[boogenman]

I’m thinking of getting a new trail bike and I’m still on the fence if I want to go to a 29’er. The local trails here are not that fast and tend to be pretty tight. Lots of roots, small rocks and nothing major to roll over.
27.5 makes the most sense but I don’t want to be stuck with a bike that I can’t get tires and rims for in a few years. I’m planning on keeping the bike for a 5+ years.
discuss.....

 

[HAB]

My guess: there are going to be far fewer 27.5" bikes around than I'd like (already true) and 29ers will continue to sell in higher volume. But I don't think 27.5" is going to die entirely the way 26" did.

 

[jonKranked]

My guess: there are going to be far fewer 27.5" bikes around than I'd like (already true) and 29ers will continue to sell in higher volume. But I don't think 27.5" is going to die entirely the way 26" did.

kids bikes in 275 are becoming popular, so there's that.

 

[rideit]

And a lot of brands are making their smalls available in 27.5.

 

[djjohnr]

There's good signal that 27.5 rear wheels will remain on small sizes, however I'd guess that 27.5 fork development won't be kept up.

 

[WestCoastHucker]

you can still get rims and tires in all sizes. ie: maxxis still makes all tires in all sizes, you bike shop just doesn't carry them. most rim manufacturers still do the same as well..

 

[Bikael Molton]

Yeah I think mullets will (should) replace full 27ers.

 

[iRider]

You still can get 26" wheels, rims, tires. Not the new releases, but everything to keep your bike running. As long as they keep making Minions, Wetscreams, Shorties and Baron Projekt I am good.

 

[commencaldh]

The geometry for 29rs has gotten really good in the past few years, to the point where smaller size frames with full 29 don't feel awkward, but I feel like full 27.5 is going to get replaced by mullet(which has already been said). Lots of the shorter guys(and gals) on the WC DH circuit are running mullets to avoid tire buzz, so I don't see 27.5 inch wheels going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[Gary]

is going to die entirely the way 26" did.

 

[Floor Tom]

No chance that they will die like 26 (which is still fully viable to run, you can buy rims tyres & forks no problem) as 29 front and rear is not a good idea for small riders on trail or dh bikes.
My wife has a 27.5 trail bike and has a new one on order. I have no worries about getting parts for it. Maybe the one after that will be a mullet but she already struggles to get the bars low enough for her liking so I doubt it.

 

[boogenman]

Thanks for the input. My trigger finger just got itchy

 

[HAB]

Okay, fine, I could have been more specific. Yes, you can still get tires and rims and so on. And yes, there are still 26" DJ bikes and the like. But nobody is making 26" trail or DH bikes anymore, it died for entire segments. Which is what I meant.

 

[iRider]

Okay, fine, I could have been more specific. Yes, you can still get tires and rims and so on. And yes, there are still 26" DJ bikes and the like. But nobody is making 26" trail or DH bikes anymore, it died for entire segments. Which is what I meant.

But they will again. Just marketed as 559 when everybody is on 29" wheels and all the old stocks are depleted. Will carry a price premium because lighter, more agile, easier to accelerate and more playful. And you will buy one because, you know, it is the new hot shit.

 

[jonKranked]

Okay, fine, I could have been more specific. Yes, you can still get tires and rims and so on. And yes, there are still 26" DJ bikes and the like. But nobody is making 26" trail or DH bikes anymore, it died for entire segments. Which is what I meant.

You should know better and be prepared to argue semantics on ridemonkey

 

[Floor Tom]

But they will again. Just marketed as 559 when everybody is on 29" wheels and all the old stocks are depleted. Will carry a price premium because lighter, more agile, easier to accelerate and more playful. And you will buy one because, you know, it is the new hot shit.

Do you actually think this will happen or are you just talking shit?
I think 27.5 was a stepping stone to 29 for most people, a lot of my friends who ride bikes in real life, not just on the internet, have gone this way and now say 29 is their preference. I really don't see a return to 26 happening, and if somebody tries I don't see it working, a bit like 27.5+

 

[rideit]

You should know better and be prepared to argue semantics on ridemonkey

No you shouldn’t.

 

[Gary]

Do you actually think this will happen or are you just talking shit?
I think 27.5 was a stepping stone to 29 for most people, a lot of my friends who ride bikes in real life, not just on the internet, have gone this way and now say 29 is their preference. I really don't see a return to 26 happening, and if somebody tries I don't see it working, a bit like 27.5+

Seems there's a balance to be found between riding bikes on the internet over serious real life riding if one is to remain able to detect subtle humour

 

[HardtailHack]

The geometry for 29rs has gotten really good in the past few years, to the point where smaller size frames with full 29 don't feel awkward, but I feel like full 27.5 is going to get replaced by mullet(which has already been said). Lots of the shorter guys(and gals) on the WC DH circuit are running mullets to avoid tire buzz, so I don't see 27.5 inch wheels going anywhere anytime soon.

