Video: Size Matters

 They are trying so hard to push those 29'er down on us that it is ridiculous....

 Don't knock it till you try it! I'm sure a 29er isn't that hard to ride! If you know what i mean

 Yeah, but can you drift and scatter all those dry leaves into the camera in slow motion on your scooter wheels? I know I can't. My 26" wheel stalls when they hit dry leaves. I have to get off and kick the leaves into the camera instead.

 I own both platforms and both have their assets and flaws in different trails. For example, the 26 is much faster in narrow single tracks, and trails with tight switchbacks , while 29er is much faster on rock gardens, and open trails. So to me, I believe you will never have the perfect bike, you just have to adjust to the style. By the way, I'm talking by my own experience as a XC/AM rider, don't have a clue how it works on DH or FR platforms...

 I'm saying this and only this: I thought at one point there he was gonna throw a nasty tabletop but he didn't and I was disappointed because if it was a 26"... I know I would have seen that nasty tabletop I expected...

 @ Cajokv: The reason 29ers are being pushed so hard is due to inventory. The bike companies thought everyone would be still going banana's over 29ers and no one did. So, there is access inventory that needs to be liquidated quickly.

 Ok, but, please, let us make our own choices...I am getting really anoyed at all this propaganda to sell 29ers...it's like @abzillah says: they seem in a hurry to sell all the bikes that weren't sold because that 29er fever never really took place...

 Most of those angry with 29ers probably never had a chance to try one or simply do not need such a bike for their needs.

But why get angry? I think it's great to have choice.
Old days when you were thinking MTB, there was pretty much one wheel size to match all the off-road biking, now we can pick up whatever suits us better cos every wheel size has it's benefits. I personally ride 29" for XC racing, 26" for trail/AM/FR - loving both.
By the way, despite the unnecessary 'braking news' style speech, this video was really fun to watch.

 Whats the little device on the chainstay?

 y0davo: It is probably a Bionicon: Cotic like them.
www.jensonusa.com/Bionicon/Bionicon-CGuide-V02-Chainguide

 also a nice rip-off for 50 bucks,.,.

 Love my 29" and my 26" they are both really fun. Its kinda nice to have options.

 Pinkbike at its best again.

What you all seem to miss is that bikes like these aren't meant to replace (or even are in the same market segment as) DH or FR bikes. The UK has a tradition of long travel hardtails: mostly steel framed HT's with long-ish forks designed for having a blast in the woods, both up and downhill which is exactly what this bike is - only with 29"wheels.

Fact is quite some people dig this kind of bike (Trek bringing out the Stache says a lot) and for this kind of riding on a HT 29" can be beneficial for obvious reasons (more control, grip and so on) which can only be a good thing.

Pretty much all negative comments are either based on a misunderstanding of what this bike is about or just general uninformed 29er hating.

 You make a good point and I don't, in any way "hate" 29ers...what I don't like, is the constant "bashing" at the 26ers, who have been under our legs for more then we'll be happy to admit...everything has it's place, and new wheel sizes are very important, because it now means that, us, riders, have more choice, but you can't deny, in anyway, how much 26ers have been put down, in order to sell 29ers. That's my only niggle...

 Indeed. The bicycle industry can be pretty pushy at times and 29ers are a good example. In fact I think a lot of the 29er hate stems from people being annoyed by the manufacturers trying to force something onto them and the media portraying it as the next big thing. Which is a shame as I'm convinced 29ers definitely have their place and the industry kinda shot themself in the foot by marketing them so aggressively.

 Exactly. Thanks for sharing your point of view brother.

 No problem.

 To right! Stand up for the 26" revelation!!!!!!

 LOL SO TRUE

 no rock garden because

a/ he crashed in it.
b/ the big floppy wheels collapsed
or
c/ both of the above.

 nice one

 6'7" here, and I like my 29er. Since I'm 15% taller than the average person I want a bike that's 15% bigger than the average bike.

 70 ' here , and i like my ferris wheels .

 Go away 2-wheelers. If your not riding your bike around like those stick-horses kids had back in the day, you must be a pu$$y.

 your anger is futile

 Yeah i guess thats why XC world cups are almost exclusively run on 29ers now...because they have no purpose and should just go away. Can people not accept that not every one thinks 26ers are the be all and end all of bikes? 90% of riders do not throw their bikes around with whips, flips and scrubs. Most riders barely know what any of those things are. Lots of them dont spend much time at all going down hill. They are not concerned about how agile and chuckable their bike is. They care about how comfortable it is, how it rolls over stuff and carries momentum. Things that 29ers do very very well.

