There'll be plus'es; there'll be minus'es. But it'll be very very hard to cut through all the bullshit from manufacturers as well as the koolaid-drinkers who marvel at how well 650b magically transmogrifies their skills. Real world application and real world riding from guys who have credibility (that's looking at you Mike and Brad and others) and a big broad base of experience from which to draw; that's what would be valuable
I don't think I have ever heard / seen some one use the term "transmogrifies" before.
But I agree, everyone has preference, the 650b wheel will stay, and could be possible a more popular size than a 29er, but I'll stick to what I know in 26" & 29" wheels, but I'll probably give 650b a try if I get a chance.
But I feel it will be Quite similar to a 26" IMO but I have never even seen one in person on a mtb.
Transmogrifies is a 'Calvin and Hobbes' reference... It was a cartoon where a kid had a cardboard box with 'transmogrifier' written on it - he'd use it to transform into various different things (i.e. he used his imagination). I pretty sure it's not a real word but pretty apt in this usage!
@jimeg - That is exactly the problem with all these pinkbike threads, got way too many people who are hugely biased against any change, and think they know it all when it comes to bikes and how they should/shouldnt ride.
The only benefit any wheel size has over another is the riders perspective on how it rides.
Your body has the biggest influence on what bike works for you.
If you never saw a 26" wheel in your life, and only ever rode 29" wheels... then maybe you would think... Wow.. this tiny wheel sucks, it gets caught up on everything. Same idea with people who try out a 29" wheel bike, Oh wow, it drives like a truck, feels heavier, not as quick steering...
If the MTB world wants to focus on further breaking up bicycle sizes and drive up the cost of parts, then that's what's going to happen. In my opinion, if everything went to 650b, no more 26" no more 29"... then we could have cheaper parts. I've never even ridden a 650b bike on anything other than a parking lot, so don't be yelling biased at me. I want prices to come down, and have 3 wheel sizes for a MTB is ridiculous, everyone's wallet loses out... that being said, I'm quite excited about the new Surly Krampus, one more silly niche product for my stable.
Heres my opinion, 26" is the perfect wheel size for great maneuvering abilities and strength while still maintaining good rolling characteristics. 650b is the perfect wheel for someone who likes the maneuverability of a 26" wheel but want a smoother ride aswell. 29" is in my opinion for people who are less aggressive riders looking for a smoother quicker ride.
All these sizes do have noticeable differences when riding, in the future I see 29" taking over the dedicated xc bikes with 650b being used on the more aggressive XC bikes aswell as AM bikes. I think 26" will always stay here for the DH FR and the more burly AM bikes.
deeeight - you have bike choices??!! You lucky, lucky bugger! I'm on a SC Blur LT and it was suggested to me by a fellow pinkbiker that I could substantially improve the characteristics of my bike by going to a 650b tire. Have not made the change but considering it. Makes more sense with the terrain around here and riding style than 29". cwat may of hit the nail right on the head with his comment; different bikes with different wheel size for different applications. but for us poor folk that can only affford one bike, the search for that one bike gets a little tougher.
26" = trails with tight turns, lots of stuff to pump, and where acceleration plays a key role, and where terrain is grippy 29er = trails with lots of long straighter sections, lots of loose climbs, unbermed or off camber corners, and not so smooth (full of small bumps like ruts, braking bumps, rocks, roots, etc.) and not so grippy terrain 650" = trails with a good mix both
Or say
29er = taller rider ...
Riders will ride whatever they're comfortable on. Bikes are getting better and wheel size is getting too much credit. 29ers used to be crap, but now that bikes have gotten to the point that it's making more and more people think twice about 26", people are only now noticing the difference the wheel size can make.
I made a prediction like that, but it has much more overlap than that, with 29ers rigid-5.5"; 650b 4"-7", 26" 5.5"+ and DJ/slopestyle/4x/slalom.
Don't jump on the 650b bandwagon too soon. They may say they can design a 650b to be as "mature" as a 26", but didn't they say stuff like that for the 29er? I think the industry is just jumping on wheel size niches, thinking it'd turn out to be hot like 29ers, with some companies trying to cash in on the initial surge. The demand for 29ers was just overwhelming and I think they're jumping the gun on this, perhaps to not get stuck playing catch-up with the brands that invested more early on and cashed in on the 29er wave.
I want prices to drop back down again, honestly. All this 650b and 29er stuff that's made at low volume, with lots of R&D invested in it is simply making it harder to find sales on stuff, since some mfg made a whole crapload of something good that worked just fine (high volume = low prices).
