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But yeah, let’s keep making wheels bigger and raising that barrier to entry to the sport.
Seriously?
There’s enough 27.5 still being made, also the electric bike market has a lot of 27.5. Just go with your favourite colour.
<Personally, we concluded, we like the agility of the smaller wheels, but are they going the way of the dodo?
26” is going to blow your mind.>
I'm still on 26, as is the other guy.
Tbh I still think they are fine. Unlike LLS so little benefit to changing.
As it is, 650b very similar to 26.
Basically, we were discussing the new Marin Rift Zone 2020 and were disappointed that the Hawk Hill hadn't got the same geometry treatment.
TBF bike companies are in the business of selling bikes and therefore the 're-baselining' of standards (including wheel diameters) that took place over the last decade or so has been instrumental in helping them to keep doing that. A bike bought only five years ago is probably already suffering from a degree of "obselecence" in some people's eyes.
Let's not be under the illusion that SRAM, Shimano, Giant, Trek, SBC, SC or any of the other big boys are charities...
Lots of us work in other commercial environments where changes over time are inevitable and often those changes are prompted simply by the need to generate future sales rather than really improving anything.
The thing that sort of happened pretty much concurrently with the introduction of 27.5 wheels was of course wider adoption of the whole LLS geometry thing for general duty MTBs, which (IMO) suits the use of 29" wheels anyway, if the whole bike is getting longer and more stable anyway why wouldn't you adopt those easier rolling, bigger diameter wheels?
Hence customers are less interested in tweener wheels for that sort of application today, just a handful of years on from their introduction...
Like many people I skipped from 26" to 29" to my way of thinking if bigger wheels are "better" why bother with a halfway house option? Overall that was the right choice (for me), 29ers happen to suit me better now...
The problem I can see the MTB market getting into in years to come is that instead of prompting more frequent, expensive bike purchases the pace of change could well end up driving enthusiasts away. Who can really afford to be buying a whole new bike every 24 months just to keep up with the industry's constant push of "more/newer/better"? I know I can't...
The problem I can see the MTB market getting into in years to come is that instead of prompting more frequent, expensive bike purchases the pace of change could well end up driving enthusiasts away.
I really think the bulk of the big changes are done and we're going to see more stability in geometry (see what I did there?), when everyone has caught up.
I've been a serial bike swapper, but have no plans to change my MTBs at all now I've got to a place where I'm totally happy with the geometries and suspension on them.
I ride both 650b and 29er bikes and like them both. I have (after spending way too much in the past few years) decided that enough is enough. I will continue to enjoy riding my bikes , regardless of the wheel size or standard, until I can't get spares any more.
New standards be damned!
Industry looks to be heading on a 29 bias. I would love to know actual sales though as many bikes are available in both flavours
My bikes, in ascending order of rim diameter:
26"
27.5"
29" and 700c
27"
29ers definitely roll better over more technical stuff. Don't like them on jumps/drops/etc, where they feel cumbersome.'Taller riders than me (I'm 5'9) don't seem to find this, though.
As for racing, I'm not 100% sure about 29ers. Troy Brosnan did pretty well this year on a 27.5 bike, and was slower when he tried a 29er. Danny Hart won on a mullet bike and Bruni won the double on one.
JP
I think there is an element of self fulfilling prophecy here too.
It starts as a joke almost, "hey,27.5's are doing the way of the Dodo!"... then it starts getting whispered around that it might actually be happening, then "people in the know" openly start saying it on the net.... next thing you know, it's actually happening.
No doubt if you now Google this subject it's getting asked more and more across the net and more and more people are consigning 27.5 to the history books. The domino effect at work.
Let's face it,many of us when we buy a new bike or frame, want it "upto date"unless it's bought for the legacy parts we have lying around. Add in manufacturers desperate not to fall behind the new buying curve and boom.... 27.5 is the new 26.
I suspect not long from now (relatively) you will see second hand prices getting affected on 27.5's too.
^^ That sentence there is big motivator as to what to buy for many a new bike purchase... Once that belief about 27.5 takes hold it really is buggered. Great for second hand buyers though.😉
I'm proper screwed. My full suss is a 2014 650b non boosted frame. Feel my pain.
It seems that there is a place for all wheel sizes when it comes to kids bikes and I believe it's islabikes belief that bigger wheels are better - helps them roll over stuff - partly because of the bottom bracket being lower than the wheel axles.
I do think it all a bit odd though how mountain bike wheels are 29" and gravel bikes are 27.5".
I like the 29" bikes I own but find 27.5" plus more fun though.
Any tried 28" plus? I'm tempted to try them but it's not a cheap change as wide rims and tyres are a bit spendy.