650b – feel alittle underwhelmed

hang on a minute there think I have the problem, have you seen how many spacers on top of the stem!

Oh and still got the five thanks !!

It’s no surprise that 27.5 feels different to 26 – everyone can feel a difference between 29 and 26 (a substantial difference for most) and 27.5 is 40% of the way to 29 from 26.

Hora, the angles with 27.5 and 26 will be identical but the BB will be 12.5mm higher with the same tyres. With 27.5F/26R the bike will be about 4mm higher than 26 and 1 degree slacker.

A bike with longer reach will lower your CoG and a bike with longer front-centre will be less prone to over-rotation around the front contact patch on steep stuff – a bike with lower BB height will have similar benefits. So the Meta v4 in large with 27.5 wheels may have the same reassuring feel as the v4 medium with 26 wheels, whilst being better at rolling and pedalling.

Cheers for that- 4mm higher BB isn’t too much and it also helps with pedal strikes whilst giving me a front wheel that will roll over trail easier too combined with a rear wheel that still gives the bike abit of pep. I’ll see how the 650b/26’er combo goes.

On your size comment- noted. Theres no going up on size now and tbh the large size’s seat tube of 19.5inch would have been too long for me- I like my saddle really low on certain trails. With a dropper collar and rail mount- that’ll add another inch ontop of the seat tube already. That on balance, is just too long for me.

As it stands the medium has a hell of a lot more positives (feel for a start) and stability that made me lean towards buying one over another manufacturers brand that would have been ££££££ more.

Afterall how many BOS shock/headset/650b good frames can you buy for just over £800 delivered with 5yr warranty?

Cheers for that- 4mm higher BB isn’t too much and it also helps with pedal strikes whilst giving me a front wheel that will roll over trail easier too combined with a rear wheel that still gives the bike abit of pep. I’ll see how the 650b/26’er combo goes.

Sorry but 4mm is the difference? 4mm? Not to do the obvious but there a lots of bloke measuring gags, 4mm!
Even 12.5mm/ 1/2 inch is still a very small amount. If our striking on 26″ then raising it 4mm probably won’t help unless it’s in your head.

Only occassional strikes. Its not a problem but I probably wouldn’t get **** all back on the SS front wheel that I bought whereas I could sell the Hope40T Evo2 for a good return. That is if I decided not to keep 650b or have the option there in the shed for when I fancied it in the future.

Sounds daft when you think about it, 4mm and 12.5mm but then ^^^ apparently 8cm is alot too.

Lots of people rave about 67.5’ers – wont hurt to try it for the apparent benefits (on mtbr forum and here as well). If I don’t fancy it I can go 26’er or full 650b and work on the sag/psi in each end to balance the bike.

Your saddle isnt level !!

you could be putting more weight on the front of the bike.

Sorry but 4mm is the difference? 4mm? Not to do the obvious but there a lots of bloke measuring gags, 4mm!
Even 12.5mm/ 1/2 inch is still a very small amount. If our striking on 26″ then raising it 4mm probably won’t help unless it’s in your head.

When you’re hitting cranks/pedals on the ground then even 2mm extra clearance can be the difference between a big strike and a crash and getting away with it. It’s the gap between pedal and ground that matters, not the total BB height or length of crank. If that gap is only a few mm then 12mm is a HUGE difference.

The only real advice between the incredibly easy piss taking is to set it up 650 and ride it, see how it feels get used to it. If you can’t then sell it, won’t be the first time but give it a proper go. In the words of somebody it’s not about the bike.
Stick the 650b’s in it, or even better get somebody to scrape your size labels off the wheels and rubber and swap them over so your are doing it blind then forget everything else think of something else then ride.

Cheers chiefgrooveguru you know your stuff

When you’re hitting cranks/pedals on the ground then even 2mm extra clearance can be the difference

I’ve run over dog shit that changes the BB height by more than 2mm, I can wind the pins on my pedals out by 2mm more. If that is so tight then maybe it’s just too close. Damm some days I hate not being a fussy rider….

