[Closed] Wheel size dilemma

29" why fanny about with the in-between size that's only half an inch bigger radially than your old wheels?

Took me a while to move away from 26 too, mainly through hating the 29ers I tried.
Then had a go on a Singular Swift and an SC Tallboy which I loved and so took the plunge and went 29. I wouldn't go back now (Salsa El Mariachi ti and Cotic Solaris)
Tried a 27.5 Orange Five and it honestly didn't feel any different to a 26, 29 is noticeably better in most areas though.

Yeah, big boys wheels gets my vote too. The bigger the better, in fact I'd like to try one of them 36ers. I don't think they'd fit your Sonder frame, so maybe don't do that this time.

29″ why fanny about with the in-between size that’s only half an inch bigger radially than your old wheels?

why fanny about with 29" when it is only an inch and a half bigger radially that your old wheels.

My 26" DH bike got nicked in morzine and I hired a bunch of different bikes for the rest of the week.

I couldn't tell which was 26 and which was 27.5. the bigger difference was how recently the suspension had been serviced.

My 29" geometron broke in Whistler and I hired a Dh bike while it was in the workshop. I only thought to check the wheel size as I wheeled the hire  back into the shop. It was 29", I'd assumed it was 27.5

One of my hardtails is 26" and one is 29". The bigger difference is one has flats and one has clipless pedals.

I'd go 29" for ease of finding tyres in the future.

I wouldn't worry about it too much if there was a deal on the wheels or tyres you wanted

29”, I was sceptical. I was also wrong.

I did much the same thing a year ago. I demoed two bikes with similar LLS geo but 27.5 and 29 wheels, and thought the 29er had way better rollover for no real penalty. The 27.5 seemed not much different from my 26. I bought an Aether 9 and took basically no time at all to get used to the bigger wheels.

29er without a doubt, 650b are, in normal riding terms for really short people or those who think they're radder than they actually are by sticking one in the back of a 29er FS

29er all day long, the majority of bikes for sales on facebook all appear to be 27.5 to me,
29ers weren't great in 2014 as the wheels felt like 10 pence pieces, with geometry and strong wider wheels they are the only mtb i'd consider now.

as steve_b77 says 27,5 are for short people or rad kids sessioning sketchy woodland tracks they've just dug.

although i do like my mulleted chameleon :0)

Go straight to 29".

I fannied about with 27.5 for a few years, sticking to the dogma that 29ers were 'wagon wheel' bikes that were hard to control.

Finally bit the bullet December just gone and my new bike rolls on 29. Wish I'd bought one years ago.

I did this... lordy seems like so long ago.. bought a cheap Trek singlespeed 29er to see what they were like. Loved it. Bought a posh hardtail to replace the Trek (sold the Trek for more than I paid for it). Then a 29er full sus. Only fairly recently have I purchased a 27.5 wheeled hardtail (the posh 29er's geometry was a bit oldhat)... and it feels all small and dinky. Great fun to ride, but always a nagging feeling that it's too small for me. I'm sure it's just cos of the wheels though.

I finally bit the bullet and moved from my 10 year old 26in bike last summer to a 29in low, slack and long geo full sus. I wasn't convinced with all the hype before the move, but had limited choices and being 6ft 3 I figured 29in was the way to go. It's made such a difference, it rolls so much faster and that modern geo has that great balance between nimble/agile descending but efficient climbing aided by the 1x12 drivetrain. Definitely think if you're tall rider a 29er is perfect and for once it also doesn't look and feel like I am riding a farm gate, the design of 26in XL bikes felt like an afterthought by many brands!!

Uh-oh. I've just bought a long travel 27.5", and due to pick it up this weekend. I'm outdated already? Story of my life..

Frontier? full rigid?
might want the extra squish
29er definitely feels different going down, im struggling with mine going up still (about to change tyres to see if thats it)

Responses so far seem to be 27.5 not much different to 26 but 29 is better. But does 29" suit everyone? What about for shorter/teenage riders who will have smaller frame sizes?

If you have the choice I would personally go for 29er wheels. They're noticeably better at rolling over stuff than 26 inch wheels, and don't have any real downsides for trail riding IMO.

