26 or 29inch

[Egon Belmontie]

Hi all

Just a quick question i was just wondering if there is much difference in the 2 sizes?

Is there a real benefit to ether or is it a personal preferences thing?

Just curious as after the back end of my bike was totalled by a car i need to look into getting a replacement bike and the 29s seem to come up quite a bit.

Thanks.

 

[Kestevan]

Don't really see the point of 29" bikes for most people, Unless you're freakishly tall there's nowt wrong with 26" wheels for off road use.

I suspect that the recent push for 29" bikes is largely driven by the marketing bods wanting to have something new and flashy to sell.

 

[Crackle]

I don't know what you are looking at or your budget but you might find 26" bikes are simply not in the range any more. It's 650b or 29. As for the merits of each, they can probably be debated until the cows come home, go back out, come back home again..... In general terms, the usual advice applies, pick something which suits the riding you do and the kind of rider you are.

Is there a benefit to 29ers, yes, the angle of incidence of wheel to bump is less, so 29ers feel smoother, the bigger wheel has more inertia so they roll well. Are there any disadvantages, yes, not all frames and manufacturers are equal so the sizing is sometimes odd compared to a 26. Bigger wheels require a longer wheelbase so it's said 29ers aren't as nimble. So again, it comes back to what your intended use is and how you ride.

 

[Egon Belmontie]

Ok cool thanks for that, I think i'll stick to what im used to then, just thought id ask as i couldn't see much in it and im only 5.8 so 26s is perfect for my commuting and light week end off roading then,

Cheers guys.

 

[gazguildford]

I have only recently started cycling again (since I was a kid) I always had 26 but this time I opted for 29" I'm only 5'6 I find the 29 great maybe it's all in my head after reading 29s roll over stumps and obstacles better, if it's in my head then it's not a bad thing because I have an added (maybe false) sense of confidence in the bike.

 

[Crackle]

I have only recently started cycling again (since I was a kid) I always had 26 but this time I opted for 29" I'm only 5'6 I find the 29 great maybe it's all in my head after reading 29s roll over stumps and obstacles better, if it's in my head then it's not a bad thing because I have an added (maybe false) sense of confidence in the bike.

Out of interest, what bike have you got?

 

[gazguildford]

A specialized rockhopper 29er 2014 had it for a few months and at first I thought "trails and off road only" because there are some nutters on the road! But I use it for both now and with the potholes ound here it was worth it lol!

 

[Milzy]

It is all about the 27.5. 29s nice for big obstacles but are slower to spin up.

 

[mobi]

If you ever need to carry your bike inside a medium size hatchback, 29 may be a problem. 26 fits fine in most cars without taking out front wheel.

 

[Archeress]

I have a GT Timberline 29er. It has all terrain tyres on it. I have used it on MTB rides with my club and found it to handle really nicely, probably is a little less maneuverable than a 26", but handles obstacles better. I have also commuted on it, and it is not hard to get it up to 25mph on the flat (as long as I put more air in the tyres). It is probably a bit heavier than a 26", after all there are longer forks, chain stays and seat stays.

Hugs
Archeress x

 

[stinaV8]

It's a personal thing , depending what type of riding you do. I like the 650b size , Good compromise between roll over , handling and acceleration . My husband has a late 90's cannondale jeykle 26" he loves that , it's quite twitchy , but fun . He's a bit shorter than me and it suits him well , Earlier this year he bought a diamond back 29er , he never really bonded with it as an MTB , we stuck it on road tyres and he loves it as a hybrid , ( he did a 67 mile heart foundation ride on it )
See if you can test ride a few sizes .

 

[Saluki]

@ScotiaLass will be along in a min to extol the virtues of a 29er. From what she has been saying about hers, I'm quite tempted myself.

 

[ScotiaLass]

@ScotiaLass will be along in a min to extol the virtues of a 29er. From what she has been saying about hers, I'm quite tempted myself.

I'm here!

I know some will disagree and say it's a gimmick, but personally, I love my 29er!
It rolls very easily, handles better than I thought it would for the size, and as @Archeress says, it may be a little less agile than a 26 but it more than makes up for it by coping with everything I've put in front of it so far!
I took mine on holiday to Morayshire and rode it around the local woods and had an absolute blast (until rider error landed me on the floor, where I lay laughing!). It coped with the woods, river trails and the road, all with ease.

 

[gelfy666]

since buying my Saracen Kili 29er ive grown to love it now.... probably because it was a 2013 and 1/2 price,... but yes it does what i want it to do, and being 6' 3" i dont look to bad on it.

 

[Bodhbh]

Don't really see the point of 29" bikes for most people, Unless you're freakishly tall there's nowt wrong with 26" wheels for off road use.

I suspect that the recent push for 29" bikes is largely driven by the marketing bods wanting to have something new and flashy to sell.

Well considering how much noodling and min/maxing gets done about every single - probably irrelavent - feature on a bike, it's seems pretty legit that something as fundamental as wheel size gets a bit of a attention when making a purchase