I can honestly say I’ve never noticed 650b wheels feeling bigger and more cumbersome than my old 26″ bikes, hell my 650b Foxy has shorter chainstays than my 26″ Mojo HD. 29ers do feel very different but in a blind test I’d be hard pushed to tell if I was on a 650b or 26″ bike. Just ride, get used to it a little more and it’ll all settle down, all this messing around with different sized is messing more with your head than anything else.

This isnt aimed at chiefgrooveguru btw

hora you say that chiefgrooveguru knows his stuff, or is he just saying what you think you want to hear??

Renton he also explained constructively about the benefits of me being on a larger size. My reply:

On your size comment- noted. Theres no going up on size now and tbh the large size’s seat tube of 19.5inch would have been too long for me- I like my saddle really low on certain trails. With a dropper collar and rail mount- that’ll add another inch ontop of the seat tube already. That on balance, is just too long for me.

So he wasn’t saying what I wanted to hear.

so is the collar of you dropper post butted right up to the top of the seat tube at its correct height?

I have just put some really light wheels on my 26. Even though the whole bike is 3lb heavier than my 29 I’m getting PRs all over the place.
Even with the extra roll overability of the 29 I’m still hindered by a low bottom bracket.
My 1999 26er is quicker,comfier and more practical than the laSt 3 “modern” bikes I’ve owned.
I’m going to be one of those old boys tutting about anything new that comes out. Though 740 bars imbued the 26 with 29 stability so they’re alright.

So basically you have a freakish posture and insist on riding bikes that are the wrong size and then try to make them fit, then cast aspersions that the bike designer doesn’t know what he was doing, and then come on here and troll to get as many pages of attention hora-ing as you can.

Is that a fair summary?

^^^

Stop selectively reading so you can reinforce a negative post-mentality. I’ll point you towards other posters who also say they don’t get on with 650b bikes too.

Notice how I posted up that I wasn’t too keen on other 650b bikes that I’ve tried?

Is Jedi wrong?

Be constructive, I don’t go on your topics posting negativity do I?

I have just put some really light wheels on my 26. Even though the whole bike is 3lb heavier than my 29 I’m getting PRs all over the place.

Yesterday I got my third-fastest Strava time up a seven-minute climb (which I have ridden loads).

I was riding a 180mm travel 26in bike which weighs north of 35lb.

Only explanation is I was already warmed up nicely with 800m of climbing, compared to hitting it cold normally.

(sorry for the hijack but the main topic isn’t really going anywhere now)

Is Jedi wrong?

he is probably right as he has the riding skills to back up his opinions…

🙂

apologies for using “he” in conjunction with “bike designer” – didn’t mean to appear to be misogynistic…

Its funny all the 650b negativity has gone from, its a tiny bit bigger wheel and makes no difference to, its a huuge change and ruins everything !

Bottom line is there’s good bikes and bad, and there’s bikes you like and bikes you don’t, and they’re not the same thing. I went through a bunch of hardtails to get one I like, but they all had 26 wheels so I can’t blame that. If one of them was 650b and I hated it, I guess I might blame the wheels, but since the change in size is so small I reckon it’s a much smaller consideration than other factors.

I’m getting on with 650b just fine. I find it’s nice improvement on 26. I notice it rolls smoother on faster trails than 26 but doesn’t feel noticeably bigger. 29ers that i have ridden roll much smoother but also feel noticeably bigger and a little sluggish on tighter stuff.

Personally I wouldn’t buy a new frame/forks/bike just to change from 26 to 650b. If i got on with 29ers I probably would because the positives are more apparent that 26 to 650b but then so are the negatives.

To the OP, I didn’t notice much difference at first until I rode my 26 again. Plus there will be some advantages to the rolling resistance over bumps of slightly larger wheels even if you don’t notice it. To me thats the appeal. I don’t notice the wheels being bigger but know they roll smoother. As Tesco say ‘ Every little helps’.