Also, I have met so many people who rode a 29er for the first time and were amazed by how it didnt handle like a school chair stuck on top of two ferris wheels. A lot of the haters here are under the impression that they handle completely differently to 26 inch bikes. They dont! In an awful lot of settings they feel every bit as good as a 26er. A hell of a lot of people who have ridden a 29er are immediate converts in spite of them hating beforehand. Most of the people talking crap here have never ridden one at all so have no basis to form an opinion.

This is coming from the owner of a 26 inch steel hardtail and a brand new 26 inch enduro bike. Horses for courses lads.

 @samsemtex: 90% of riders need to get their shit together

 main problem i have with my 29 is its incredibly hard to manual compared to my dh and bmx :/

 6'3-6'4, I'm staying on 26.

 6`3 and i also will be staying on 26 i have ridden both and 29ers are great if your just looking to get out for a ride on trails but if you really want it to flow and you want to challenge yourself you need to have the 26. 26`` wheels are just so much more stable in corners and controllable in the air.

why re invent the wheel

 6'6" and loving my Transition Bandit 29'er. Yes, harder to throw around but having larger wheels does help you keep your speed and bomb through obstacles faster. To each their own; nice to have a choice.

 OK then dont use suspension because thats an aid as well, and dont use modern hydraulic brakes. All of the arguments here are so hypocritical.

 What Lehel-NS is talking about is the idea that because someone struggles on a certain section of a trail doesn't mean you need to automatically look for bigger wheels but instead learn how to ride that section more effectively. Suspension is an aid, so is wheel size but to change your bike on the basis you can't ride a rock garden is stupid 'poozank' has missed the point of his post and instead call everyone who thinks otherwise a hypocrite.

 I really doubt the guy on a video can't ride @Lehel... but thay had an idea and they executed it nice the video is mint.

 Its simple, they want to trap newcomers to the sport, "bigger is better" well bigger is flexier ,
29" + Rock gardens = Happy wheel builders!.
a good rider will ride a pogo stick faster down a mountain than a covert roadie on a 29".

 27.5 what hwat

 27.5 is a little bit of a joke to me. 2.5 tires on a 26" wheel have an extremely similar outside diameter as 2.2" tyres on a 650B rim. seeing as if I changed to 650B wheels i'd be forced to run narrower tires, it's essentially the same thing, unless you ran little tires in the first place.

 Nicely put.

 What? If I can't hate 29ers because I'm a racist sexist agist weightist American I don't know what American is.

 american is from america

 I'm an American. What did I miss here? Hating 29ers is part of who we are? The only thing I hate is that all our bike shops are calling them two niners. Just kinda annoying. Did you hate electric cars when they first came out? Damn hybrid civic! My gas civic is so much faster and better! Hybrid's stay off the road!

 sarcasm dude.

 I know, dude.

 Most of the people commenting likely do not understand that it isn't mandatory to buy, ride, and like 29ers just because an article, video, or ad was posted on Pinkbike. Instead, they take offense to it's existence and defend their 26" life choices.

 Well put.

 Is that why I think that bike looks hot.... damn I think Im getting old.

 Old shitty !!!! But how much fun have you had on it ???

 More then money can buy

 Yes, and great riding, too! Props to the rider, on whatever bike.

 You know this is the 29er version of their 26inch soul?

 Haters gonna hate, I'm 6'7" and 26ers are too small. 29ers mean I can ride a decent mountain bike that doesn't look like a BMX.

 Haters wouldn't hate if 29ers were advertised as a solution for really tall people, what exactly they are. Of course 29ers have their place for you guys. Instead of that, they are advertised as better than 26", as future etc. The reason for that is that you guys are probably not enough to produce big money to companies accounts, so they are trying to sell them to all of us, claiming that "size matters". Why we just don't ride 32ers or 36ers in that case?
Companies realized that 29ers propaganda is not having the desired effect and now we got also 27,5" that is claimed to be "best of both worlds". Best of what? 26" is a perfect wheel size. It has been perfect for so many years and I see no reason not to be perfect for much more years to come. Riding 26" bike is super easy and super fun!
I don't mind having 29ers and 27,5" as an options, but let bike companies stops telling us that 26ers are not good enough, because this is just no true.

