The Final Say on MTB Wheel Size!

[InspectorGadget]

I receive Gene Hamilton's Better Ride emails and this was in my inbox today:

Gene’s article: The Final Say on Mountain Bike Wheel Size! All you need to know about wheel sizes and what size is right for you.

All this might get you thinking about test riding a bike so read this article to get the most out of your test ride:

http://betterride.net/?p=2885

First ask yourself honestly how many mtbs you want at any given time. Can you afford one mountain bike, two bikes (a downhill bike and an xc bike), or three bikes, (a xc bike, an enduro/all mtn bike and a downhill bike), four bikes (a xc bike, an enduro/all mtn bike, a dirt jumper and a downhill bike) or five bikes, (a fat bike, xc bike, an enduro/all mtn bike, a dirt jumper and a downhill bike)? Sadly, a friend of mine owns all five of those bikes but he has never invested in is own riding so he rides all of those bikes not nearly as well as he could (slightly out of balance, slightly out of control, entering corners fast and coming out slow, etc.) so don't be a fool and spend all your money on your bikes, spend some on you!

Then ask yourself what you want to do on each bike as your answer/s will differ greatly if you can afford multiple bikes.

How tall are you? Height is a big factor as you reach a point where 29r's and even 650b/27.5 bikes will simply be too big (not necessarily too big to ride but too big to ride in control, in balance and efficiently) if you are vertically challenged. Saying you are tall enough to ride a 29r is the same as saying I am tall enough to ride a 36r, which I am but just because I can do it doesn't mean it is good. If you are below 5'5" 29r's start to become pretty cumbersome (I know people that are 5' even and love their 29r but if they had a chance to spend a week on a 650 or even a 26r they would probably find the smaller wheeled bike more fun). If you are 4'10" or shorter 650b/27.5 bikes may be a bit cumbersome, definitely thoroughly test similar 27.5" and 26" bikes to figure out which fits you best.

If you want one bike that will do it all well you will want a 27.5 with 5" of travel and a 66-68 degree head angle.


Norco 650b all mountain bike

Norco has imbraced the 650b wheel for most of their mtb line

If your over riding goal is to win xc races your will want a 29r, there is simply nothing quite as efficient a weapon for xc racing as a 29r.


Orbea 29r race bike

If you like all mountain riding and/or enduro racing you will want a 650b/27.5" wheeled bike with 5-7" of travel. The 27.5" tires are the perfect compromise between the rolling ease of a 29r and maneuverability of a 26r. Most medium priced and above non-xc race mountain bikes will be 650b by 2015.



Ibis Mojo 650B is a good looking mountain bike!

Dirt Jumpers, slopestyle and 4 cross bikes will stay 26" as other than possibly rolling a little faster there is no real benefit to bigger wheels for this style of riding (and one big downside, weaker, more flexy wheels). If this is the kind of bike you are looking for stick with 26" wheels!

For downhill you will eventually want a 650b but until all the companies (especially fork companies) get the geometry dialed in you may end up waiting a year or two to get one.



KHS has their 650b DH machine dialed!

As for me, I have three mountain bikes a Canfield Jedi Downhill bike (26r), a 26" wheeled dirt jumper and Specialized Evo 29r. I had been waiting for 68 degree head tube angle 29r for over a year and finally got the EVO this spring. I have been riding the EVO all summer and though it is very efficient it isn't fun to ride like my old 26r or the 650b bikes I have ridden (it goes straight great and is like cheating going up rock ledges and technical climbs but doesn't like cornering and switchbacks. It is cumbersome, slow and awkward to throw around). The Evo 29r will be for sale soon and replaced with a 650b. The dirt jumper is great for pumptracks and jumping so it will stay! The Jedi will hopefully be replaced by a 650b wheeled DH bike from Canfield Brothers but that might not be until 2015.


Gene Hamilton Canfield Jedi Mountain Bike

Now you know.

[rideit]

Well, yeah.
pert much

[TahoeJ]

I have a 29er and love it, especially for where I ride going over lots of rocks where those wagon wheels are fantastic, but everything he says is absolutely true. They are not the best for switchbacks and aren't nearly as playful, so it's a trade-off for sure. I do think in the coming years 650b is going to dominate the all mountain market, and I suspect the next bike I buy will be that size.

[toast2266]

I don't like the tone of his voice.

But yeah, agreed with most of what he says.

[jamal]

This whole wheel size thing kind of reminds me of setting up car suspension. I like to say make it as soft as possible. That means account for the surfaces you drive on, the tires you are using, the aerodynamic loads, how you like the car the feel, the limitations of the chassis and suspension geometry, etc. So in practice you sometimes end up with a really stiff suspension. For bikes it really seems to come down to "use the biggest wheels possible," while accounting for what kind of stuff you're riding, the suspension travel, the loads the wheels will see, how tall you are...

