26 inch wheels for a six footer - too much to ask?

Jay_Pea

Hi All

I've been asking around for advice on buying a MTB as things have changed considerably since I last swung a leg over a bike with fat tyres. Every time I mention that I'm over 6 foot people, rightly or wrongly, start rabbiting on about 29ers and how, because I'm tall, I should get one. The only problem with this is that it's my opinion that 29ers look plain wrong and who wants to ride a bike they can't stand the sight of?

My question is this: Have manufacturers altered the geometry of the 26er so radically that anyone over 5'11" can't ride one? I'd wager not but would like to hear from any other taller folk who have a modern 26er hardtail

Cheers

John

Chunkers1980

Ever seen a tall person on a BMX - the whole bike is changed by wheel size - has little to do with your size.

chrisw333

They are talking utter, utter shite.

There are merits to 29ers, but by no means are they the only option if you're 6 ft plus. In fact height has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Plenty of 26ers out there and if they fit, then they are still perfectly good for 6ft + riders.

Long_Time_Lurker

It's absolute horse-shit. (You do know that there is a third size now gaining popularity - 27.5")
I blame the Marketeers and the salesmen for perptuating it.
It is the the terrain and the type of rider that that should decide the wheel-size of your bike, not the size of the rider.
The geometry of teh bike has a bigger influence over how it feels, and it is individual to the rider. You will have to test ride a few to see what feels 'right'. Try all wheel sizes. They do feel a bit different. I disagree about the looks. We have all sizes in our group of riders. To be honest, unless we are side-by-side you can't always tell who is on the 29er and who is on the 26 (until we get to the technical stuff when the different techniques required on each bike come to the fore).

I'm 6ft 2 and ride a 26. I'm buying a new bike in the next 2 months. I've tested a couiple of 29ers but doubt that they will make the final cut because the bulk of my riding is through rooty, twisty forests.

marcus'73

I'm 6ft and I ride an18 inch Ragley Piglet - not even the largest frame size. I can't see any problem with riding a 26 bike- back around 12 years ago I was riding XC/trails on a 24 inch bike with Downhill tyres as I grew up riding BMX and 26 looked like flimsy wheeled clown bikes to me at the time!

Levi_501

Jay_Pea wrote:

my opinion that 29ers look plain wrong

They are wrong

I am 6'4" and both my bikes have the correct size wheels.

lostboysaint

Levi_501 wrote:

Jay_Pea wrote:

my opinion that 29ers look plain wrong

They are wrong

I am 6'4" and both my bikes have the correct size wheels.

That.

Well until I swapped my Inbred 26 for a 29. The Bandit will remain 26 though. Much more fun that any full sus 29 I've ridden, including it's own big wheeled brother.

Jay_Pea

Cheers All

So really the size of wheels should depend on what I'm doing rather than how tall I am. 26 good at the twisty turning stuff and 29 munches the miles.

I should also add that I stand corrected on my assertion that _all_ 29ers are wrong I found one that isn't but it's about 6.5k :shock:

WindyG

Jay_Pea wrote:

So really the size of wheels should depend on what I'm doing rather than how tall I am. 26 good at the twisty turning stuff and 29 munches the miles.

Pretty much sums it up in the real world.

Long_Time_Lurker

Jay_Pea wrote:

I stand corrected on my assertion that _all_ 29ers are wrong I found one that isn't but it's about 6.5k :shock:

I assume that have stumbled across the Yeti or Santa Cruz websites then?

Jay_Pea

Long Time Lurker wrote:

Jay_Pea wrote:

I stand corrected on my assertion that _all_ 29ers are wrong I found one that isn't but it's about 6.5k :shock:

I assume that have stumbled across the Yeti or Santa Cruz websites then?

Actually it's a spesh

http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/articl ... r-31151/1/

Hob Nob

WindyG wrote:

Jay_Pea wrote:

So really the size of wheels should depend on what I'm doing rather than how tall I am. 26 good at the twisty turning stuff and 29 munches the miles.

Pretty much sums it up in the real world.

Not really, but people like to make that as an assumption.

lostboysaint

Hob Nob wrote:

WindyG wrote:

Jay_Pea wrote:

So really the size of wheels should depend on what I'm doing rather than how tall I am. 26 good at the twisty turning stuff and 29 munches the miles.

Pretty much sums it up in the real world.

Not really, but people like to make that as an assumption.

I'd counter that by saying that I've now ridden a fair number of "equivalent" 29ers to my Bandit 26 and haven't come across anything that's remotely as throwabout. Likewise the change from Inbred 26 to Inbred 29 also proved the point quite nicely. Even though the designers allege that they are doing clever things to get wheelbases down, angles a little steeper etc. to make them more "fun" the fact that there's two dirty great big rotating masses at either end mean that it's going to be a very hard task, and one of which I've yet to see proof of any success.

Hob Nob

I don't have any more issues 'throwing' my Enduro29 about over any of my past 26" wheeled bikes (NomadC, SB66C, Meta SX).

I can't really compare my 29" HT (Fireline) to a 26" bike as its the first HT i've had in years.It doesn't seem to have a lack of ability to go round corners or not be great fun to ride, just because the wheels are a couple of inches bigger.

Depends on your definition of fun though, I can't not do anything I would have done on a smaller wheeled bike, so it's no less fun, it just goes faster too.

rockmonkeysc

Im 6'1" and have two 26" wheel bikes which fit me perfectly. It's the frame size that needs to fit you, not the wheel size.

kajjal

I am over 6ft6 and HT MTB's with 26" and 29" wheels. The 26er is more agile until the going gets rough and then you get thrown all over the place. The 29er is a little less agile but not affected by rougher trails. The difference is noticeable but not a massive change.

Both are good bikes to ride, choose the bike you like riding.

ricardo_smooth

6ft5 and on 26" wheels. Nobody sniggers when I ride past (they must at least wait until I fall off!)

njee20

Jay_Pea wrote:

Long Time Lurker wrote:

Jay_Pea wrote:

I stand corrected on my assertion that _all_ 29ers are wrong I found one that isn't but it's about 6.5k :shock:

I assume that have stumbled across the Yeti or Santa Cruz websites then?

Actually it's a spesh

http://www.bikeradar.com/gallery/articl ... r-31151/1/

It looks like every other racey 29er hardtail... :?

arran77

What do you think tall people did when there were only 26" wheel bikes

kajjal

arran77 wrote:

What do you think tall people did when there were only 26" wheel bikes

It was like being perched on a small clown bike with the circus music playing

I rode one until the last couple of years as my main bike. I find the size of the 29er better for me but it's just a personal preference.

mr joey

Its all bollocks im 6ft and just shelled out 2.5k on a 26" stumpy evo because its the right size and the right bike for what i do aggresive trail riding do i like 29ers no! Just do whats right for you