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love for the 27.5

PB Forum :: 27.5/650b
love for the 27.5
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flag Gravelben
O+
Posted: Feb 19, 2023 at 20:18 Quote
I went straight from 26" to 29" when I rediscovered MTB a few years ago after a long break, some day I'll have to properly try a good 27.5 and see what the fuss is about! Pimp
flag Cptnjosh
Posted: Feb 21, 2023 at 16:49 Quote
After riding a Niner Rip 9, and then an Evil Following for the last 5 years, I have switched back to a 27.5 Hardtail. Somehow, I went straight from 26” to 29” and never tried 27.5”.
I am only couple rides in on my Banshee Enigma but loving the playful and maneuverable nature of the 27.5 wheels. Has me thinking my next full sus might be a 27.5 too.
flag somebody-else
O+ FL
Posted: Feb 24, 2023 at 19:19 Quote
Been on 29 the last two years and recently picked up a full 27.5 hardtail and now I’m building a 27.5 rear wheel for my Enduro. Getting tired of breaking 29er rear wheels…
flag jonnytheleyther
Posted: Mar 5, 2023 at 13:59 Quote
Just sold my last ever 29er. I'm a hardtail 27.5 rider now. Love chucking them about, I not winning races I'm just having a blast.

Just ordered a kingdom Vendetta frame.
flag a2b
O+
Posted: Mar 7, 2023 at 19:23 Quote
I love all variations of 27.5!

2021 27.5 Trek Remedy (160/150)... Awesome trail bike! Nimble and fun. I'm not sure if I'm the fastest on it but i know I'm having the most fun Smile
I've thought about mulleting it but i have a Spesh Enduro that might benefit from that conversion more since my goal isn't to use it for rollover benefits.

Commencal Meta HT (170mm) with 2.8 27.5 is a perfect hardtail. I have a 170 Push Coil paired to the 2.8s and it just eats everything up while being pretty nimble. It's my go to bike when things get nasty out. Rocks, roots, mud, everything; LFG!
I've played with the wheels on this frame with everything from full 29 to mullet but have always gone back to the + wheels.

Giant Yukon with a Mastadon (100mm) fork: 27.5 4.5 fatties
I think this is kind of like the 29 to the 27.5 debate for fat bikes where the 27.5 rolls faster but not as nimble as the 26 fatties. Only 26 I've ridden is a Surly Wednesday and it was a lot fun. But the 27.5 with a 100mm travel absolutely plows everything covered in snow. You know someone out there has mulleted a fat bike lol!

Gotta have some love for the 29ers though and thats for my 2021 Specialized Enduro full 29 (170/170)... Just blasts through everything and fast. This is my true enduro bike that i take when things get super rocky and steep. I am going to try the mullet for this sometime on a shuttle/lift run where climbing isn't necessary but i like that it's totally different from the Remedy.

Demoed a 2022 Santa Cruz Heckler (Ebike) with a mullet setup and it felt really nice. Cruises over rocks but still lively. Definitely really liked the 27.5 in the back for it and would be my go to preference for an ebike because you want that ability to hit things at a much faster rate and know that you'll just cruise over it while having any ability to move those beefy things.
flag senorbanana
O+
Posted: Mar 7, 2023 at 19:26 Quote
somebody-else wrote:
Been on 29 the last two years and recently picked up a full 27.5 hardtail and now I’m building a 27.5 rear wheel for my Enduro. Getting tired of breaking 29er rear wheels…
judging your enduro has rovals... any wheel size for roval will break
flag somebody-else
O+ FL
Posted: Mar 8, 2023 at 6:58 Quote
senorbanana wrote:
somebody-else wrote:
Been on 29 the last two years and recently picked up a full 27.5 hardtail and now I’m building a 27.5 rear wheel for my Enduro. Getting tired of breaking 29er rear wheels…
judging your enduro has rovals... any wheel size for roval will break

Roval, e13, Flow EX and a DT. Tall people are naturally tougher on rear wheels, especially at my 200lbs in New England.
flag Gravelben
O+
Posted: Mar 8, 2023 at 17:06 Quote
a2b wrote:
...
2021 27.5 Trek Remedy (160/150)... Awesome trail bike! Nimble and fun. I'm not sure if I'm the fastest on it but i know I'm having the most fun Smile
...

Personal fit/preference is a funny thing, I had a day on a rental Remedy at a bike park once and didn't find it nimble at all. I had a Trance 29 (130/115) at the time so the extra suspension travel of the Remedy felt like it ploughed straight through rock gardens etc really well, but I had trouble getting it to turn.

The super low stack height didn't suit me either, felt like I had to ride in a constant (very tiring) deep squat position to get down to the bars or get bucked on all the jumps!

Being a rental it wasn't the best example and not that well dialled in, so that was probably a factor too. But mostly I think it just wasn't a good fit for me.
flag 52Jeff
Posted: May 25, 2023 at 7:51 Quote
I have ridden both and really prefer 27.5 for the steeper and rough trails I ride. Lower center of gravity, less wheel flex, no giant tire buzzing your butt on steep sections.
My old YT Tues 29 was fast but really dulled everything down. The higher center of gravity actually made really steep trails with slower sections harder though.
My 2 main rides are 27.5 and they have plenty of roll over. A nice slack head angle and a good fork also helps to roll over bigger obstacles. For fun they cant be beat.
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