24 inch rims on a DH bike. Opinions.

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24 inch rims on a DH bike. Opinions.
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flag lucky-7
Posted: Aug 21, 2009 at 18:54 Quote
Ive seen some downhill bikes with 24 inch rims. What the difference between 24 and 26 besides the fact that one is smaller? Im guessing that the 24 would be easier to pedal with but on the trails does it make a difference how big your rims are?
flag knobzy
O+
Posted: Aug 21, 2009 at 19:45 Quote
you are going to get along of facts on which is different, i mean lots.. i've read all of them and everything. over 5 years ago i rode dual 26inch wheels and i once got bored on one of my bike builds and went dual 24's. never went back to 26.

I honestly notice no difference. I don't go any faster or any slower, i still roll over objects just fine. Its harder to find good DH tires tho. So far that is the only down side. Oh and one more downside. ALL the a*shole Pinkbikers who seem to come along and leave retarded comments and such.

But i love the look of 24's on a bike.

get ready for the facts.

photo

3237088
flag lucky-7
Posted: Aug 21, 2009 at 19:49 Quote
Would your BB (that lower part of your bike) be more vulnerable because their is a bigger distance between both wheels?
flag knobzy
O+
Posted: Aug 21, 2009 at 19:50 Quote
lucky-7 wrote:
Would your BB (that lower part of your bike) be more vulnerable because their is a bigger distance between both wheels?

maybe if u land sideways, but your bashgaurd usually takes any impact.
flag knobzy
O+
Posted: Aug 21, 2009 at 19:51 Quote
it does lower the bike down more to the ground, but u get used to it and ride different. I smash my bike as much as my friend does and he runs 26 on an older stinky deluxe.
flag jonbikes
Posted: Aug 22, 2009 at 5:42 Quote
You will lower your bb height by 1 inch by going dual 24. If you only go 24 in the rear than obviously your bb will not drop by an inch (it will be just over half an inch lower), but it will slacken out your head angle by *ROUGHLY* 1 degree.

I too rode 24" for a while, however it was only in the rear. The only down sides that you will notice on a daily basis would again be the problem (as stated above) of not being able to find tires very easily, and also with the same gearing your top speed will be slower on the 24 than it would be with a 26.

Now, obviously we can't say that a 24" will roll over stuff just as well as a 26" because it IS smaller in diameter, however it is NOT going to be a big huge difference. The only time that I can honestly say that I noticed the 24" getting fetched up is when you are rolling over something such as two roots that are sticking up fairly high and they are just the rite distance apart. Other than that you won't really notice it unless you are intentionally trying to put yourself in situations where it will fetch up.
flag odin333
Posted: Aug 22, 2009 at 7:10 Quote
the only real reason i wouldn't switch over to 24 is that you are probably loosing a bit of agility as far as being able to roll over things. if you have ever tried a 29 inch bike you know how insane the difference is with being able to plow over things compared to a 26, so i figure (key word) that it would probably be alot different then 26.

the other thing is that its hard to find tires (not alot of companies care about 24 inch since few people still run it), probably finding a good wheelset, it makes your bikes geometry different, and that (imo) it looks retarded.
flag jonbikes
Posted: Aug 22, 2009 at 7:25 Quote
^^^ it would only change your geo if you ran only one 24" wheel. It sounds as if he wants to run both front and rear 24", which would not change your geo, only lower your bb and standover by an inch.
flag odin333
Posted: Aug 22, 2009 at 7:26 Quote
jonbikes wrote:
^^^ it would only change your geo if you ran only one 24" wheel. It sounds as if he wants to run both front and rear 24", which would not change your geo, only lower your bb and standover by an inch.

that would still count as geo though? just not like HA, SA, etc.
flag jonbikes
Posted: Aug 22, 2009 at 11:55 Quote
Hmm, I'm not really sure on that one. Perhaps someone else can clarify this?
flag mountains4me
Posted: Sep 18, 2009 at 13:03 Quote
I have been running a 24 in the rear for a few years. I run it on a Specialized enduro to slacken the HA. The only real noticble drawback is it does not roll over larger rocks/roots/ruts as well. If you rie a 24 and then a 26 on the same trail one right after the other you will notice it. But you get used to it. And it is not a huge difference but it is there. I am in the dilema of wanting to run a 26 on the New giant glory but am thinking to build up a 24 to slacken the HA out on it.
flag photoguy9
O+
Posted: Sep 18, 2009 at 13:07 Quote
jonbikes wrote:
Hmm, I'm not really sure on that one. Perhaps someone else can clarify this?

Odin's right.
flag FlyingFish
Posted: Sep 18, 2009 at 13:15 Quote
weight savings would be a plus as well as strength. But i would be afraid of getting hung up in rocks and whatnot.
flag romich
Posted: Sep 18, 2009 at 13:29 Quote
I had 24 rear wheel 26 front. I found it cool, another ride, but not for dh race - less speed on not flat trails
flag geothermalcat
Posted: Mar 29, 2012 at 20:16 Quote
for starters, im shocked no-ones pointed out that the smaller the wheel the stronger it is in terms of sideways flex and buckling, ive always rode bmx but have started riding mtb in the last few years, 20" compared to a 26" wheel is so much stronger, so im assuming half that difference and youll have an idea of how strong 24's are compared to 26's

but yea, if you keep the same size wheels(front & back) your geometrys dont change at all, besides your center of gravity drops lower.
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