 Hey now! On the money! I'm glad 29ers exist for that exact reason! 6'7" & love my 29er hahaha

 The height excuse doesn't matter, I am 5'6" and will never go back to 26" wheels.. They feel like a little kids bike.. The ONLY DRAWBACK I FOUND IN 29" is air time feels awkward.. Cornering is far more precise... And who are all these Sasquatch that think they will break anything other than DH or 26" bike components.. I have been riding hard for 25 years and never broke anything on a bike unless I crashed violently..

 The trail is Hamsterley forest in the north of England. it's Danny Hart's local trail for XC and DH

 not in the mud young man, not in the mud.

 ^Grab a napkin Jimmy0 cus you just got served

 Anything!

 You do realise there are different types of riding styles and terrain out there? A lot of people who mountain bike regularly around here dont even know what a berm is. They certainly dont know what a scrub or whip is. Some places just dont have the gnarly or flowy terrain that people on pinkbike seems to think the world revolves around. They often have quite mundane and boring trails but they are fun to the average person who will never take mountain biking as seriously as some of us here. I know for a fact that a 29er is considerable faster around my local trail centre as there are really long uphill traverses with shitty uphill rock gardens thrown in every so often. You can ride these just as fast on a 26er for a while but for 65km of it you want a 29er (on a hardtail anyway, it just beats the shit out of you on a steel 26er). You just dont get bogged down on rocky climbs the same way you do on a 26. Or more accurately it allows you to choose poorer lines. I dont see the problem with this as most weekend warriors just want to enjoy riding their bike and dont have time to practise and get better.

I still ride my 26 and i wouldnt change it as i ride much more technical stuff and i like throwing my bike around but for the average trail centre/casual rider 29ers make way more sense.

 you just dont get it, do you? 29r's arent being marketed to beginners, they start at around £1k for a decent entry level machine, so the idea that the people who will buy them are only doing it because they want comfort is bunk. novices dont spend that much on a bike just because it has bigger wheels than a 'normal' bike. theyre being marketed directly and quite agressively at us, the lifestyle riders, and we have rejected the idea because we're not stupid and we can see that big wheels = less strength.

theyre being pushed as being as chuckable as a 26 but faster, although Ive yet to see proof of this beyond a couple of industry led videos and atricles. even the mags are having a difficulty telling us a convincing story about why we should buy 29 or even 650b. its always 'its just like a 26, only with a few drawbacks and you wont notice the difference anyway'. then why would I buy one? its bullshit.

if youre 6'6 and need a taller bike then it makes sense, but the 29'r is being pushed as a replacement for the 26 and thats just not going to happen.

 No i think its you who doesn't get it. I never said they were being marketed at beginners. Shit loads of people who are very far from beginners have zero style and do not chuck their bikes around much. You dont seem to realise that some people with years and years of biking experience actually prefer a 29er. If there are no advantages to a 29er then why are they being run by all the pros at XC races? And dont give me that "oh its the manufacturers trying to market their 29ers." There are loads of companies out there who would put their riders on 26inch wheels if they thought it would bring them the exposure of winning world cups.

I wouldnt buy a 29er as i DO really like a very agile bike. The vast vast majority of riders dont notice the slight drop in agility and that does not necessarily mean beginners. A 29er IS considerably faster on the longest 65km loop near where i live than a 26 inch bike. They do roll over stuff slightly better, its just a fact which some people here cant accept. Just like its a fact that 26 inch wheels are slightly more agile. What 29er have you ridden and what made you think it offers zero advantages to certain types of riders?

 firstly pro riders ride whatever their bike sponsor tells them to ride and says whatever their sponsor tells them to say. pro teams are not there just to win races they are there to sell product, it just so happens that the product in vogue at the moment is big wheels. the reasoning behind the recent push of big wheels is simple, it's harder to sell a person a product they already have, 29ers are a salesman's wet dream not only do customers have to buy the wheels they also have to buy new frames, forks tyres etc etc. I the benefits are as huge as the marketers would have you believe how come it took 30 years for bike builders to start making them. Oh and please don't mention Gary Fishers bullshit excuse that they wanted to make them all allong but couldn't get the wheels made until recently, what a crock of shit.

 the pro riders compete on 29rs because one of them did and now they all have too, in case they lose an advantage. thats pretty much the only time a 29r is appropriate.and, as b45er said, theyre not privateers, they ride team bikes and if Trek or CRC give them a big wheeled bike then thats what they have to ride.