I still remember the one of the early issues of 29ers was that people clipped their foot on the front wheel.
610mm bar, 100mm stem and the chance to clip my size 13 hoofs on a tire at every turn, sign me up!
Thank God for modern geo!

 

[Floor Tom]

Seems there's a balance to be found between riding bikes on the internet over serious real life riding if one is to remain able to detect subtle humour

Haha, yes indeed.
Honestly I thought there might be some insider news going on, a return to 26 under a different name sounds silly, but so did 27.5+ and the lizards still did that.

 

[iRider]

Do you actually think this will happen or are you just talking shit?
I think 27.5 was a stepping stone to 29 for most people, a lot of my friends who ride bikes in real life, not just on the internet, have gone this way and now say 29 is their preference. I really don't see a return to 26 happening, and if somebody tries I don't see it working, a bit like 27.5+

Knowing the bike industry this will happen. If there is a cow to milk they will do it.
I know a couple of folks that wanted new bikes and would have bought 26" if they were still offered. So they went with 27.5, bitched about it but can live with them. I highly doubt that they would go 29er though.
Multiple times I demo'd larger wheeled bikes and I think I could live with 27.5 but don't see the improvements over 26" for me to justify the costs of switching. With 29ers I can see why folks like them as they feel different, but they are just too much bike for me. And it annoys the shit out of me that the same people that tell me how agile their 29ers are shortcut the tight corners on the trails.

 

[toodles]

And it annoys the shit out of me that the same people that tell me how agile their 29ers are shortcut the tight corners on the trails.

Thats not a 29er thing. That's a dickhead thing.

 

[rideit]

And thems that’s scared o’ leanin‘ properly

 

[shelteringsky]

Thats not a 29er thing. That's a dickhead thing.

Wagon wheels + Strava=shortcuts

 

[Jm_]

I doubt many remember that 27.5 came out for mtb about the same time as 29ers, they even had the "69ers" and "96ers" bikes that were mullet versions. This died off relatively quickly, but 29ers held on.

Then 27.5 came back, with a vengeance.

It would take a lot to convince me to go back to 29 F and R for enduro.

 

[Rhubarb]

I was digging my 26” Banshee Rune until I tried 27”. Main reason 26” died for me, excluding DJ etc., is lack of development. I was happy with wheel size but once I got a taste of more appropriate Reach numbers and other tweaks I let all my 26” specific parts go. Another area where development really progressed post 26” is suspension Kinematics. The way modern bikes feel on the trail is nuts. Missing out on newer tires was also shitty. Happy with 27”, curious about mullets, would prefer to demo 29” before commenting or investing.

 

[englertracing]

When 31" wheels hit 27.5 will be a gonner

 

[boostindoubles]

The last thing I want to do is roll over shit quickly and efficiently. The whole point is to plow into things and use the bounce to get loose.

Everyone should grow up on bmx, hopping up curbs with flat pedals all day long. That's the secret sauce - being able to pick the bike up with flat pedals and getting jiggy with it.

 

[iRider]

...I let all my 26” specific parts go.

Thanks to folks like you I got e.g. these ultralight carbon DT wheels with tires and disc rotors on for 250 €. They were 2000 retail. Greatly appreciated!

 

[sethimus]

Everyone should grow up on bmx, hopping up curbs with flat pedals all day long. That's the secret sauce - being able to pick the bike up with flat pedals and getting jiggy with it.

nope, riding singletrack on 650b gravel bikes it is. prove me wrong.

 

[Rhubarb]

Thanks to folks like you I got e.g. these ultralight carbon DT wheels with tires and disc rotors on for 250 €. They were 2000 retail. Greatly appreciated!

That's what I was doing up to the end of 2019, but again jumped onto 27" for all the updates mentioned. Sucked balls because I had spare wheels, tires and fork.

 

[iRider]

That's what I was doing up to the end of 2019, but again jumped onto 27" for all the updates mentioned. Sucked balls because I had spare wheels, tires and fork.

Not a fan of the super long geometries myself, so I am good on that front. Not sure how significant the progress with suspension kinematics is and if that is what holds me back from winning Worldcup races...ahem...I mean showing the kids that an old man can hang on.

 

[Gary]

Not sure how significant the progress with suspension kinematics

I'm not sure there's even been any. Plenty frame designers had a good grasp on FS bikes AS, AR, LR and spring curves 20 years ago it's just that bike companies now care about making them all work well together and as the average punter now has some understanding of the numbers (or at least reads about their existance via Pinkbike etc.) the numbers get published and the bikes are marketed using them.

