27.5 or 29

I've been riding my burner since it was new in 2014, I'm thinking its time to upgrade to a newer more modern geo bike. Everything in MTB media/forums currently would suggest that it's nigh impossible to even survive going down a trail on 27.5" wheels. I had a 29er before, long enough ago that 27.5 wasn't a thing yet, I sold it because the wheels available weren't strong enough laterally and I was taco'ing wheels riding corners in flow trails. I'm sure the new 29er tech is vastly superior and I know that the wheels are more than strong enough for an old fat guy to make it down anything.

I guess my question is, if I'm happy with the 27.5's I've been riding, is there really any reason to switch to a 29er?

Smaller wheels turn better and accelerate more quickly. Bigger wheels are more stable and plow through chunder better. That's really all there is to it.

I think, as much as anything, the strong trend towards 29ers is because trails have generally gotten straighter and more on camber over the years. Partly because that's how new trails are being built, and partly because lots of use over the years tends to bed in old trails to make them more on camber and straighter. And because of that cambering and straightening, the downsides of 29's are reduced, and the advantages of a 27.5 are minimized.

Among the people I mostly ride with, the only ones on 27.5's are people that are either fairly short (5'5" or less), or have a strong preference towards a whippy, turny bike (mostly younger guys who are trying to throw tricks on jumps). A handful are on mullets (27.5 rear / 29 front) to try to get the best of both worlds, but I'm not convinced they've succeeded in that goal.

To more directly answer your question: if your trails are slow, turny, and involve a lot of dramatic slowing down and speeding up, you might prefer the 27.5. If they're faster, flowier, or just straight-ish and chunky, a 29er will probably treat you better.

since 2014 I think the seat tube got steeper, the head tube got slacker and the 1x with single chain rings became a great thing

I had a Yeti 5.5 with 29/29 and now I got the Bullit with 29/ 27 mullet,

I like the Bullit with mullet > the Yeti with 29/29 cuz it turns better due to different wheel arcs apparently

and of course the 85 nm's of E-motor makes me the anti-christ

Toast laid it out well for you. As a data point, I'm on a 27.5 and really like it, but I mostly ride techy trails in the rockies, value tight radius turning ability, am no longer super concerned about pegging the speed right to the edge on flats, and am comfortable blasting straight through rocky crap and high speed on pretty much anything, so the larger wheels aren't getting me too much.

Plenty of happy, skilled people on the same trails on 29s too of course.

riding 29/27 even with longer WB/ slacker head angles than was popular 5 yrs ago

I personaly find it easier than ever to just ride/ bank over everything

but the mullet was a game changer for me

I've been on a 27.5 for a while after not liking an earlier 29er, and am now looking for a 29. Foremost reason is the ability to pedal through chunk on the bigger wheels. Demoed one on a Gooseberry trip last week and it was pretty obvious when it came to getting up chunky climbs. The 27.5 is a lot of fun on smoother playful terrain but I value being able to stay on the bike when it starts getting rough.

I'm afraid to try a modern 29er. If I do I may need to sell guns/guitars/skis to buy one. I'm trying to convince myself that a 27.5 frame would be perfect and then I can just swap my parts. I'm mostly riding in Spokane for now, the trails are somewhere between techy and flowy. Other than being old and riding like a grandpa to avoid another concussion/injury I don't feel like my wheels are stopping me from riding any steep, rough, chunky shit.

The koolaid is so tempting though.

A/B mullet vs 29er within 10mm of each other in every dimension, and 0.5 lbs. I could make the 29 corner "close enough" as well as the mullet with some extra muscle and nerve. Cleared more gaps on the mullet, but felt the rear getting "caught up" more.

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Originally Posted by Chugachjed

I'm afraid to try a modern 29er. If I do I may need to sell guns/guitars/skis to buy one. I'm trying to convince myself that a 27.5 frame would be perfect and then I can just swap my parts. I'm mostly riding in Spokane for now, the trails are somewhere between techy and flowy. Other than being old and riding like a grandpa to avoid another concussion/injury I don't feel like my wheels are stopping me from riding any steep, rough, chunky shit.

The koolaid is so tempting though.

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More science than Kool-Aid. Does your current 2014 bike have Boost axle spacing? Otherwise, budget in a new wheelset with your frame swap.

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Originally Posted by Chugachjed

I'm afraid to try a modern 29er. If I do I may need to sell guns/guitars/skis to buy one. I'm trying to convince myself that a 27.5 frame would be perfect and then I can just swap my parts

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Your decision might be easier once you start looking into the incompatibility of bike shit from 2014 to 2023. :mad:

Guess it's time to move on from my 15 yo 26er? Lol..

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Originally Posted by JayPowHound

Guess it's time to move on from my 15 yo 26er? Lol..

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TBH, I'd probably still be riding my 2010 Reign 26'er if it wasn't for the fact that it had a straight steerer tube and finding a decent fork just got harder and harder as the years went by...

