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Are major companies planning to eliminate 27.5'' wheels?

PB Forum :: 27.5/650b
Are major companies planning to eliminate 27.5'' wheels?
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flag waldo-uribe
Posted: Feb 3, 2020 at 13:03 Quote
I have a 27.5'' bike and I love it. But the industry seems to be plotting against it, so it seems to be the right time (maybe a lil late) to sell it and buy a 29''.

I've tried 29'' bikes and they just don't feel right for me or the trails I ride, but the risk of running out of tires and losing a lot of money selling my 27.5'' when "it's dead" is f*cking with my mind.

It will help to have the following info

| Brand | Has 27.5'' 2020 enduro bike? | Will have a 27.5'' enduro bike next year? |
| Specialized | No | No |
| Ibis | Yes | No
etc..

oooooor, if anyone can leak information like "Giant's CEO is planning to get rid of 27.5'' bikes" or "Giant CEO will keep 27.5'' bikes" will make my life easier Smile
flag eshew
Posted: Feb 3, 2020 at 21:40 Quote
Well you only have to worry about rims, forks and tires. Don't think any of those items are going to be tough to find in 27.5 for a decade or two.

Now when they start selling 30.5" wheeled bikes as the next best thing you can start to be concerned.
flag undescended
Posted: Feb 8, 2020 at 10:52 Quote
And considering consensus is 27.5 is best for S, XS adult frames it ain’t goin no where. Just some manufacturers now have bikes with the 27.5-XS,S, 29-M,L,XL model. Yea, more buyers are trying 29rs since geo has been good but as long as there remains a preference for 27.5 in the upper sizes, they’ll continue building them, especially in the Gravity segment due to the more aggressive geo...
flag EllOwen
Posted: Feb 12, 2020 at 13:56 Quote
In the long run I think 27.5 will become alot less common and the 29 will take its place, but once 29 talk settles down there will be something else that will become the next big thing you can't ride your bike without, remember that at one time not such a long time ago 26" was the ultimate.

I've just bought a Mondraker Dune 2019 model which are only available to buy in 27.5", the 2020 model being the same. If 29 was an option I may have gone for it but I'm not fazed one bit that it's not. Enjoy the bike and maybe look into 29 when it's time for a change.
flag eshew
Posted: Feb 12, 2020 at 14:32 Quote
I was skeptical about 29" Happy with 26" didn't feel much of a difference going 26-27.5". But 27.5-29" it's apparent & with modern geo it's great. Only downside is the occasional 29" tire up the butt crack when getting far back over the rear on vert-near vert stuff. I'll learn hopefully.
flag MLeier
O+
Posted: Feb 17, 2020 at 18:24 Quote
As stated above, I can't see them doing away with 27.5" bikes/tires even just for smaller bikes. There are a lot of us shorter people out there that just don't feel good on 29ers. I also know a lot of tall people that still prefer how much more playful the 27.5" tired bikes are too. And, while it seems like it was hard to find 26" tires for a little while there, they are making a resurgence in the form of youth bikes. I'm sure that there will be lots of years before the demand for 27.5" is low enough for it to become a resale concern, and many more years than that before it would be hard to find replacement parts.
flag cmcrawfo
Posted: Feb 17, 2020 at 18:28 Quote
MTB is becoming more and more diverse. I cant see it being a standard that will be done away with, but rather that it will remain as an option for builders/designers.
flag Marininmaine
Posted: Apr 19, 2020 at 11:50 Quote
I believe Scott is going or has gone all 29 for all their mountain bikes. In my opinion, nobody should. I'm relatively indifferent to the two wheel sizes, but I know several people who feel that 29 is just too big for their personal preference, and 27.5 hits the spot for them. These are mostly people who have owned/ridden 26 and 29, and upon demoing or renting a 27.5 loved it. If I were in control of a bike brand, I would at least offer a 120-140mm 27.5 bike, and a 160-170mm 27.5 bike.
flag scotto79
Posted: Apr 20, 2020 at 3:19 Quote
I got the Pitch in a 27.5, and my brother got the Rockhopper 29. Riding them back to back I can say that I'm not a fan of the 29 height. It does feel too high even though its only 3/4 " difference.
flag cmcrawfo
Posted: Apr 20, 2020 at 5:45 Quote
Bike design and ride characteristics go well beyond wheel size.
flag el-dareel
Posted: Apr 26, 2020 at 19:27 Quote
I agree, I have both a 27.5 and a 29er. My hard rock 29er and is pretty fast and rolls over everything. My 27.5 is a specialized pitch comp 1X and I just love it. My 29er feels like I’m sitting pretty high. My 27.5 sits me right in the cockpit.
flag Cspringsrider
Posted: Apr 26, 2020 at 21:03 Quote
I am in the tall and prefer 27.5 bandwagon. I have owned 29ers but for me the switchbacks and tech climbing did it for me. I doubt 27.5 is going the way of the buffalo. Just preference and what you like vs terrain riding style.....
flag grstahl
Posted: Sep 30, 2020 at 7:54 Quote
I rode a 29er for three or four years while the industry was pushing 27.5 (and that wasn't very long ago). At the time I said I'd never try anything else. Then I demoed a SC 5010 and loved it. I'm curious what all the hype is about with regard to 29ers these days, but the bottom line is that my 5010 opened up a lot of riding for me. Sure, there are a few Strava PRs that I set on my old 29er that I can't touch on the 5010, but I don't really care. The 27.5 5010 is about as much fun as I've ever had on a mountain bike, which is the entire point of the sport. It's also light-ish. I'm far from a weight weenie, but I'm simply not going to consider a 30-32 pound bike, and most of the mid- to long-travel 29ers these days seem fall in that category.
flag bishopsmike
O+
Posted: Sep 30, 2020 at 9:03 Quote
uribefache wrote:
...But the industry seems to be plotting against it...


This conspiracy stuff is funny. These are companies. That want to make money. They will put out whatever they get the best return on. That will include big picture stuff like reducing the number of molds/jigs they use and reducing skus. But no company is moving to 29" because of a conspiracy.

Is it annoying? Of course, if it ends up making fewer 27.5" options or making them more expensive. I could say the same about manual transmission cars: would I like to see more manual options? Of course! Do I think automakers are conspiring to kill the manual? Of course not, that would be dumb.
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