is that the resale value of the 26 second hand will start to drop eventually.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using proboards
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Post by cyclone on Oct 19, 2013 11:05:36 GMT
A few good points there Rupert . I'm due a new bike and the way it is looking is a straight choice. Between 27.5 or 29 , don't think it's a point of jumping on any 27.5 bandwagon it's just that , that is the foreseeable future unless your after a 29 er. That brings me to another question the 29 er I fancy is only available on line and the sizing keeps putting me in the small category (5"8) I've tried a small 26 er up degla seemed to fit fine on small go I had on it, but worried that a small 29 er may be a bit out of proportion I.e. All wheels.
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Post by motoxman on Oct 19, 2013 15:15:06 GMT
I wouldn't worry about how a small 29er looks it will still roll better than 26". I'm 5'9" at a stretch and on the border of S & M frames generally. I've got AKA's old 29er HT with M frame and sometimes feel I would be better on a small frame...feel a bit too toppy at times.
Having ridden the 29er for a while I realised there was still a place in my life for a bouncer and wanted something more AM than my previous Trek EX7 but felt a 29er AM wasn't for me, so believed the marketing BS and decided on the SC Bronson with a M frame which fitted perfectly. I also decided on 650b rather than 26" as I'm hoping I've future proofed my bike needs.
Having done the Lakes on both the 29er HT and Charlie I wasn't disappointed with my decision going 650b AM but if I was only able to have 1 bike it would probably be 29er xc full sus.
If insurers pay up I will still be going 650b AM although my decision conundrum is whether to go alloy or carbon. I've always been nervous of carbon but with the crash replacement policy of SC I'm less cautious but would appreciate people's comments
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Post by Mark on Oct 20, 2013 22:40:09 GMT
Replace the pair with an orange gyro 29r Fast enough on xc & goes downhill like a rocket!
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