If the marketing was aimed at pro-team riders or the 1000 miles a month crowd as an alternative with benefits that outweighed the drawbacks, thent that wouldnt be a problem, but theyre being touted as a direct replacement for 26, with some companies dropping thier 26 model in favour of a 29 for this year. it appears that the manufacturers have got together and agreed to force this on the market whether we want it or not.

the message is clear too: if youre still riding 26 then youre getting left behind and arent a 'real' mtb'r because you havent kept up with the latest technology. Ive ridden a few 29rs and I dont see what they have to offer thats so much better. they felt twitchy on anything other than mildly rough stuff and I felt like I was about to be pitched over the bars on anything like a decent trail. videos like the one above give the impression that you can just get on one and start ripping like a pro, but that film was edited and the lines redone over and over again, and the bike was in the hands of a pro rider who has been practicing those lines, probably for days.

29 has its place, but its NOT a replacement.

 I agree with you, but the manufacturer remove more 26 "in favor of 29" or 27.5 "! Look at Specialized, Cannondale and BH in 2014.

 I think, that 27.5 will be the new 26" for most types of riding (Not DJ, SS, pump track etc.). The difference between 26 and 27.5 is very small, but mostly in the 27.5's favor. The difference between 27.5/26 and 29 is on the other hand much more noticeable and I see a need for both.

 As I understand the arrival of 29 that offer a product dispute 26 ", but the 27.5, I do not see the point, because too little difference with a 26" wheel 5.27 A has a diameter of 27.5 "with tire 2.25. A wheel 26 "will diamiètre 26.5" tire with a 2.25. So the difference is only 1 inch.

 No doubt! That dude SHREDS!!! I don't have a 29er and I may never have one. But I've ridden them and they're super fun!

 What the hell? Are you claiming that a 29er can't be backflipped!!?

 I'm stating that it would be DAMNED hard to do it with anything but the lightest of tires... remember its all about the inertia in a lot of tricks... MX bikes get away with it because they have a gasoline fueled motor and long/steep ramps, but with bicycles its another story. If 29ers were easily backflipped and tricked around on, you'd see people at Redbull FR events using them already, because lord knows the sponsors of many of the riders doing the tour already make 29er trail bikes. So far the only BIGGER wheeler with any actual success has been Logan Binggeli's third at the 2012 rampage on a 650B Full Suspension DH bike (who cleanly landed multiple back flips in his runs and practice sessions).

 Other tricks that move the wheels sideways can be close to impossible on the big wheel yes. But tire weight stopping you being able to backflip, come on...

 Your so pro 27.5 its unreal. Any excuse to waffle on about the pointless in between size. I'm still yet to see any 27.5 products on sale in the UK as yet I really hope it stays your side of the pond, 3 wheel sizes is enough, we don't need a 4th.

 @mozz.... shitty for you then but you might try opening your eyes and actually looking around at some bike stores...

 actually mozz is quite correct, 650b bikes/parts are nothing but photo's in magazines and brochures here, i visit lots of shops and i'm yet to see a single 650b product in any of them. if you want tweener wheels tyres etc they generally have to be ordered in.

 Really? A quick check and I find CRC has forks, tires, rims and wheels in stock now. Took me all of eight seconds to learn that.

 Shock horror, 650b size is sold by the worlds biggest online bike shop! In reality, in real bike shops there are no bike to be found with them over here yet. Once spares such as rims, spokes and tyres start to be stocked in morzine I will consider them a viable alternative, but till then its just a case of the emperors new clothes with modern day marketing spin.

 deeight - I've been observing you for a while... I hacked into your notebook and took this short vid of you typing in, "650B" all over this site - what you seem to be doing since months

leereamsnyder.com/images/uploads/jc-typing.gif

The only thing I miss in a 502923rd discussion on wheel sizes is that second prick waki, where is he BTW?

 @deeeight you do know that CRC is a massive company that owns quite a few brands and even a few distributors right?
they are not a shop you cant just pop in for a look around its a massive warehouse full of boxes. i.e. if you want some bits you have to ORDER them.
in fact quite a few items that my local bke shop order from their distributors arrive with CRC's warehouse as the return address.

 I am aware of CRC's size. Are you aware of how to use GOOGLE ?