^^ too funny, I'm on a Reign as well!

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Originally Posted by JayPowHound

^^ too funny, I'm on a Reign as well!

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I'm currently on a 2018 Trance Advanced... which is fairly similar to the old Reign.

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Originally Posted by JayPowHound

Guess it's time to move on from my 15 yo 26er? Lol..

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I feel seen haha

Has anyone here tried 32” wheels yet?

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Originally Posted by Velomayniac

Has anyone here tried 32” wheels yet?

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https://www.dirtysixer.com/

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Originally Posted by jackattack

https://www.dirtysixer.com/

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Go big or go home.

:cool:

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Originally Posted by JayPowHound

Guess it's time to move on from my 15 yo 26er? Lol..

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Ha! Still on my ‘08 spec enduro.

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Originally Posted by Velomayniac

Has anyone here tried 32” wheels yet?

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How about 36"?

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Originally Posted by toast2266

Smaller wheels turn better and accelerate more quickly. Bigger wheels are more stable and plow through chunder better. That's really all there is to it.

I think, as much as anything, the strong trend towards 29ers is because trails have generally gotten straighter and more on camber over the years. Partly because that's how new trails are being built, and partly because lots of use over the years tends to bed in old trails to make them more on camber and straighter. And because of that cambering and straightening, the downsides of 29's are reduced, and the advantages of a 27.5 are minimized.

Among the people I mostly ride with, the only ones on 27.5's are people that are either fairly short (5'5" or less), or have a strong preference towards a whippy, turny bike (mostly younger guys who are trying to throw tricks on jumps). A handful are on mullets (27.5 rear / 29 front) to try to get the best of both worlds, but I'm not convinced they've succeeded in that goal.

To more directly answer your question: if your trails are slow, turny, and involve a lot of dramatic slowing down and speeding up, you might prefer the 27.5. If they're faster, flowier, or just straight-ish and chunky, a 29er will probably treat you better.

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Great summary
I would add that 27.5 (which I’m on) has, other things equal, about 3/4” less ground clearance than 29. Which means you are a little more prone to vector-changing pedal strikes in rocky terrain.

And for equivalent components, 29 will weigh a hair more

I'm riding both, I'm older too. Mid 60s - Grew up in the days of Gary Fisher when the advent of 2.1 rubber was a major suspension upgrade :-}

They both have their place and advantages as already mentioned. Your size should also be a consideration. If your shorter than 5 9, I'd stick with 27. The 29s are bigger more cumbersome. Not like years ago when they first showed up but they are bigger, less agile

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Originally Posted by BCMtnHound

Ha! Still on my ‘08 spec enduro.

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Loved that bike once I got the specialized suspension off it.

I have a '05 26er, '19 27.5, '16 29er, and a '22 mullet. Don't buy a 26er. Any of the other three wheel size offerings you cannot lose imo. They're all super fun. Just find a shiny red one and buy it.

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Originally Posted by TBS

Great summary
I would add that 27.5 (which I’m on) has, other things equal, about 3/4” less ground clearance than 29. Which means you are a little more prone to vector-changing pedal strikes in rocky terrain.

And for equivalent components, 29 will weigh a hair more

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Hmmm, I’m not sure about this. BB height off the ground should be about the same - every modern bike, regardless of wheel size, is designed to basically be as low to the ground as possible while still having reasonable clearance to avoid pedal strikes. 29ers will have more BB drop and give a more planted “between the wheels” feel. 27.5” with less BB drop will be easier to get the front wheel off the ground.

29-27.5 = 1.5” divided by 2 does equal 3/4”. But it doesn’t quite work that way. I guess this would be true if someone simply installed 27.5” wheels on a bike designed around 29”.

Yes, all other things equal, a 29er will weigh more.

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Originally Posted by One (+) Sentence

More science than Kool-Aid. Does your current 2014 bike have Boost axle spacing? Otherwise, budget in a new wheelset with your frame swap.

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No boost but I've got Hadley hubs and can get a different axle/freehub body to make them boost.

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Originally Posted by One (+) Sentence

Hmmm, I’m not sure about this. BB height off the ground should be about the same - every modern bike, regardless of wheel size, is designed to basically be as low to the ground as possible while still having reasonable clearance to avoid pedal strikes.

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Ehhh... there's a caveat though. BB height is also a function of travel. If you put a 335mm BB height on a 160mm travel bike you're going to be smacking the shit out of your cranks and chainring constantly, regardless of wheel size. Likewise if you put a 350mm BB on a 120mm bike, it's going to ride really high.

I will add this to the original question: in the last 3 years or so, most brands have all gotten the geometry on their bikes nicely sorted out, and suspension kinematics have mostly gotten pretty good. In the bad old days, 29ers had even shittier geometry than the shitty geometry of the time, because the designers were trying to make them do flat turns like 26" bikes. You can forget about that now. Just about any bike from the last 3 or so years will grind its way uphill nicely, and be really comfortable and fun to descend on.

