I’d wager that you can only notice the difference at all if you know what wheelsize you are riding. Take away any visual clues and I reckon it would become pretty much impossible for most normal mortals. I mean, how are you supposed to detect a “slight increase in grip” when grip varies so much with the condition of the trail, tyre pressure, wear etc?
Fair point. I can only tell that there’s a difference by riding both the 26 and 27.5 bikes within a reasonable amount of time and down familiar trails which I’ve ridden in most conditions. For the record, I run my tyres around the same pressure (25-30psi).
On that note, there is a difference (and personally I prefer the slightly bigger wheels on the wooded trails I ride darn sarf) but it really isn’t much.
Could I tell the difference otherwise? Honestly? Probably, yes. But it really is minor. And I’ve been riding mountain bikes for over 20 years.
What you are saying, pimpmaster jazz, does make me ask a question or two about my decision.
For eg. I was out on my 26er and did find myself missing big wheels (sorry kittens but I did) and the next day, same route on the 29er but never thought ‘I wish my wheels were smaller’ at any point. My only issue, like you state is that of asthectics, which aren’t helped by the larger frame size / poor standover clearance. (I’m 5’11” and a half! BTW)
There’s some great articles out there about wheel size (including one that talks about the benefits of a smaller wheel in alpine environments where there’s a lot of stop/start riding), but for me it came down to the following:
I bought a 29er because my 26er was uncomfortable getting to the local decent trails. The 29er got there far more comfortably, but I found that once on ‘decent’ trails I wasn’t having as much fun.
I went back to the 26er but kept a 29er SS for local riding (one hour blast / night rides – that sort of thing) which works for me, in my local environment (can you see where this is going?)
Recently I bought a new long travel bike, and was aiming to stay 26″ with an Alpine 160 to maintain the ‘fun’ element and have plenty of kit crossover, as well as use in ‘bigger’ mountain environments. As it happens I went for an Ariel and 650b for a number of reasons, future-proofing being just one. However, the Ariel is now my go-to bike for practically everything.
I guess it comes down to what you want to do.
[list][*]If you’re bagging South Downs Way records, then a 29er is the only obvious way forward. [/*]
[*]If you prefer fast, open descents to twisty, turny tech then I’d still look at a 29er (unless you’re under 5’8″).[/*]
[*]If you want an adaptable bike to use at Bike Park Wales and in ‘proper’ mountains that can climb and descend, then I’d suggest going 650b.[/*]
[*]If your riding is purely in mountainous environments where long, technical, backside-on-wheel descents are normal, then personally I’d stick with 26, or look at 650b if you’re taller.[/*][/list]
But these are very much my suggestions, purely based on what I’ve recently ridden and owned. 🙂
