I ride both 650b and 26, both Santa Cruz, difference is marginal but 650b rolls over momentum – killing rocks better so that’s my Peaks bike choice. Still love my 26 er for agility though.

I’ve always ridden 26″ hardtails but occasionally borrow my brother’s 650b hardtail. There’s definitely a difference – I feel more in control on my bike, the bike feels more in control of me on the 650b. More than that, I just have more fun on my bike.

I wouldn’t swear that the difference was due to the wheel size rather than anything else on the bikes, but my feelings about the two seem to agree with what people say about the difference between the wheel sizes.

If you like to keep your tyres on the ground a good 29er is IMO best for most UK trails and mountain biking.
If you like to play (wheelie, jump, etc) then 26″ is always going to be better.
If you don’t mind the word ‘compromise’, do both the above and only have one bike then 650b could be for you.

@scottalej which bikes do you mean as it doesn’t really sum lots up, my old 26 ht was a good bike on the ground, on of the 29rs I rode was great to jump, one the the 650 was more like 26 and one was more like one of the 29s. Don’t pigeon hole by wheels try the bike and see how it feels.

Pick a wheel size and be a dick about it.

@mikewsmith
I don’t disagree that 26ers are good on the ground but in my opinion 29ers are better. They are more stable and roll over obstacles much more easily than 26″ or 650.
Also I agree that 29ers can jump, however a 26″ wheeled bike will generally be more responsive and easier to throw around due to the much lower gyroscopic effect of the considerably smaller wheel.
The 650 is only a little bigger than 26″ so will mostly feel similar. I maintain that most people would be more suited to a 29er but due to the first 29ers having old school steep headtube, long steerer geometry and the bike press slating them mercilessly they didn’t get a great start in the UK.

thepodge – Member
Pick a wheel size and suck it up. 650b rolls quicker but it’s lifeless and dull compared to 26.

FTFY

there’s nowt wrong wi my 26er and i cant afford a brand new bike just yet! And looking at ebay theres some pretty tasty used 26r super bikes that would be near 4-5k new, going for buttons!

I don’t disagree that 26ers are good on the ground but in my opinion 29ers are better. They are more stable and roll over obstacles much more easily than 26″ or 650.

and then riding with my mate last night who is back on his 26″ bike was much happier as it went over things much better – the difference in this case is the length of the bike. My point is that there are so many variables to play with trying to prescribe a wheel size over the rest of the bike is misleading at best.

I mostly wish people would go and test things with an open mind and forget what number is on the tyre. Most would be surprised.

Roll over easier can easily mean talent compensator.

At what point do we stop the inventions/tech changes and rely on abit of zing and difficulty to keep us keen and focused?

At what point do we go back to rigid HT’s?

The bikes I ride mean I’m tackling more stuff in different ways to how I would Back in the day. It’s just as much fun and takes a lot of focus and effort to ride the trails either faster or more committed to different lines I wouldn’t have considered years ago.

Honestly surprised if most people could tell the difference. I demo’d and bought a bike without even thinking of the wheel size. 650b no doubt feel different from 26ers but that usually going to be down to all the things that have changed from geometry to tyres, not just wheels.