Are 650b and 29er that much better than 26er or not really ??

As title really.

I’m thinking of selling my 5 spot to move onto either a 650b or a 29er bike.

The problem is I’m not really sure they are “that” much better than a old skool 26 er.

What are your opinions on this ?

Are they night and day different and better or should I just keep the 5 spot.

Part of me wants to jump on the bandwagon but the other half of me says what’s the difference ?

Go ride some and make up your own mind what suits your riding.

/eot

You been living under a rock?

Trails become alive…..

Stock answer – demo them. I rode 6 bikes (26 and 29) over the same trails for a day and that helped me make up my mind clearly. The 650b was irritating noise admittedly but that just delayed my purchase for 12 months to see how things settled down and stopped me buying a giant!

I am sold from riding them. The rest is just noise.

Make your own mind up…

Good bikes are good regardless of wheel size.

It’s all marketing bollox, even our victorian ancestors knew that 60″ wheels roll best, but a 16″ rear wheel allows for shorter chainstays.

What was the outcome team hurt more ?

Not been living under a rock just not able to get out and ride a big wheeled bike as I don’t know anyone who has one.

Apart from my mate down South who has just bought a Capra.

I would be looking at the budget end of bikes around £1600 so the likes of a codeine or something from canyon.

renton – Member
What was the outcome team hurt more ?

12 pages no conclusion, trenches dug and positions fortified. Heavy artillery ordered.

Change to your next bike because you need* a new bike. When deciding on your new bike, it might very well have a different size wheels to the one you are currently riding. Only a pleb** would go out and buy a new bike when they have one that they are are broadly happy with specifically and only to change wheel size.

* – need is clearly a word with many interpretations for a non essential toy

** – for pleb read sucker, gullible fool, financially irresponsible idiot or more money than sense plonker with no imagination.

Not better just different. Maybe better for some people most of the time though.

You really need to try some and understand it for yourself. You won’t get it from forum chatter.

General consensus from friends is 650b is no real difference, maybe a little more grip.

My and friend opinion is the 29er is still a “game changer”, well that’s if you’re on a good 29er.

It’s utter BS from 29er naysayers that 29ers don’t jump, don’t manual, don’t do turns.

29ers let you get away with less travel and have more grip. You end up with a bike which is more reactive and well as being more composed, that less travel helps out with jumping too.

Gone from 26 trail bike to 29er trail bike recently and it’s better in every way.

I’m thinking of selling my 5 spot to move onto either a 650b or a 29er bike.

From what I recall, you’ve had an itch to change from the 5spot for a long time! But, given you seem to have struggled to flog the 5Spot for what you want, you haven’t managed to scratch that itch and now you’re over analysing the ‘gains’ you’ll get from a new bike and therefore the justification for getting one.

Just sell the 5spot, get what you can for it (and it won’t be as much as you hope for), try a few demos (29er & 650b) whilst you’re in the process of flogging it and get a new bike: nothing wrong with the 5spot and you may or may not find the replacement any better but new bikes are fun and lifes too short to dwell on ‘should I/shouldn’t I’.

Cheap end of the scale at £1600 or a more modern but s/h 26″ with top end stuff?

I’m on a 2011 5-spot and am happy to stay on it for quite some time. Any spare cash will be spent on upgrades that aren’t 26″ specific (apart from the Pikes that I can swap onto a HT if I do decide to change / win the lottery)

And to add to the 29er thing from Dean

Mate has had a 29er 5 at 140mm travel and he reckons that it’s a game changer. I’d like to give that a go before going 650b

Renton, am I right in thinking that you’ve barely ridden your five-spot since you had it powder coated? I seem to remember a thread where you had been out on the bike for the first time in ages and didn’t enjoy it…

If so I’d be asking myself why that was rather than throwing money at new bikes with new wheel sizes hoping to find a solution.

Obviously it’s your money and your choice but is a different wheel size really going to make you ride your bike more?

I’m bought into 29er, for do-it-all HTs at least (which is what I ride).

For a reality check I rode my old 26″ Blur Classic, which I spent many happy years on. The bloody thing doesn’t roll unless pointed properly down. No momentum, the moment you’re off the pedals, it stops. It was really frustrating.

It’s a night & day difference to me.

But I’m not you – as everyone says, try as many different bikes and formats as you can.

Bregante you are right.

I just can’t seem to click with it for some reason. It looks absolutely mint although the colour isn’t to everyone’s taste.

I don’t know what it is ? I’ve upgraded the drive train etc and done about 100 miles on it since it was rebuilt.

You been living under a rock?

Don’t you read the near-daily posts from renton? He’s been living a soap opera life and hasn’t got time to read about bikes!

