Wheel size you most ride.

mudsucker
mudsucker Posts: 730
in MTB general
Hi there. Just out of interest poll. Bit of fun like.
After riding my local trail for the first time in a few years on my 26" Stumpjumper, i was suprised that most of the bikes there were still 26" wheel. Now, we are told that 26" is old hat and dead tech by magazine, websites etc. and that you need a 650 or 29 wheel bike. Thanks.
Bikes are OK, I guess... :-)

2008 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp.
2013 Trek 1.2
1982 Holdsworth Elan.

Comments

  • parmos
    parmos Posts: 100
    i have a 29er hardtail and i find it much easier climbing than my 26ers and in comparison a lot quicker as well
  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,443
    edited November 2021
    I could not express a vote, see below for why.

    I started mtb with 26" and loved them, but eventually went for a 27.5" becasue the bikes I wanted were not being sold in 26". On my first 27.5", The transmission was almost identical to the 26er I was leaving behind. I thought that therefore with the harder gearing forced by the larger diameter wheel that it would be slightly harder to get up steep ascents. Instead, I found that the larger wheels had better rollover which more than overcame the gearing penalty. The climbing felt easier as a result. I acknowledge that was not a 100% fair comparison, because the tyres were different, but my legs noticed and I was happy enough. I had another 27.5" wheeled bike with different geometry and I found the rollover improvement was still there.
    Then I went to my first 29er and it stepped up again! Although this time the benefit was not noticeable by me on climbing but on smoothing out the rough stuff. But the problem I found with a 29er at both ends is that my rear end got buzzed by the tyre when descending steep stuff, or when rolling over the edge of a drop. The geometry of modern 29ers has improved dramatically from the early ones and they are less bargelike. I ride a lot through twisty stuff in the forest and I find that my wide bars are more of a problem than the 29" wheels. I can go faster and more smoothly on the29er, whether it is up, down or along.
    My current bike is a mullet, ie 29er front and 27.5 rear. I get the rollover benefit from the front tyre and no buzzing in the bum. Shorter chain stay too. Win-win! :)
  • dtaylor243
    dtaylor243 Posts: 26
    I have a 26 inch wheel drop bar light touring bike with V brakes, makes a great urban bike due to easy manouverability and a great gravel bike on graded tracks as long as not too much mud to fowl up the brakes.
    I have a 700c touring bike which I mostly use for long shopping journeys to different towns, seems to roll more easily in a straight line than the other two.
    I have a 27.5 wheel modern mountain bike which is best of all for riding rough broken tracks with deep puddles and inclines too steep for non 4wd cars.
    I enjoy riding all of them equally in their prefered environment.
  • JBA
    JBA Posts: 2,852
    I'm in South Wales and see hardly any 26" wheel bikes on the trails these days. It's probably an even split between 27.5" and 29" now.
    You don't *need* any particular size wheel. Ride whatever you have if you are happy with it.
    My hard tail is a 29er and my full sus has 27.5" wheels. I don't base which I ride on the wheel size but on the terrain I will be riding.
    “Life has been unfaithful
    And it all promised so so much”

    Giant Trance 2 27.5 2016 ¦ Sonder Broken Road 2021¦ Giant Revolt Advanced 2 2019 ¦ Giant Toughtroad SLR 1 2019 ¦ Giant Anthem 3 2015 ¦ Specialized Myka Comp FSR 2009
  • mully79
    mully79 Posts: 904
    Im still riding 26". Generally feels like the bikes trying to dislocate my shoulders in brake bumps that everyone else rolls over without noticing.

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