650b reeks of the "wheel size bubble". Hope that some good brands don't collapse when the bubble pops and it turns out people went meh when shown 650b. Marketing driven waves don't fare as well as demand driven waves.
For DH, 4x, Slopestyle and DJ 26" will stay. For all the XC, All Mtn rides then 650b will reign. One major tyre manufacturer in Europe is banking on this.
Hutchinbone, because they were waaaaaaaaaay late to the 29er game and cannot catch up, so they are throwing all their weight behind 650b to ride the wave. Too bad they make hard tires that aren't as good as Schwalbe.
Yes but their tires also don't leak like Schalbes (the TL-ready sidewall tires are just a joke, a large percentage take DAYS to seal up properly, even with the best sealants available), nor do they suffer catastrophic sidewall damage as easily as Schwalbes, nor do they cost as much as Schwalbes.
It's probably a nice size for a wheel....but after enduring the massive onslaught of 29er marketing hype (no matter whether 29ers are good or not, we've been virtually buried in it) I'm just not looking forward to "The Next Greatest Thing That Everyone Needs".
The 26 and the 29 is standard enough. If you want a hard-tail xc bike go with a 29er for everything else go 26, I live in Texas and the 29er is uber popular here it's pretty flat and finding the performance 26 stuff is even getting harder, often times I pick up a tire I would want to run only to find it's a 29er in stores, the 650b just seems like an annoyance it's hard enough to find the tube and tire you want at an LBS good luck finding a tube for 650b. Hit the road 650b
Speaking as someone who's been riding on 650B mountain bikes longer than likely any other PB member, they're the goldielocks of wheel sizes. Not to big, Not to small. Just right.
Hahahaha yessss hey deeeight, I thought I was the only baby wagon wheels rider here! Just so you know blakely, I run 26 tubes in my 650b, rubber does this new thing where it stretches these days
I run Kenda Superlight 26 x 1.9/2.1 in all my 26er tires, all my 650Bs, and I carry them as spares for my 29er in case I slice the sidewall and need to pour our the sealant and boot the casing and put a tube into them. Tubes will stretch in diameter a lot more willingly than they will in width.
I dont know, fox does dominate downhill no questions asked, but rockshox is great xc/am forks anyway, their shocks are shit ill admit. But if you're going to run a 650b, fox currently doesn't have a 650b compatible fork, and they say don't use their 26 ones, rockshox however, are widely accepted to take 650b wheels. There is currently only one company that makes a 650b specific fork, and they happen to be white brothers I tell you what they make quality stuff anyway, but its NOT cheap at 900 per fork.
If by currently you mean forks you THE CONSUMER can order today, then yes there's white brothers as you mentioned but there is also X-Fusion whose ENTIRE model line is officially endorsed as being 650B compatible. If you mean forks OEM MANUFACTURERS are already receiving shipments of for the 2013 model year, then Fox, Magura, Marzocchi, SR-Suntour and Rockshox all have models available.
Then there's a host of forks already produced by numerous brands over the past decade that are 650B compatible out of the box (because they have adequate clearance under both the crown and brace) or with simple modification in the same way the X-Fusion's are compatible, by using an additional bottom-out spacer to limit the compression stroke. On X-fusion forks other than the Vengence series, it cuts 10mm out of the maximum travel. You can get an X-Fusion Enix for around $300.
@mattsavage... NO...they don't. Fox isn't lying giving their maximum permitted tire diameter for the 32mm stanchion 26" forks as 27" and the 36/40 series models as 27.3". That REALLY is the maximum safe diameter if you want any sort of space left over for a stick or mud or anything that might be on your tire as it passes under the crown. I and many others HAVE bottomed out spinning the NeoMoto 2.3 650B tires against the underside of our Fox fork crowns and those are the tires that most 650B riders already use, and that the whole 27.5 size number is based on. There are larger diameter 650Bs already available though, the Kenda Nevegal 2.35 for example is close to 27.8 inches in diameter. People who say to others that they (fox forks) all accept 650B are either uninformed or just being moronic for giving such bad advice.I hope you're just in the first category. I am knowing of that fact, only running the QuasiMoto 2.0 under my Fox F32 Talas because I know the diameter of it is close enough to the maximum clearance rating that as long as i don't ride it in thick sticky mud, I won't have any problems.