 

[boostindoubles]

nope, riding singletrack on 650b gravel bikes it is. prove me wrong.

That shit is fun too. Just can't run into stuff as hard but still can get some pop off roots and rocks. Flat pedals FTW.

 

[iRider]

I'm not sure there's even been any. Plenty frame designers had a good grasp on FS bikes AS, AR, LR and spring curves 20 years ago it's just that bike companies now care about making them all work well together and as the average punter now has some understanding of the numbers (or at least reads about their existance via Pinkbike etc.) the numbers get published and the bikes are marketed using them.

Funny enough, I bough a vintage Tracer FSR with the Uzzi SL link installed and a modernized build. That suspension works so well, it is ridiculous.

 

[shelteringsky]

Funny enough, I bough a vintage Tracer FSR with the Uzzi SL link installed and a modernized build. That suspension works so well, it is ridiculous.

Man, post of a photo the Tracer!

 

[slyfink]

Do you actually think this will happen or are you just talking shit?
I think 27.5 was a stepping stone to 29 for most people, a lot of my friends who ride bikes in real life, not just on the internet, have gone this way and now say 29 is their preference. I really don't see a return to 26 happening, and if somebody tries I don't see it working, a bit like 27.5+

For me, the main reasons I'm not interested in a 29er is wheel and tire weight (I pretty much need to ride at a minimum DD casing tires for my weight/riding style/terrain) coupled with the fact that I'm not interested in a "faster" bike. I'm not racing. I enjoy popping and hopping. Also not keen on the super long wheel bases these bikes wind up with. So while I know I'd be able to adapt to a new wheel size again, I'm just not interested in it, and I sincerely hope "the Industry" continues to offer the choice.

I was digging my 26” Banshee Rune until I tried 27”. Main reason 26” died for me, excluding DJ etc., is lack of development. I was happy with wheel size but once I got a taste of more appropriate Reach numbers and other tweaks I let all my 26” specific parts go. Another area where development really progressed post 26” is suspension Kinematics. The way modern bikes feel on the trail is nuts. Missing out on newer tires was also shitty. Happy with 27”, curious about mullets, would prefer to demo 29” before commenting or investing.

I'm pretty annoyed that the moment the industry started to figure out kinematics, and especially geometry coincided with the advent of new wheel sizes and hub width "standards". I was happy with my 26" Mojo HD's kinematics and components, but the geometry was a bit of a disaster. So I was looking for a new frame, but because of changing standards and wheel sizes that was not possible. I wound up "having" to buy an entirely new bike. I got lucky on the used market, but still dropped 5k Cdn pesos on a used bike... which some people would find ludicrous. I would much rather have spent a little less money on a new frame...

 

[WestCoastHucker]

nope, riding singletrack on 650b gravel bikes it is. prove me wrong.

if you waiting till your big enough to be riding a 650b gravel bike to start riding a bike, you're doing it wrong...

 

[toodles]

For me, the main reasons I'm not interested in a 29er is wheel and tire weight (I pretty much need to ride at a minimum DD casing tires for my weight/riding style/terrain) coupled with the fact that I'm not interested in a "faster" bike.

I'm looking for a new Enduro race bike at the moment and the 27.5/29 thing is driving me a little mental. There's pretty much no sensible argument at this point that a 29er is not going to be faster and safer for most DH or Enduro trails, even if it is just the front wheel. I really enjoy smashing about on my 27.5 bikes but getting beaten by buddies on 29ers hurts and costs me beer when I get beaten.

In summary, I either have to suck it up and go 29er, wait till someone makes a mullet bike, or find a slower riding crew so I can win beer.

*edit* or like train or something but that goes against everything I stand for.

 

[slyfink]

I'm looking for a new Enduro race bike at the moment and the 27.5/29 thing is driving me a little mental. There's pretty much no sensible argument at this point that a 29er is not going to be faster and safer for most DH or Enduro trails, even if it is just the front wheel. I really enjoy smashing about on my 27.5 bikes but getting beaten by buddies on 29ers hurts and costs me beer when I get beaten.

In summary, I either have to suck it up and go 29er, wait till someone makes a mullet bike, or find a slower riding crew so I can win beer.

*edit* or like train or something but that goes against everything I stand for.

Safer? Faster /= safer. I believe it was Bruni that was saying that 29r DH race bikers were going to lead to higher speeds and bigger consequences for racers when shit goes sideways...

You should get that app that logs your air time and see who can get the most airtime instead of who's the fastest....