Incredibly well in our shops now

Some of the negativity on here will surpass once realised it is the way forward for mountain biking

I love mine I must say really brings the trail alive

I am very happy for you.

Is it more the way forward than 29ers?

really brings the trail alive

Strange you say this, I always thought the point of 650b was to rollover stuff better/smooth riding out. Though this would dull down trails rather than bring them alive.

Hey Ho.

I love mine I must say really brings the trail alive

I found that as well. Little plantlets were literally (sic) sprouting under my wheels with 650b, something I’ve never noticed with other wheel sizes. In contrast, riding a 29er has a four horsemen-type impact on my local routes leaving a withered trail of smoking destruction in my wake. I also noted how it combined the advantages of both 26″ and 29″ hoops in a single compelling package with none of the downsides of either. I am available to write more marketing cobblers at very reasonable rates. 😉

BadlyWiredDog – Member

I love mine I must say really brings the trail alive
I found that as well. Little plantlets were literally (sic) sprouting under my wheels with 650b,

You can get the same effect by applying a 12.5mm layer of horse manure to a 26″ tyre

I love mine I must say really brings the trail alive

😆 🙄

It’s 9am trolling time.

Adds bikeind to ‘the list‘

It brings the trail alive yes as this carrying more speed equates to that special buzz factor

I have worked in bike shops over 25 years well actually all my working life and Saturdays while at school so trust me I know my thing one would say and can hold my own out on the trails

650b is a great improvement to our bikes it will supersede the old skool 26″ which will remain obsolete in years to come
It is all we in the shop ride now

I am one of the hated who owns a 29er and must say it is like riding a racehorse uphill, the thing just wants to leave you behind. I absolutely love it yet my mates just want to destroy it as i leave them behind every time we approach an incline. Needless to say they have now nicknamed it the “circus bike” ha ha. Would love to see how a 650b rides, may have to trial one

obvious trolls are so obvious I cant be bothered getting the picture

all we ride…kill them uphill etc

You guys are proper funny

Gee Atherton “held his own” in that video, that was a load of balls too

* sniggers *

We’ve not sold any 650b bikes since they came out.
To be fair we are a gift shop.

I’m convinced – which should I buy ?

I rode my 26″ past a kitten the other day and the kitten died. 😥

If I ride a 650b will it come back to life again?

o rly? 😐

negativity on here will surpass once realised it is the way forward

I know my thing

supersede

It is all wee in the shop

Not to mention the complete absence of any punctuation.

the only reason you are selling more 27.5 is because major bike brands are only making 27.5
i will stick with 26 thank you cant see what difference 1 1/2″ makes altho wife would disagree with me
27.5″ not as quick as a 26″ in tight trails
27.5 dosent roll as well as a 29er
so what is the point
marketing bull****

As a neutral, I can’t understand why there is so much “hate” for different wheel sizes. People have highlighted the very small percentage difference between the 26″ and the 27.5″ bike, but the percentage difference between a 70 degree head angle and a 67 degree head angle is similarly small, but you won’t find many on here arguing that there isn’t a fundamental difference in the way the bikes ride. Similarly with tread patterns, tyre compounds, frame geometry (not many on here riding 90s style “gates” I’ll wager). Small differences that can mean significant gains dependent on riding style, priorities, terrain etc etc.
For me I can see how bigger wheels do roll better, they are less likely to get sunk into small bombholes or caught on roots, they will handle drops better. By the same token they are less manoeuvrable, slower to accelerate and harder to lift up and over stuff. Horses for courses I guess.
In truth though, I can’t understand why there seems to be no correlation between frame size and wheel size. Look at a 26″ bike with an XS frame and one with an XL frame. The position of the frame (and therefore the rider) in relation to the wheels is totally different. With an XS the rider is sat much more between the two wheels, with the XL he/she is perched on top. To me it makes more sense to have larger wheels with larger frames. As a 6’4″ rider I’m about to buy (subject to trying it out and liking it) a 650b bike, it just seems to me that it will be a better fit.
I can’t help thinking that for an industry that is so young, the mtb industry has packed an enormous amount of innovation into its 30 or so years. To me wheel size is just part of that. The 26″ size became a standard pretty much by default, but there have been proponents of 29″ for at least 20 years (the great Gary Fisher being one) and 650 has been talked about for at least 10 years. I don’t see anything wrong with the industry trying different things to see what fits.
Gee Atherton could ride a penny farthing down a given trail far quicker than most of us could ride any type of FS bike. It’s a false positive using him as an example. For the average rider, wheel size could be as important as geometry, tyre choice etc etc.
Rant over. Sure the usual posters of “funny” gifs will have a field day. At the end of the day though, just find what works for you and get out there and ride 🙂

I don’t think there’s hate, there’s just a lot of suspicion that the industry is 100% onboard with this new wheel size because they want to sell more stuff. In fact, it’s almost like they develop new standards or pretend they’ve found a new type of riding merely to make money. I don’t recall the industry going all gung-ho over 650b when smaller companies made them (including the awesomely named Spooky Horror Taxi).