Really? I had no clue I could be getting a new fork ALREADY I just thought they weren't for sale yet. I love my white bros, but the fluid 650b is really lacking in the lockout category, although it runs great once its set up for you. Magura all the way though! Do you know if they have a straight steer tube 130mm 650b?
Yeah that's the problem I find with many forks. I don't like straight lockouts. If you need a lockout on the fork, you really should just ride a rigid fork. I'd much rather have a compression damping adjuster that makes a wide tuning change range for the compression side of things. Fox's RLC models do have a low-speed compression adjustment and that's pretty good. I use mine. I however have NEVER engaged the lockout lever of my Talas fork, and neither has my gf ever used her lockout lever on her F29 RLC. I have however on rides used the climb-it control adjuster on my Rockshox Psylo Race (a great fork for 650Bs, at full compression i have a half inch of space under the crown and more than that around the tire at the brace with a NeoMoto 2.3 tire) since it does vary the compression damping a lot across its operating range. X-Fusion's Vengence models get seperate high and low speed compression adjustment but their XC line only get a straight lockout option.
The place I ride varies a lot though, from descents that will make your balls shrivel in fear, to climbs that can last for a good half hour, so id like my fork really to be as adjustable as possible. Maybe a fox ctd shock and 650b fork in the future?
Well they're doing Float and Talas 34 series models for next year, but that's only good if you're shopping for things in the 120 to 160mm travel range.
why are so many people complaining? to me the more choices the better. why are 29ers a joke? i would much rather race xc on a 29er. try riding a 100mm travel 26er dh or up on technical then ride a 100mm 29er and tell me you cant tell a better difference? i have raced both and would choose the 29 over the 26 any day. now when i want to just have fun and jump, you cant beat a 26er. bottom line, depending on my mood i get the best of both worlds with two bikes. cant wait to see where the 27.5er fits in. of course this in my opinion but i welcome the 27.5er.
It wasn't too long ago when 24" wheels became the standard for dirt jumping (in the UK atleast), it feels like that couldnt be farther from what is out there now. These things come and go, it seems that 26" is the one thing that will always remain.
And how about a 30 inch! Wait, lets make a 31 inch. Hell lets start making some of those penny-farthings again! Haha. Actually I kinda want one of those, just to say I have one.
But really, I think more options the better. Gives people the freedom to choose what they like. Some people like certain qualities, other people are into different things. Just have enough options and everyone will be happy.
@Koin... Surly has a 700C x 3.0 inch tire model for 2013. The bike is called the Krampus. The tires are a claimed 690 grams each and a large air volume / minimal tread block size design (think Kenda Karma or Slant Six type of tire). Actual inflated diameter on 50mm wide rims is about 31 inches.
A) You live for it- a day without a survey is like a Hotdog without Mustard B) A lot - you find the ticking of boxes more pleasurable than you would care to admitt. C) Slightly more than average - A ticked box is better than an empty one D) You simply don't care - polls are pointless E) Not very much - Boxes Schmoxes F) Not at all - f*ck off asking me questions!!
Thanks to people liking polls, commerce can fk everyone how the like - they get any information they like, they just need to ask the question right adressing people's weakness. The idea comes from over 50 years ago when corporations realized that people love to express their feelings and be asked what do they think about something: a thing that many philosophers and most religions of the world refer to as: vain personality. But off course what the hell do they know about the real world, even a child will tell you that polls are good for the industry and for the consumer. So... got tickled?
What are the rules in DH, free ride, enduro and xc? I have seen 29"s in xc vs 26ers, and I think someone rode a 24"inch at last years Claymore slopestyle (unfair advantage in slopestyle I reckon). If they made more rims and tyres for 24" I'd ride them. I ride for fun not speed or endurance and big wheels are just no fun. Long chainstays and flexi heavy wheels that get damaged easier are no fun for me. You want to be able to roll over bigger stuff, learn to manual.
I don't know about all other riders, but the ones I ride with (myself included) tend to ride more when they buy new stuff. New bike or new parts = riding more = better shape and more practice = BETTER RIDER. And when you're a better rider, you feel it, and you feel good. And apparently, you attribute it to whatever new piece of hardware you just picked up. Well, some of us do anyways.
The other thing I've noticed is the "new tire syndrome". Every new tire with sticky rubber and nice sharp lugs is going to dig into the trail and work a hell of a lot better than your almost-done 6-month old carcass that you should have replaced a few weeks ago. It's not the tread design, it's not the rubber compound; you could have put a $10 walmart cruiser tire on there and it would feel better.