I’m in line for a new bike this year and I have the same problem,deciding what wheel size to buy,I would like to stay 26″ but I won’t get anything 2015 I would have to go 650b,don’t think I would notice the 1.5″ extra TBH,but after a while of using a 650b and then going onto a 26″ then I would probably notice the difference,IMO I think it all depends on what riding you do,and what people are racing,lots of 29 era in the xc world but not many in the downhill world,correct me if I’m wrong STW ers

I think this may be the root cause.

For coffee, see bikes/cars etc…. 🙂

There aren’t any 29ers in the downhill, because putting a 29er wheel in a 200 travel frame that will fit and be ridable by most people is an engineering problem not yet solved. Not because 29″ sized wheels are inherently unsuitable for downhill alone.

Two months until we get “which new car because my new 29er doesn’t fit in my Mondeo without taking the wheels off”

But seriously, just ride the bike you’ve got and if you’re still not feeling it give up MTBing for road cycling or dogging.

I’ve got two 26 and when I tried a 29 I was amazed at how far and fast it rolls and what speed I could manage not only on my local trails but on the roads getting to it. I ended up buying a salsa spearfish and with the small travel and big wheels I’ve never been as fast. Although I’ve now found fat love and it does seem to be the other end of the spectrum, lots lots slower but equally as much fun . So I would agree that 29ers are a huge difference but I haven’t tried a 650b and doubt that a middle ground , as such, could be much more than a compromise. But as I say I haven’t tried one yet.

Even if I wasn’t entirely happy with the bike I had, if it were my only mountain bike I’d still be riding it until I sold it.

If I weren’t riding it, I’d need to think long and hard before throwing more cash at another bike.

Just saying.

I’ve just been offered so many 26″ tyres for free that there’s no way I’ll ever change. I’m sure the other sizes are fine but I can’t see the point of having a mixed array of wheel sizes in the garage.

Well I’ve sold my hybrid so will have to ride the Turner to work until I can find a road or cross bike to replace it with.

Hopefully might start to like it again.

I switched to a 650b this year. Can’t tell any difference out on the tasks.

Well I’ve sold my hybrid so will have to ride the Turner to work until I can find a road or cross bike to replace it with.
Hopefully might start to like it again.

I doubt it. Road commuting on a mountain bike is horrible…

Deanfbm +1

renton – Member
What was the outcome team hurt more ?

29 by a mile (although still own and ride a 26 HT). Why? There is a short trail (graveyard) on pitch hill near me. It’s a rooty little drop down jnto the final car par. On a 29 it felt like a pavement, on the 26 a tricky slippy rooty section. So horses for courses, I felt much more comfortable on the 29er. And basic trail speed felt better.

My conundrum is type of bike not wheel size. The bike that always brings a mega smile to my face is the carbon epic but I also want a bike to help on the steeper stuff!! Hence probably compromise on camber evo. If the anthem sx was bigger wheels, I would have snapped that up too.

Where do you live Renton, I haha a 29er HT and FS you can try if you want?

Switched to 650b when I got my Whyte T-130 but as I was riding a XC 26″ HT I think the positive changes I’ve experienced are as much geometry as wheel size.

http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/swindon-demo-day

https://www.orangebikes.co.uk/demo-day

Most of the big retailers will be posting up their demo day dates over the next few weeks.

Yes most of the bikes are out of your price range but find the bikes you like and go the second hand route, take your time and shop carefully and you will end up with a great bike for that money.

AsLee above says, where are you?

I have the full range… bmx, 24” retro dh, 26” ht and fs with 650b (27.5” is incorrect) wheels to go in them and 29er ht and fs.

All top quality and most for sale at some point during the spring.

I have the full range… bmx, 24” retro dh, 26” ht and fs with 650b (27.5” is incorrect) wheels to go in them and 29er ht and fs.

650b is incorrect. Should your 29ers be called 700c?

As has been said, you can’t really say one size is better but they are all different so bring pro’s and cons.

I was dead against 29″ at first but then had a go on one that fit me properly and started to get it. I then got one and have come to the conclusion that, for me, 29″ is best 95% of the time and the size I’ll be sticking with.

Having tried a few 650b bikes I’d ignore the ‘no different to 26″‘ brigade as I thought they rode more like 29″ lite then 26″+ if that makes sense.

As has also been said, demo a few and make your own mind up!

Cheers for the replies.

I am in Elgin oop north in Scotland. Apart from halfords I don’t even know where the lbs are.

Unless you are talking about unicycles, you don’t buy a wheel, you buy a bike: a subtle combination of wheels, suspension and geometry that all act together to give the feel you want. There is no characteric that can be achieved with one wheel that can’t also be achieved using either of the other common sizes. So, as the saying goes, just pick a size and be a dick about it 🙂