That said, I'm a tall guy and am super happy with my hardtail 29er with a 100mm fork. While I have found some of the limitations, it's amazing how well it rolls over things and makes obstacles and rocks I used to walk over look small. I rode a trail I haven't been on lately, and have never been on with 29" wheels, the other day, and there is a big rock step up I had always walked on the old 26" bike. Rolled right over it without a second thought. Same thing on a big ride we did out of town a few weeks ago. Tons of steep stuff and rock gardens and those big wheels just go over everything. With a 26" bike I think you need more travel to deal with the same terrain. The guy behind me on a FS 26" bike with a 160mm fork was impressed.

[lph]

On my one day on a 29'er I found it to be a hindrance on big uphill technical moves.

On smallish baby heads and small rock ledges it was great. Rolled over without a second thought, no exaggerated weight shifting required and saved a lot of energy. The

On moves that required a manual to get my front tire over, or closely spaced steps; felt like I was wearing clown shoes. I didn't get half the moves I would have on my 26" bike.

Anyone have similar experience?

[kidwoo]

I don't like the tone of his voice.

But yeah, agreed with most of what he says.

You should have heard it when he used to give lessons in bootleg and one of his students broke his leg before beginning his paid session. His voice does funny things when he thinks he's not going to get paid.

14 year old bones and pain be damned.

[toast2266]

You should have heard it when he used to give lessons in bootleg and one of his students broke his leg before beginning his paid session. His voice does funny things when he thinks he's not going to get paid.

14 year old bones and pain be damned.

heh.

I'd never paid attention to this guy so I read through a couple of his blog posts. It's like he goes out of his way to make valid points in the douchiest possible manner.

[markcjr]

the guy just looks like a douch-nozzle

[joetron]

Gene is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and could teach any one of us how to be a better, faster rider. He has probably coached more super successful racers than anybody else in the mountain bike world.

[markcjr]

yeah.....but he still looks like ogre from revenge of the nerds. so take that!

[Particle]

What joetron said. I've taken one of his camps and he can be a little quirky, sure, but man the guy can coach and he lays it out how it is. Loved this article. No BS, just puts it out there how it is.

[phatfreeheeler]

Before the dirt demos at Interbike I would have written my opinion very similar to Gene's...but it would have been based on theory.

After I-bike...I am scrambling to figure out how to afford Enve's and a Sworks Enduro 29 frame with Pike 160 which you can't get aftermarket yet. I have always kinda disliked the big S for various reason's like bolt holes that didin't stay round on my OG Bighit because of low quality aluminum or shattered bearings on a Stumpy due to being way undersized, but wow this bike blew me away. You obviously need to be big enough to fit it, but even my 5'7" wife was seriously impressed and noticeably faster riding it. The new WFO was also good with a Pike up front, but the geo on the Enduro was one step better. I've ridden a lot of ~120 travel 29ers, but they were never very fun because the back end was too long or other geo was jacked. If companies just fix the geo on those travel bikes they could squash the 650b craze for anyone with budget that includes carbon wheels. That is the caveat, flexy 29er wheels suck.


I rode a lot of 650b bikes and they were good bikes, but no real benefit over 26 IMO. The 2 seconds I might save in a enduro strava segment isn't worth ditching my 26" bikes. Honestly, the extra wheel size maybe allows a reduction of 5-10mm of travel max and that isn't enough to vastly improve pedalling efficiency. They are for short people, people scared of being seen on a 29er, or people not willing to sell a kidney to buy Enve's.

Outside of #trailenduroallmountainjustplainfuckingfunmountain bikes all bets are off.

BTW - my 26" Reign X will continue to be fun as hell until I can find a buyer for my overused kidney.

[TahoeJ]

I disagree about the wheel size benefits. Just to confirm my theory, I took my old 26" out to Annadel the other day - where the trails are full of baby-heads and shark fins - and very quickly missed my 29 inch wheels. 650b certainly has its place, splitting the difference.

[jono]

I want to agree with pfh, but I'm not sure I can go as far as squashing 650B completely. I was at outerbike last weekend (somehow missed the thread on enchiladas...next year) and after avoiding 29ers last year and hoping maybe 650 would be better I've now had two years of disappointment with 650's that won't _quite_ handle like 26 OR 29, and three long and impressive rides on longer travel 29ers from the Niner WFO, Cannondale Trigger, and the aforementioned S-works. IMO the earlier downside of 29 is fairly well resolved with longer travel; those bikes all worked well. I gave the S-works a particularly hard test (tired legs, technical trail I'd never tried [Deadman's Ridge] and in a dead rush to catch the mrs on her shorter loop) and managed to clean everything I tried. Very impressed. But I can't for the life of me say easier is any more fun--for me. I really want one for my wife, though. Watching her stay in the saddle is always more fun!