27.5/650B Plus or 29er advice

skinz1990

Hi guys,

Just bought a Parkwood 29er frame from On One at what I reckon to be a cracking bargain price of £89 quid!

This frame can be ran as a 29er or as 27.5/650b plus but i cant decide which to go for..

Does anybody have experience with both wheel sizes that can give pros and cons for each.

27.5/650B Plus seem to be all the rage at the moment but wheel sizes are such a mine field its hard to know whats what!

I currently ride a Nukeproof Mega TR 27.5 which I love. I just fancied a hardtail for trails which are not quite as rough and also just because I like building and tinkering with bikes.

Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

skinz1990

Just in case people arnt familiar with these Parkwood frames heres whats possible with regards building as plus bike or 29er -

http://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/bikes/mountain-bikes/parkwood-275-plus

http://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/bikes/mountain-bikes/parkwood

Which one should i build???

Cheers

JBA

Whichever you prefer. It's going to be your bike.

Maybe be look at the relative prices of suitable forks, wheels and tyres and decide?

skinz1990

Not sure how a plus bike rides hence why I was asking for advice. I dont know if the plus sized wheels and tyres would weigh loads more than a 29er wheel with standard sized tyres, and therefore make it harder work and feel sluggish.

Also i was hoping to get some 29er Rebas or Revelations as i thought they would accept 29er wheels/tyres AND 650b plus, is this correct?

The Rookie

Plus bikes are no good in mud, the tyre is too wide to dig through for grip (like a conventional MTB tyre) and too narrow to float on top like a fatty, I'd avoid them for UK use unless you enjoy ploughing a furrow for your mates on normal bikes through any mud!

You'd almost certainly need a 'Boost' front fork which isn't cheap as the Plus tyres won't fit between conventional stanchions which are limited to about a 2.4" tyre.

I'd build it as a decent 29er to be honest.

skinz1990

Cheers for the reply mate think youve made the decision for me.

Its seems that on one spec the plus version of bike with standard 29er forks with no me tion of boost though, but with 2.8 tyres so maybe thats the max they can take.

Anyway it doesnt matter now... 29er it is!

Whats all the fuss about plus tyres if there not that good then??

The Rookie

Because they work very well in some areas of the world, just not in the UK.

Manufacturers will make a fuss about anything that gets them sales!
26" is dead, EVERYONE is going 29"
29" blunts the fun EVERYONE is going 27.5"
You need wider tyres EVERYONE is going 27.5+

What gimmick will it be next year, 26", CX tyres on a 29er, 36er or something else?

rockmonkeysc

I'd wait for 680mm narrow / wide wheels with semi boost axles next year.
Whatever you buy will only be the current standard for a short time.