If you're not trying to race or are riding super gnarly chunky shit, a modern 27.5 will be just fine. Speaking as someone whose last 2 bikes have been mullets, I'd say they're not really best of both worlds. I mostly ride them to reduce ass buzz, and if I was a bit taller (I'm 5'8") and/or didn't ride as many steep trails, I'd probably just run 29.

One last random thought: bike weight really doesn't matter too much, within reason, on newer bikes. A 35# modern trail bike is going to climb way better than something from 5 years ago, even if it weighs 5# more. My Nomad 3 was like an ounce under 30#, ready to ride. My Nomad 6 is 35#, and it is hands down better in every aspect.

IME/ IMO on SC mullet ( 5'8" on a medium ) just turns snappier and i like it > the 29/29 yeti but ymmv

I get a lot of pedal strikes but i think thats cuz instead of pausing around " stuff " I keep pedaling to keep the motor boiling

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Originally Posted by Eluder

Loved that bike once I got the specialized suspension off it.

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I briefly looked into replacing the triple crown and front fork, but cost and hassle just didn’t spur the investment. Replaced the rear spec shock once with another for dirt cheap, no issues with either since, but then I am a complete hack, and a large heavy one at that.

Would love a new bike. But the prices and availability the past few years have been no bueno. Nice to hear the 29’er have improved - half a decade or so I gave one a try and it felt squeamish under my 100kg fat ass. Thought I was going to bend the rims. Might be time to do some shopping for a late model 29 under $2k.

Supply has caught up and possibly surpassed demand It would be a good year to buy a new bike !!

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Originally Posted by Chugachjed

I'm afraid to try a modern 29er. If I do I may need to sell guns/guitars/skis to buy one. I'm trying to convince myself that a 27.5 frame would be perfect and then I can just swap my parts. I'm mostly riding in Spokane for now, the trails are somewhere between techy and flowy. Other than being old and riding like a grandpa to avoid another concussion/injury I don't feel like my wheels are stopping me from riding any steep, rough, chunky shit.

The koolaid is so tempting though.

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You can buy a specialized stumpjumper evo alloy frameset for $1500 right now. Buy that, a decent aluminum wheelset, a fork, and a dropper post (assuming yours is the wrong size). Move the rest of your parts over. You'll be ~$2800 into it, and it'll be a pretty sweet bike. That thing will kill it at beacon.

Word on the street is that Specialized is sitting on a billion dollars of inventory. Hence their current sales. Which means everyone else is running sales just to keep up. Which is putting massive pressure on local shops.

On the good news front they apparently have caught up from the covid product shortages. Ha.

Good time to buy a bike.

Would a bike produced since 2021 have the same QC issues I am seeing in the new vehicles? While it mostly seems to be electronic components that are at highest risk, some issues have been with mechanical components, and welds as well. No idea if the supply chain issues and rush to put anything into the market the past couple years might carry over until the bike category.

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Originally Posted by Andeh

Ehhh... there's a caveat though. BB height is also a function of travel. If you put a 335mm BB height on a 160mm travel bike you're going to be smacking the shit out of your cranks and chainring constantly, regardless of wheel size. Likewise if you put a 350mm BB on a 120mm bike, it's going to ride really high.

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Sounds like we are basically in agreement. A current, modern 160mm travel bike will have approximately the same BB height regardless if it was designed around 27.5" wheels or 29" wheels.

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Originally Posted by BCMtnHound

Would a bike produced since 2021 have the same QC issues I am seeing in the new vehicles? While it mostly seems to be electronic components that are at highest risk, some issues have been with mechanical components, and welds as well. No idea if the supply chain issues and rush to put anything into the market the past couple years might carry over until the bike category.

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Current failure rates don't seem any different than before covid. Failures certainly aren't unheard of, but if anything, frames have gotten more solid.

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

Supply has caught up and possibly surpassed demand It would be a good year to buy a new bike !!

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Then get cracking all you cheap dentists and buy new bikes so I can buy your 2019+ old full squish 29er for under $2k. Quick check on PK and only 1 within 350km, a ‘20 norco fluid mid spec in 108mile.

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Originally Posted by toast2266

Current failure rates don't seem any different than before covid. Failures certainly aren't unheard of, but if anything, frames have gotten more solid.

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Thanks, good to know!

Both wheel sizes are so good for different things. I love both. I am on my first mullet right now and that is good too. Would never go back to 26”, but would never give up 27.5

ChugachJed, do you still have those limited edition On3p “Wren Comps” from like 2015ish?

If you like those go 29

For the smaller tighter trails the 27.5 is great. Fine on the open terrain also. Just better all around for my style.


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Whatever you end up on, just remember to pick a size and be a dick about it.