Genuine question here Hora

If you had ridden 650b bikes and didn’t get on with them, why did you blindly go out and buy a 650b bike that you had not tested?

You have taken all of the pleasure out of owning a new bike, it’s rather ridiculous.

Are your forks 42 or 46mm offset?

I believe 26″ pikes to be 40mm offset.

I imagine if you’re on 46mm offset with 26″ wheel, maybe you’ve stumbled across something you really like?

26″ wheel will do the obvious of speeding up the steering be steepening the HA, it will also reduce the “trail”, making the steering even more direct, maybe this is what you’re liking on the steering aspect of the 26 and not on the 650.

But yea, as everyone else is saying, a good bike is a good bike, that’s different for everyone, the wheels aren’t really going to be the ONE thing that means you don’t like the bike.

Size wise, im 5ft10 and would definitely buy a large if i were to buy one. Too small could be ruining it for you too.

PS, what’s this nonsense from others about 29ers on tight stuff not being great, if you can turn, you can turn, i really have no problems getting my 29er through tight stuff.

Be constructive, I don’t go on your topics posting negativity do I?

no you dont, but neither are you constructive* – dont give it out if you cant take it! 😆

*please dont make me have to go back through the threads and threads of renton’s past to prove it PLEASE 🙁

Scandal42 I had a quick spin on a stw’ers medium before ordering. When mine arrived I fitted 26’er existing wheels and it ripped. Like I’ve said previously if I’d not fitted 26’ers I’d have never know.

BTW its not new Ive had it 26’d for over 3months.

I was talking to turnerguy not renton. Rentons funny, turnerguys one dimensional.

Forks are 2014/2015 34 Float 160’s and are 44 offsets if it helps

Im a serial frame swapper.
I own a V4.
You can buy mine in 2016 or 2017 if you can wait OP?

why not buy that neutral frame that you keep trying to avoid so you have nothing to complain about, and then just work on your riding technique – maybe go see Jedi.

I am not a skillful rider but when I bought my Flux I aimed for a bike where there were virtually no issues I could see, and so when I ride and mess up I know that it is nothing to do with the bike.

(Not quite true when I am following people on slacker and bigger travel bikes and they go down steep stuff that I have more problems on – but thanks to Jedis advice on heels down, etc I manage a fair amount of stuff…)

Same with my tennis and golf – I get the best, most neutral kit I can, and then there are a whole lot less issues I could possibly deal with when assessing why my scores are so high, or I lose so many matches.

Putters then same type Faldo used – if it’s good enough for him, etc…

I am waiting to hear why your Ritchey Logic road frame is wrong for you…

Turnerguy get off my topic. I was after constructive discussion and I’ve indicated I dont want or seek your opinion or advice.

Turnerguy get off my topic. I was after constructive discussion and I’ve indicated I dont want or seek your opinion or advice.

tough – I made a constructive comment – why don’t you buy a neutral bike that fits you and just get on with it?

Waiting? As in nothing better to do.

That’s quite a lot of bike for the mincecore riding that you do

What’s the upshot then? You just gonna stick with 26″ wheels?

Mud clearance should be excellent anyway.

Going to run it 67.5’er tomorrow then take it from there. If Im unsure I’ll run bigger Schwalbes front and rear on 26’ers.

Dirtyrider, no idea. I ride within my capabilities that way I avoid injuries but Im still quicker than some and I ride tech. Thats a great compromise for me. It means I’ll be strong enough to future-proof myself for years of riding and active physical stuff.

STW’s most infamous purchaser of the wrong sized bike, purchases wrong size bike again and then blames it on the wheels which are an inch bigger and make bugger all difference for 99% of riders.

STW wouldn’t be the same without you Hora.

Have a read what the guys at Liteville say on the subject of 26/27,5 mixed format. Makes sense to me.

http://www.liteville.de/t/25_579.html

Kudos100 you missed the bit where I said I felt underwhelmeb on other 650b’s..

Regardless of what some bike journos say or preach they dont know everything.

I’ll have have a read welshfarmer

Always keen to learn