I can sort of see an argument for 27.5 if you're a smaller rider, just from the perspective of not buzzing your bum on the rear tire on steep stuff. Otherwise 29 or mullet all the way 🙂

I'd probably go 29 now, I did a back to back test of similar frames with 27.5 and 29. Coming from a 26, the 29 rolled over everything but the 27.5 had more maneuverability for messing about in the woods / changing line more quickly. I went with the 27.5, happy with my choice but there is a nagging doubt that the 29 would have been better in the long run, had I taken time to get used to it rather than the 20 min spin round a test track

Good shout re: considering what the bike will be used for. There's certainly situations where 27.5 wheels might be more suitable, but overall I think if you were buying one bike to do everything then 29er would be the way to go (unless you were a shorter rider i.e. sub - 5' 9").

you've bought the frame, use what it is designed for.

unless you're an experienced and nerdy tinkerer with anglesets, changing fork travel/axle to crown lengths etc you will (probably) make the bike worse.

And you'll be back next week saying big wheels ride like poo and 26 is far betterer.

Wish I’d bought one years ago.

Except years ago they were shit.

I'm clearly a "rad kid" with two mulletted 29ers. I'm a short arse and reduce tyre buzz on the steeps is a good thing, along with snappier handling.

I’ve recently swapped 27.5 to 29” on my full suss bike. Gone from an Aether 7 to Transition Sentinel. So far I can’t really see a downside - with lighter hubs it’s broadly offset the weight gain from bigger rims. Tyres are a bit heavier but not materially heavier.

The 29er is very capable and I’m not having any difficulties getting it round corners. On steep tech I’m enjoying it more - it’s smoothing out braking ruts better (same fork travel / 20mm extra rear travel) and it has a slightly slacker head angle which helps. Doesn’t feel in any way monster truck like and still quite poppy and involving. I had a 170f / 160r full suss bike with 27.5” wheels a few bikes ago and that felt more ‘bulldozery’ than the Sentinel.

Either way - I’d put the wheelsize on the bike that it was for designed for.

Going against the majority here. but I prefer 27.5 over 29er. I spent 3 days on a Specialised Enduro in Morzine last summer, due to the demise of my own 27.5 wheeled bike of the same intent (and very similar dimensions). Personally, I found it a little less manoeuvrable/responsive than my 27.5.but there's no doubt it did roll better over rough terrain. What put me off most was having my groin accelerated violently into the back of the seat by the rear wheel, when I got a tabletop wrong and landed slightly towards the rear of the bike.
I have thought of late 'If 29er are the great panacea, why are so many brands now bringing out mixed-wheel 'mullet' bikes?' Is it marketing BS, or is there a genuine advantage?

il lsecond that.. i buzz my butt on my 29er hardtail.. but not on my 145mm 27.5....

There’s certainly situations where 27.5 wheels might be more suitable,

Easier fitting on a roof or towbar rack?

I have thought of late ‘If 29er are the great panacea, why are so many brands now bringing out mixed-wheel ‘mullet’ bikes?’ Is it marketing BS, or is there a genuine advantage?

Mullets exist because some of the world's fastest DH racers are about 5'10". If you watch DH racing you can tell who is running a full 29er from the sound of the wheel hitting the saddle on big impacts.

But also, for regular riding, I hated the old, tall and stilted 29ers. Now they've figured out the geometry there's no downside. As long as you fit on the bike that is.

I'm a fan of big wheels and big tyres, so I'd say go the whole hog with 29" & 2.6-2.8 tyres.

I do also have 27.5 bike, but run 3" tyres on it, so more akin to a 29er really.

My one remaining 26" bike feels very weird when I ride it these days.

Thanks all for your advice, I will take the plunge and buy some 29" wheels.
I should have a couple of days off work next week so hopefully will be able to make a start at building the bike up.
Off to search for "cart wheels"....

moved from my 10 year old 26in bike last summer to a 29in low, slack and long geo full sus.

The geo change there has the effect.

Personally, I think it's a mix of horses for courses and preference.

I've got a 29er hybrid, 27.5 full suspension and 26 hardtail, tried a few 29ers as well.

I actually prefer the smaller wheels for more technical, but 29ers are faster rolling.

In a few years I will probably get a 29er marathon bike, for endurance events.

Ultimately, try some bikes and chose the one that you get the most fun from.

I also fancy a 24 or 26 BMIX....