Some new things are genuine innovation, some new things are bullshit.

I can’t understand why there is so much “hate” for different wheel sizes

The hate is not for the wheel per se but the way the industry has just removed 26 ers from sale in order to force us to buy a new size that seems to be the worst of a 29 er and a 26 er. They then BS us that it is the best of both and due to rider demand.

Your argument that it depends on your size is not without merit

like i can afford to change all my bikes again 👿

load of bollox i tell you that

op you sound like a pure industry tool.

News just in, bike shops agree that everyone should buy new bikes.

New bikes with 1cm bigger radius wheels. All you need to feel this radical change is a new frame, forks, wheels, tyres and tubes! Potentially seatpost, headset, hoses, cables and bottom bracket. Your current saddle will be fine, don’t worry, all is not lost.

It brings the trail alive yes as this carrying more speed equates to that special buzz factor

Imagine the buzz a 29er must give!

Check OP’s recent posting history – he certainly likes to ‘start an informed debate regarding wheel size’ 😀

Pack it in, isn’t everyone sick of going over it again and again!?

Double post

650b is not 27.5. It does not sit exactly in the middle of 26 and 29.

650b is 27″. Amazingly spesh (who normally aren’t backward in coming forward with regard to marketing and new “wonder” products)have decided that 650b is irrelevant and too close to 26 to be worth the trouble.

I find that the trail brings the er, trail alive. And in reply to an earlier poster- dig out an old 90’s bike the trail feels so alive it’ll bite your @rse. 😆

I really am not desperate for an extra inch. Thanks for your concern.

I don’t think you’ve fully considered the consequences of bringing trails to life. What does a trail eat? Will the natural predators (landowners and dobebrs doing skids) be enough to keep them under control, or will they end up driving out less magical life? How do we stop them from wandering off? And is it even ethical to ride over a living trail? I wouldn’t ride over a trail made of cats, it’s basically the same thing.

For these reasons I have sold no 650b bikes.

Most people I ride with have been using big tyres for that extra inch for years.. now there is a wheel size that matches those needs. Great.

I just made my own 650b bike by sticking some ultra-fat Conti MK ii 2.4 tyres on my trusted 26er. Don’t tell anyone :0

Again, would be nice if those involved in the industry could declare thier involvement.

Thanks.

26″ wheels are the most common size in the world, people do world tours on them for the strength and ease of picking up spares. The second most common sizing being 700c, which is conveniently the same size as 29ers.

The idea that a totally new size will jump out of no where and take hold seems ludicrous. Especially given how close they are to 26″. Given journalists are riding them and claiming to notice no difference, it seems a bit weak.

I don’t think you’ve fully considered the consequences of bringing trails to life. What does a trail eat? Will the natural predators (landowners and dobebrs doing skids) be enough to keep them under control, or will they end up driving out less magical life? How do we stop them from wandering off? And is it even ethical to ride over a living trail? I wouldn’t ride over a trail made of cats, it’s basically the same thing.

For these reasons I have sold no 650b bikes.

😆 I’m amazed no one had even considered this angle yet 😆

Bike manufacturers are also saying there is little/no difference, well Santa Cruz did. Says allot when you compare their comments and lack of enthusiasm for 27.5 to Giants spin.

Worlds apart.

The hate is not for the wheel per se but the way the industry has just removed 26 ers from sale in order to force us to buy a new size that seems to be the worst of a 29 er and a 26 er. They then BS us that it is the best of both and due to rider demand.

This

glad your bike shop’s doing well whatever wheel size you’re selling

suppose the forecasted mass exodus of 26inch riders to 650b and 29’ers will mean bike shops selling more full bikes and hence keeping a more buoyant bike business for the foreseeable future

I currently have a couple of really excellent bikes with wheels. As and when the time comes to change them, I’m perfectly sympathetic to buying a complete bike with whatever wheels are then in vogue. I’m not rushing out and buying a new one simply because there are new ones to buy however.

🙂

I love mine I must say really brings the trail alive

Think of all the years you’ve wasted riding on dead trails when you could have just stuck some bigger tyres on to bring it alive 🙁