Bike and component manufacturers know this and exploit this to their advantage. They also know that something "new" is seen as innovative and daring, which is generally seen as a positive thing not only by potential customers, but also the marketplace. It's just good for business to come out with new products, even if they're just rehashed old ideas with a flashy new logo. Most of these products offer little or no improvement over their predecessors, and just serve as a new way for bike companies to make money and stay ahead of the competition.
Anyone remember the beta tape? In a lot of ways it was better than the vhs, but it still died an ignominious death. 650b makes sense for AM. In fact, the 15mm axle and the 34mm stantion both suit it beautifully I bet so if there has ever been a time to shine this is it, but nobody wants to buy a bike they can't swap their favorite wheelset onto from their last rig if they choose.
Unless of course it begins taking the enduro races by storm. . .
Exactly - Poozank was playing on the title of biggies song. Therefore he knows the title of B.I.G's song and chose to change the title for humorous reasons!
MTB is a dynamic industry, the re-introduction of 650b is a good option for small/medium riders like me who wants to go for a bigger wheel and still look balanced as far as rider size and bike ratio is concerned. I tried fitting a 29er but I look like a fly sitting on top of an elephant ( just exaggerating), you know what I mean? But its a worthwhile change to embrace, hope it could get traction and carry the momentum all the way.
650b, a bit better at rolling over stuff, but without robbing all the maneuverability or making the stays too long like 29". 29" was just a well played out marketing scam. Yes accept for you tall fellas, or big KM dirt road riders. 29 was all about the New bike sales. Whereas if they'd unleashed 27.5 first, half the customers would've just rammed 27.5" in their 26" frames and forks(with slight mods).
I did a 650b conversion on my Ibis Mojo SL and love it. Once people ride this size, they will realize how good it is. There are virtually no disadvantages, and it rolls beautifully.
If you don't like it don't buy it. You can use a 2.25 tire on a 650b and it will ride like a 2.4 in terms of traction and comfort, but will roll like a 2" 29er.
For downhill using 29s are pretty big. to have the same size of front and rear travel you would have to make the frame. (Height and length of the frame). to me i think that it would be harder to control the bike if it was longer and taller. I dont see why you would want to stray from the 26s. leave the 29s to the xc.
I can agree that larger wheel sizes roll over obstacles and trail irregularities much better than smaller wheel sizes. Where does it give though? I truly believe as time passes the trails will get so gnarly and full of huge holes and rocks that anything under a 650B without some mad skill and it will be un-ridable. (SP?) Soon we will all be riding the Black Sheep 36er and riding will no longer be technical, just loaded with rolling mass. I thought the reason we all rode our bikes was to stay healthy and get our heart rate pumping? Just my .02 cents.
Really simple answer is it's a money spinner.
It costs enough to keep a bike running these days as it is, why can't all the idiots just not buy into all these things and they'll soon end up dead in the water.
normal people use 26; 20 and 24 are for kids; 29 are for old people, this is what i think, nothing personal!!!!!! any way dont matter if you are having a good time.
i think it would be a better poll if you waited a year,i am a downhill racer and a just saw my first 650 b race set up the other day..i had NO idea what they where..so most people are just finding out about them,iv only known about them for like 2 weeks,but hey i wouldn't mind demoing a few downhill rigs set up with some 650s . They look like they would love to trash a rock garden at speed.
I have ridden all three wheel sizes now. I have to say 29r is the way to go on hard tail and short travel xc bike. The 26 for medium to long travel is still my vote. The 650b realy did not give me anything, I honestly could not tell the difference. I do not realy care at this point except for the extra junk we will have to have in the shop now and the education we will have to give to all the customers that read the mags and half believe the hype. The numbers of skus a shop needs to carry to keep customers happy is getting staggering, what happened to get out and ride.
I have ridden 26" for years, and I would like to try a 29'er, which I've only ridden around a parking lot. I will be trying and comparing my 26" with 650B and 29'er over the next year.
Two things:
1) I think the future of 650B is un-certain. I am still very interested in 650B for one reason. If 26" mtb's worked for many years, and still work, and 29" bikes work better in many ways, but are different, then it's highly unlikely that 650B will be bad. It's just that I don't know if it's going to be unique enough to be prefered over the other wheel sizes.
2) I don't think it is clear that the 584 mm rim of 650B was the best choice. 650A rims at 590 mm or the 597 mm rim size could have also worked. I think they should have done more testing to determine if 650B, 650A or the 597 mm rim size was the best choice.