This took six seconds... "650b uk"

www.pedalandspoke.co.uk

There ya go, an independant shop with bikes in stock. Seriously? You're a child aren't you? Need to get mum and dad to drive you around and pay for your bikes ? Too lazy to actually pick up a phone and call shops to see who has what ?

 deeeight,
If I may be so bold as to suggest that your choice of words and general demeanour really are not helping you to win any friends, or make your point. I live in Japan and here I have yet to see a single 650B product in the flesh, in any of my LBS. And that is a crucial point dee that you, I am afraid, have completely missed it appears.

The word LOCAL. In the never ending pool of vitriol regarding the online / LBS debate, one should be very careful to avoid forgetting that the point of an LBS is that it should be just that, an Lbs, with a capital L.

If I travel to Tokyo (a good 8 hour drive in horrendous traffic I can assure you), to Guava Jelly or Grove, two of the biggest off road shops here, I might get to find something of the 650b ilk, yet at the local bike shops within an hour of here (Yokkaichi, Mie) I have yet to see a single item.

If I may be as presumptuous as to talk on behalf of b45her and mozz, as a Brit who is always in bike shops when I go back home, I too have yet to see a single 650b item in any shop.

Your point that it is possible to find 650b stuff in A shop (capital A!) is not a refutation of their point. By your logic, the fact I saw (and bought) some scones online in Japan last week does not mean that scones are either a) popular or b) readily available.

Given the above, and your apparent lack of ability to see such a point, I am tempted to suggest that it be you who should open your eyes a little more in this world.

Have a good day and enjoy Canada, you are a lucky human being my friend to have such a great MTB playground.

 deeeight, firstly that shop is in surrey hardly "local" to me and secondly it a scott dealership, the reason they happen to have a 650b bike is because scott don't make a 26" wheeled trail bike anymore, i'm sure if i spent hours driving all over wales or visited some of the bigger chain type stores i would eventually find some 650b bikes/parts. the point i am trying to make is that up to now 650b has had absolutely no real penetration into the UK market and even the more established 29" standard is still very much a niche product outside of XC/marthon races.
a local specialized dealer has told me that he is selling 26" stumpjumpers at a ratio of 15-1 compared to the 29" model and that even as hardtails 26" wheeled bikes are still out selling 29ers by a considerable margin, hardly sounds like a dead standard to me.

 mountain biking is a evolving sport , get over it . One size(2) does not fit all .... I for one would love to have a 27.5 for all mountain .

 i'd like to try one too the genius 730 was on my new bike shortlist before xmas, its kind of hard to test ride a photograph though, i'm not saying 650b bikes are bad just that they aren't here in any meaningful way.

 Last autumn I was riding one of those ugly 650b norcos for a whole day. I ain't saying they're bad for deeeight, or for shop owners, but for me they are damn useless. They aren't as fast as. 29ers and they are not as playful as 26ers. It felt like a 26er on prozac. I want to roll over rough crap and it chatters, I wanna pop it and it stays down. I wanna step hard on it and it slips like 26er. Cornering grip is the only treat you get if you rode other wheel sizes. I sell all sorts of shit but I don't necessarily buy it for myself. Wanna be a sheep - I'll sell you some grass to shave your ass off! I don't give a shit 'bout bigots or haters, as they buy one thing and fk off. I want curious, open minded clients. That's all I'm sayin', In surfing business since 6 years

 I agree. I'd rather ride a decathlon own brand 26 incher than a tallboy. I don't care if it offers a 2 second performance advantage over undulating terrain or whatever. They need to concentrate marketing on the XC brigade and people who fancy changing their cannondale lefty. Stop it, stop it now!

 I confirm.

 clearly the voice of someone who has never rode one.

 or ridden one !

 Rothrock!

 Rothrock??? There's a rothrock car dealer right near my house ..

 /sarcasm folks

 its ok, i saw the sarcasm.

 Looks good....saving my money for a 32er though.

 I own one. Nice XC race hardtail. Would not buy another 26" XC hardtail. Rode my big bike with 650b on a borrowed wheelset (and 12mm less travel, it is convertible), could not care.

 I'm sure by now most serous riders have tried 29er. I used to ride 29ers when I lived in the desert. Now that I'm in southern California I've swapped all of my 29ers for 26in wheels. My 29in wheels felt like an out of control semi truck compared to sports car feel of the 26in wheel. Wheel size is very personal to the rider and style of trails they choose to ride.

 i get what you did there... math joke

 fruitboots and 29ers have nothing in commmon. U R just mad cause u cant keep up with the bigger wheels. up and down

 Big wheelers are compensating.