[Closed] Whyte S-150 on 27.5+ wheelset

I'm just about to buy a S-150 CRS too, so curious what people think.

Get onto this though- £225 will get you a wheelset & tyres!
Thank me later; https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-bargain-27-5-boost-wheels/

Calling Mboy to the forum.... Mark has been running his shop demo S150 with both plus and 29. Sure he will be along to share his thoughts. I will say he seemed to go a lot better with 29 over the 650b when we rode with him

That would be the S150 I'm buying.
How did he treat it 😉 ?

With kid gloves... In fact uphill it’s almost like he was too scared to pedal it 😂

"Has anyone got and tried 27.5+ over the 29er wheels and how have you found the difference if any?"

Yup I run both. (2018 Marin B-17)

I run 27.5+ for trail bashing / winch and plummet days. They are heavier, can be slower to accelerate and draggy if not off-road (like tarmac or fireroad climbs) but awesome fun and great for floating through rock gardens etc. 2.8 DHF Front, 2.8 DHR rear. grip for days. If I'm getting rowdy i want these wheels on.

I run 29 for more XC style rides, bike sits a little higher on 29s too (no flip chip or suchlike here so YMMV) but it climbs awesome with them on, and saves my legs. 2.5 DHF front, 2.4 ardent rear.

As a guideline for pedally days I go 29, for more localised shredding 27.5+ but thats not strict either.

I've done one ride on an S150 with each wheel size. The 27.5+ was much fun, wanting to launch off anything and land anywhere, generally encouraged mucking about. Going straight to the 29 after, they looked tiny and unstable but probably a bit quicker overall.

In fact uphill it’s almost like he was too scared to pedal it

The uphills aren't a race mate... At least not when I'm riding they're not! 😉

Anyway... 29er Vs 27.5+ on an S-150... They're different! That's what you wanted to hear right...?

I've not exhaustively ridden both on the S-150 to be fair, probably only done 100 or so miles on the bike in all honesty, about 30 on the 27.5+ wheels and tyres. Here's what I have found though...

-BB height is already pretty low on S-150 with 29er tyres, with 27.5+ you're losing another 6-12mm off your BB height (depending on your tyre combos, I lost 10mm approx), which may or may not be a good thing. It's something to be wary of though, and why some manufacturers are offering "flip chips" on their bikes for experimenting with wheel and tyre size. I'm used to bikes with low BB's and the odd pedal strike doesn't concern me, but even I was surprised what a difference another 10mm made (I guess the extra squish of the 2.8 tyre compounds that too). Some people will love the super low BB, some will hate it.

-2.8" tyres at 16-18psi are a LOT more comfortable than 2.3's at 25-30psi. This might sound a bit of a silly statement to make, but even on a 6" travel bike it's noticeable just how much trail chatter still gets through to the bars/saddle/pedals on 29x2.3" tyres, that get filtered out on 27.5x2.8".

-A "good" 27.5x2.8 wheel and tyre setup is approximately 1lb more rotating mass than an equivalent 29x2.3" setup. Not drastic for sure, but it's all unsprung, rotational weight. This may upset you, it may not...

-Bigger tyres, run at lower pressures, are easier to burp! I found this out the hard way on my very first run down a trail, and found I couldn't push as hard on the front tyre on the 2.8 as I could with a 2.3" without the risk of burping. I guess a sturdier tyre and/or tyre insert would have fixed that, but that would be adding more weight again.

-With 2.8's, sometimes there is more grip, sometimes there is less grip. It depends on all sorts of variables, I found typically on firmer dryer ground there was an abundance of grip from the plus size tyres, when the going got a little softer or wetter, the bigger tyres struggle to bite into the terrain in the same way a slightly narrower tyre does, causing them to wash out more readily. The 2.8's don't have the outright "grip in any conditions" of a full fat bike tyre so tend to slide a bit early in conditions where edge bite is crucial. Again you'll know if this is a positive or a negative for you and your riding already I guess.

-The bigger tyres feel more playful on the descents, the bike isn't any quicker with them on (in fact it's probably slower) but on the more flowing and jumpy lines, the bike feels more playful than on 29er wheels and tyres.

-The 2.8's do drag slightly more, it's not a huge difference considering the amount of extra rubber they're laying down, but you're probably putting in a few % more effort for the same pace on a climb.

In summary, they're different. They're better in some ways, worse in others, they can be more fun but if the going is soft and slippy they are definitely not as good. Worth trying though for sure!

If anyone wants a deal on some almost new Hope Hoops Pro4/35w Boost wheels all in black with xD drive, fitted with almost new Maxxis 2.8" rubber, PM me... Have enjoyed trying the S-150 with them, but as that goes in the near future, its replacement is a dedicated 29er, so they're up for sale v soon...

What an awesome response, thank you very much - and to all the other contributors as well. Yes, the main question you've answered is if they are noticeably different which I think you've covered.

I'm not yet at the stage where I am at the limits of the 2.3's, but even on the 29's I find the pedal strikes annoying. Not enough to cause panic, but annoying all the same. Dropping the BB any lower is just going to annoy me further. I'm not a quick rider at the moment so chatter is less of an issue, but I like the way the 29's steamroll over everything (previous bike was a neglected 15 year old 26" HT).

So i might leave the wheels alone for now and concentrate on the only other frustration; brakes. Still running standard Guide R's with the original pads and in my opinion the brakes are poo. Changing pads first, then levers, then maybe increase rotor sizes if needed.

Thanks all for the friendly welcome.