I think the advent of 650B and associated frames and forks will be maximized if clearance for larger tires is maximized, also allowing for possible change over to a 650A or 597 mm rim and tire. 650C is only 571 mm and too small to warrant use, unless you own a tire company and want to make a different wheel to fit on a 26" bike that won't accept 650B.
And here I am saving my pennies to buy a 24 inch inspired Skye and a fat tired Surly Moonlander! I remember running a 24 on the rear of my DH and it sucked! I also remember back in the early 90s I had an Ibis trials comp with a 20 inch rear and a 24 up front and that bike rocked! (and it had 32 inch bars 20 years ago!) I have tried a couple 29ers and its cool. Wheel sizes will come and go like neon colour fads but the 26 inch balloon tires is immortal.
WOW more stuff to cram into the brain. All the new hype about the 650. People did not notice too much about it a couple years ago when KHS came out with the 650B. It is a fun bike. Now with all the main stream lines going with a 29'er platform it is now all the rage. Look back in the day when the Tour De France first started. It was first won on 650c tires, and alas the 700c tires came out for more straight line speed. Now on the mountain side of things it was and is the 26'er as the go to for most things. Then in 2000(or before) there was the 24" saying that it would replace the bigger tire. And that did not last too long.
Now as for the 650 now on a mountain bike I can see that there is some advantages. I think that it may compete with the 29'er for XC, yet some people might not want to try them, only for a reason of cost.
I do not think I will buy a 650 bike, yet I will be willing to get a wheel set for my 29'er. I have the Specialized Stump jumper Evo Expert 29'er and love it as a baby all mountain bike.
I think that it is a good idea for some reason that I cannot express, yet the 26'er will always be my first love.
Manufacturers should have gone 650b in the first place, rather than 29er. 650b has been around plenty long as well- why are these new kids pretending it's a recent invention. It just hasn't been implemented industry-wide until now. from my perspective, 29er almost seems like the real scam that went down, with 650b coming to replace it as what should have been there all along...
700c, uh, I mean "29er" wheels were easy...they were there on the road bike in the next row of the LBS... Touring or tandem rims, one pathetic tire (the WTB Nanoraptor) and away we go...well, in about ten years. The 650b trend moved much faster because it makes more sense. It just took a little more work to find a suitable, already existing standard. The beta example someone mentioned is a perfect analogy. One standard wins out over another, regardless of which one is superior. Blu-ray and HDDVD is another example. 26" wheels are not some magical diameter. It was a matter of history and circumstance.
I was expecting an option on the poll for "WTF is a 650B?" That was going to be my answer. Anyways, born and raised on 26" (well, not born, but since I was about 10), gonna stick with them for a while longer. Parts are easy to come by.
Once you ride one, you will know why. All sizes will remain for niche markets, but the trail, AM and DH will all be benefitted with a 650b wheel. XC will likely remain 29". I expect to be neg propped for this, but thats OK. Its like the Dorado. Anyone who doesn't own one claims to know all the flaws in the design. Once you ride it for a while, you won't go back to conventional unless you get sponsored by a different brand.
Yeah that sounds like a logical reason, hopefully they come out with DH version, would really like to try it... Only flaw I can think of is that it wouldn't take corners as tighter and would be slightly less maneuverable..
The only benefit of more 650b options, for me, is new 650 rim and tire options for my dirt-touring bike.
Other than that, I think it's just another marketing scheme to drive up demand and, thus, prices.
Personally I believe all three wheel standards make sense for different applications.... 29 for xc marathon, 650b for enduro super d and agressive trail, and 26 for dh fr slope...
I think it will go the way of the metric run flats on some german cars, great idea but there will be few tyres compatible and the cost will be more due to lower manufacturing numbers. imo .
Your CofG isn't going to be noticeably higher with 650b. The relationship between axle height and BB height changes favorably for turning geometry with bigger wheels. With 29ers the weight of the wheel offsets this advantage, but that tipping point isn't met with a 650b giving a more planted ride, better cornering traction, and better rolling.
650b isn't going to replace 20" bmx wheels either. Slope is such a small market, no one really cares. The poll relates to trail bikes, AM bikes and DH I believe. Street will be 20 or 24. Slope, 4x,DJ will remain a niche market with products available. I see DH switching to 650b once a manufacturer develops tires and wheels for the application. I would switch my DH in a minute and will once some of the newer tires hit the market.
The middle of both - like in 12mmx142mm axles? These pups are pretty common on new bikes indeed, so your sarcasm seems to backfire a bit here.
