Are major companies planning to eliminate 27.5'' wheels?

PB Forum :: 27.5/650b
Are major companies planning to eliminate 27.5'' wheels?
Author Message
flag cmcrawfo
Posted: Sep 30, 2020 at 9:45 Quote
In numerology, 29 is associated with coexistence.
flag yfdcap
Posted: Oct 4, 2020 at 13:01 Quote
bishopsmike wrote:
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.
Yep. All about the bottom line. If it sells they will make it. Looking at todays world there are 27.5 bikes and parts available but not as much 29 stuff. If i was a manufacture I would be looking at those numbers.
flag Xlr8n
Posted: Dec 7, 2020 at 18:41 Quote
Long live 27.5 !!! Batman
flag undescended
Posted: Dec 7, 2020 at 19:21 Quote
It likely been said, aside from preference all wheel sizes should survive in some respect based on frame size. The new wave of youth bikes go from 24 to 26 then the model of 27.5 for XS-M and 29 for M-XXL just makes sense imho.
flag ChrisPringle
O+
Posted: Feb 2, 2021 at 18:46 Quote
undescended wrote:
It likely been said, aside from preference all wheel sizes should survive in some respect based on frame size. The new wave of youth bikes go from 24 to 26 then the model of 27.5 for XS-M and 29 for M-XXL just makes sense imho.

This would be the ideal and most sensible thing for bike manufacturers to do. But as mentioned before, it’s all about the bottom line. I think definitely 26” wheels will be around for youth bikes, recumbents and other purposes.

Replacement parts 27.5” (650b) will continue being around for a long while. No problem there. The worrisome part for 27.5” is that we are already starting to see a sharp decrease in new bike production and marketing around that wheel size. 8-10 years ago most Europeans were still on 26” wheels and they struggled embracing 29ers. So, European and some Asian bike manufacturers got together and brought back to life the almost defunct 650b (27.5”) as a gap filler. As MTB geometries evolved so quickly between 2015-2020, it seems like 29ers have become the reigning champs with worldwide acceptance. Most bike manufacturers still have some 27.5ers in their line-ups but everything seems to be pointing to 29ers (700c) for everything: MTB, road and gravel. I would not be surprised if they phase out 27.5 wheels altogether within the next 3 years in favor of 29ers. They have done this before and they will not be afraid to do it again.
flag undescended
Posted: Feb 2, 2021 at 19:03 Quote
Hmmm, current Santa Cruz lineup remains 50/50, 2020 27 and 29 YT Jeffsy and Capra have been sold out for months, we’ll see in the coming days what sizes continue in the YT 2021 new range...
flag eshew
Posted: Feb 2, 2021 at 20:13 Quote
29r's are great for rollover but man, some of my most fun rides have been on 27.5. So much faster handling than 29". Quick and precise on tighter trails.
flag ChrisPringle
O+
Posted: Feb 3, 2021 at 6:58 Quote
eshew wrote:
29r's are great for rollover but man, some of my most fun rides have been on 27.5. So much faster handling than 29". Quick and precise on tighter trails.

Back in the day not long ago, people used to say the same exact thing about 26ers when compared to 29ers. 26ers performed like sports cars. They still killed 26ers. Now in 2021 if you seek that sports-car feeling and handling on a MTB, they will tell you to try the latest generation 29er hardtails with the new aggro/slacker geometries, dropper post and frames that fit tires in the 2.4-2.6” range. Guess what? They’re actually on to something with that new recipe.
flag eshew
Posted: Feb 3, 2021 at 8:38 Quote
Oh yeah, I've got a '19 Kona process cr 153. It's a blast and fast! But it still gets out cornered by 27.5's. It's physics, the centrifugal force is considerably higher on 29's. It requires more force to steer and manipulate the wheels.

On the faster open trails it's great, stable & fast.

On tight twisties 27.5's will outmaneuver and pull away, until the straights where the 29's shine. It's a give and take. It's very trail dependant as to which one is best.

But pre-covid 29's were outselling 27.5. We'll have to see how long that trend continues
flag pumpjumpnflow
Posted: Feb 3, 2021 at 11:20 Quote
I think that we're approaching the end days of 27.5 front and rear bikes and they'll probably be replaced by companies offering mullet set-ups in my opinion. Right now Specialized, Giant, Commencal, and Orbea have all ditched 27.5 for their line-ups, save for a few hardtails. I went to a Giant demo day once and the rep told me they stopped bringing 27.5 bikes on their demo tours so I thought that was pretty telling.

I'm a short individual, so most would predict I should ride 27.5 but I'm on the 29er bandwagon. I've always been interested in a dedicated mullet bike from a company (not just a modified 29/27.5). Some of the newer bikes offer mixed-wheel compatibility through different linkages so that's where I anticipate things heading.
flag Garry17
O+ FL
Posted: Mar 5, 2021 at 14:08 Quote
Mullet???
Looks like bike manufacturers will promote the shit outta mullets for a few years till they come out with the next fad
flag iliveonnitro
Posted: Mar 10, 2021 at 12:21 Quote
Garry17 wrote:
Mullet???
Looks like bike manufacturers will promote the shit outta mullets for a few years till they come out with the next fad

28.25" wheels
flag eshew
Posted: Mar 10, 2021 at 12:41 Quote
https://www.unicycle.com/vee-rubber-trax-monster-36-tire/
flag skierdud89
O+
Posted: Mar 28, 2021 at 14:14 Quote
Well I've been shopping for a new 27.5 frame and can confirm a lot of companies seem to have ditched it in their lineup the last few years (bummed Commencal did). But the good news is that it seems the companies that have dropped them weren't spending that much time on them and what's left is companies that are still focusing a good amount of time and resources on making a proper 27.5 bike and NOT just a 29er frame with "small" wheels. On a short list the Revel Rail (what I'll likely buy), Yeti SBs 165 & 140, Transition, Evil, Banshee, Trek Remedy, GG has a few models, Nukeproof, and we can't forget Canfield (but no bottle mount on the balance Frown I mean even Yeti and Nukeproof came around! ). There's plenty more out there but these are A: brands I was seriously considering and B: brands that still sell just a frameset.
flag MrKnightUK
Posted: Jun 1, 2021 at 9:21 Quote
The sad fact being that there’s an incentive for the manufacturers to get rid of a wheel size so that they can focus their resources and manufacturing capabilities on the popular size.

Essentially the manufacturers will prioritise what the market wants, but once it gets passed a certain share of the demand then there’s the incentive for them to start pushing the popular size to become the overall dominant ‘standard’. They only started pushing 29 wheels because the market demand shifted towards them first (thanks to modern frame geo making them nimble) and the manufacturers reacted accordingly, being able to sell you a wagon wheel bike that turns on a dime and doesn’t make you feel like you’re riding a penny farthing.

I’d love for the 27.5 to stick around, but my background in manufacturing tells me that it’s days are numbered simply from an R&D aspect whereby each new 29 bike is becoming more and more agile like a 27.5 without sacrificing the inherent benefits the big wheels offer.

They won’t just pull the plug on 27.5 overnight, instead they’ll just slowly migrate it out of the catalogue with each passing season. Look at Transition with the new Patrol, once a long travel 27.5 but now only available in mullet. I say give it a year or two and they’ll bin the Patrol completely as they’ve already got a long travel 29.

 


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