650B does make an awful lot of sense to me: It might be just the right step for all those that never came to like 29ers and the way they ride. I am looking forward to testing the 650B models (which is still a challenge even for journalists at the moment), and I might well replace my ten-year old 26-inch trail bike with a 650B bike after all.
markunit is onto something. 142x12 is being adopted as the great compromise, as it's light, stiffens up the rear end, allows for hub axle to fit into dropouts for ease of installation, etc. Now we just need a 78mm BB, and 650B wheels, and the industry once again has a standard that fits 99% of applications. For the record, I hope 650B dies a slow, painful death, just like I hoped 29" would, but it does make sense from the standpoint of standards.
It depends on the tire WIDTHS in the comparison... the first widely available 650B tire of the modern mtb age (and by modern I meant NOT 35 years ago when mountain bikes were first being made on a larger scale and they were deciding which tires to adopt for production bikes) was the Pacenti Neo-Moto 2.3 which is actually a hair over 27.5 inches (hence the whole calling them 27.5ers). But like all tires, skinnier widths have shorter casing heights and thus the wheel diameter goes down, and vice versa wider widths equal greater diameters. Kenda Nevegal 2.35s are around 27.8" diameter, while the Pacenti QuasiMoto 2.0 is closer to 27.2". The new Pacenti MegaMoto 2.4 is 28" in diameter. I have 700C "29er labeled" tires that are about 28.3" and then there are the new Surly 700C x 3" tires that fit on their new for 2013 model the Krampus which are probably over 30" in actual diameter.
@jmm337 actually im sure no matter how fast of a biker you are the bike your on will either limit your ability or add to it. Its ridiculous in my opinion to argue about new bike parts and what should or shouldnt be available for riders. If you dont like the idea of it then dont buy it, I'm sure 99% of the people bashing 29 and 650b wheels havnt ever tried them or dont do the type of biking those wheels are designed for. I have never ridden anything but 26" and 24" but I can easily see how a 650b or 29" wheel could make you faster. The next dedicated xc bike I get will be 650b without a doubt.
chyu, Soooo, 650b is OK since it is about the rider and wheel size is irrelevant? It won't matter what we run then. I haven't seen a 20" bike win a WC XC event. I haven't seen a 24" wheeled bike win a DH. I must not be clever enough. Sighhhhhh.
Everybody always says that, but it still matters. If you could try multiple bikes back-to-back on whatever type of course you like to ride - XC, DH, or whatever - you would find that you were consistently faster on some than others with enough difference to affect your finish order in a race. You're not going to go from last to first, but it's a marginal advantage that everyone is always seeking, at any competitive level in the sport. Besides, riding a better and faster bike just feels like more fun.
Willie1 The industry doesn't make any 24" xc or downhill rims or competitive tyres. You will only see what they are selling ridden by whoever they are sponsoring.
the industry doesnt make 24" stuff ANYMORE because simply they werent in high demand. Why weren't they in high demand? because people bought them and realized they had bad rolling resistance on bumpy trails.
People are the fast ones but having just tried a 29" bike out a few days ago for the first time I can say my descents down the not so techy fast stuff were even faster... maybe it was me, maybe it was the bike, i don't know but i felt as if it went down that stuff faster without any different input from me.
Illegalsmile, you are right. I own a 29" Scott Scale and can safely say my xc riding has dramatically improved. Yes it took me a few weeks to come to grip with the handling and type of riding, but now that I have figured out how to ride it, I will never go back to 26" for xc. It just doesn't make sense. I would much rather have the added rolling speed and smoother ride over the more nimble 26". tbh I don't find the 29" hinders my cornering at all. Try it before you slam it.
650 and 29 look like a joke. They dont sell well, marketeers depleting their stock. Everybody still riding their 29/ 650 bikes next year w i l l look like idiots.
26 works extremely well in terms of durability, strength and looks.
Big wheels are heavy, weak and ugly.
S A Cup and many other events - riders actually carried their bikes down the hill side for fear of damaging their rims...
they don't sell well?! you obviously have never been on a 29er or pay attention to the racing circuit. 29ers dominate XC and are growing in popularity in Enduro.
Ya know, some people only buy a new bicycle every 5-10 years (i'm at 6 years now) and when they do finally buy a new bike, they spend a lot of time researching, testing, and pricing different options. I demoed 29ers for 3 years before finally making the switch, and although I won't run out and buy a 650b as soon as they hit the market, I'll be ready for a new bike by next year, if my wallet can handle it.
