I had a 29er xc hardtail for a really long time so I had a glimpse of a feel on how good is it to sit in the wheels instead of over the wheels. My first full suspension was a 29er stumpy and i could feel it was faster in some situation but it was really weird to ride and the wheels and fork were really noodly when thing were hairy. I then kept a 2.,5 as my primary race bike. I gave another go to a burlier long travel 29er and it took me few months to get used to it but I could definitively feel the speed . at 5.6, it feels like the standover was still a bit too tall and the bike felt tall and big.
Then I get another 29er (yeti sb5,5) and it fits like a glove, I feel really confortable and I know really appreciate the extra mellowness/stability and safety and the bit of agression I have to put in the turns. I sometimes would like to try again a 27.5 to feel the difference and I don't think I will ever go back.
My dh bike is still a 27.5 and I can't wait to put my hands on a 29er dh, i'm a strong believer that it would be a great application for this platform.
I went from an 27.5 Evil Insurgent to an Evil The Following to Transition Patrol 27.5. I am 5' 6" and felt like a passenger on the 29er. I like to be more in control and playful on the bike.
I was riding a Mega 290 with a 64° HA 46mm offset. The chain stays are 450mm on those so the thing was quite long (1220mm...
I was riding a Mega 290 with a 64° HA 46mm offset. The chain stays are 450mm on those so the thing was quite long (1220mm wheelbase on a medium iirc). I am 5’6”. It was great at high velocity as you can imagine. But the high axles, slack HA and shorter offset created way too much wheel flop for my liking (makes me doubt the SBG bikes, especially the Sentinel but I guess if you only ride at Mach chicken then maybe it’ll work). Also hated the gyroscopic effect of the larger wheels in the air (again this is worst at lower speeds, on steeper DJ type jumps. On high velocity booters it can help stabilise the bike in the air though throwing shapes takes more effort).
I would really like to try a 29er with a shorter wheelbase. Agile geometry and big stable wheels could be a great combo. Still think it’d piss me off on jumps but that feeling of taking off into the complete unknown and knowing you’ll be fine was pretty hilarious. The big wheels just roll over anything.
That’s one thing I thought was remarkable with the SBG bike(an Aluminium Scout), 65° HA, and not a single trace of wheel flop on the climbs.
I went from 27.5 for 3 years to 29 for a little over a year and now am back on 27.5. I loved my medium travel 29- it was definitely smoother and faster than the 27.5, but I think I have more fun on smaller wheels. Ideally, I'd like a short travel or hardtail 29er and a 27.5 enduro...
I was riding a Mega 290 with a 64° HA 46mm offset. The chain stays are 450mm on those so the thing was quite long (1220mm...
I was riding a Mega 290 with a 64° HA 46mm offset. The chain stays are 450mm on those so the thing was quite long (1220mm wheelbase on a medium iirc). I am 5’6”. It was great at high velocity as you can imagine. But the high axles, slack HA and shorter offset created way too much wheel flop for my liking (makes me doubt the SBG bikes, especially the Sentinel but I guess if you only ride at Mach chicken then maybe it’ll work). Also hated the gyroscopic effect of the larger wheels in the air (again this is worst at lower speeds, on steeper DJ type jumps. On high velocity booters it can help stabilise the bike in the air though throwing shapes takes more effort).
I would really like to try a 29er with a shorter wheelbase. Agile geometry and big stable wheels could be a great combo. Still think it’d piss me off on jumps but that feeling of taking off into the complete unknown and knowing you’ll be fine was pretty hilarious. The big wheels just roll over anything.
That’s one thing I thought was remarkable with the SBG bike(an Aluminium Scout), 65° HA, and not a single trace of wheel flop on the climbs.
I don’t really get wheel flop on climbs, that’s not where it bothers me - I don’t even notice it going uphill (maybe cus I don’t corner a lot on climbs) In fact I’d say slacker angles and more trail help keep the front wheel nice and smooth and straight on climbs. I actually find steeper angles (my 67° Scout for example) to wander around on climbs but not due to flop, just because they’re more susceptible to inputs from the rider which will happen when you’re going uphill and mashing the cranks.
The 29er Mega I put together specifically to try the very same concept as Transition later brought to market labelled SBG and it was really pretty horrible in corners. If you’re riding bike park with huge arc corners then yeah you get a more stable ride (less effected by rider input or other inputs in terrain etc) but we don’t really have much of that in the UK. We have a lot of tight corners. I found the wheel flop was just too pronounced to provide a consistently cornering bike. Once you hit the torque from the wheel flop the stability is flipped upside down and you’re fighting the bike. It’s super stable until all of a sudden it’s not at all.
The one way in which the Mega differed from the Sentinel design was that Transition have short chainstays and the Mega has long meaning there’s more weight on the front axle and therefore more pronounced wheel flop. It could be the short chainstays on the Sentinel mitigate the effects of wheel flop. I doubt it though to be perfectly honest. But I’m just one guy that doesn’t like huge trail figures on 29” wheels - ymmv.
I haven’t messed around with this sort of thing on 27.5” but in theory you can go farther with a slacker HA and reduced offset before you create the same issue. My guess would have been that the SBG Scout handles really well as you point out.
I'm only 5'5" and I ride a 29er. I went from a 27.5" SC Nomad and now ride a 29" Trek Slash - both size small and both fantastic bikes. I don't buy into the big-wheels-for-tall-riders argument. I'm short, love my 29er, and I'm not going back to 27.5.
Sold my bronson 1st gen to get a enduro29
Sold the e29 to get a nomad v3
Sold the nomad to get a switchblade
Sold my switchblade to get a mach 5.5... sold the 5.5 and now i am back on a switchblade... 27 is not as stable as 29 in the rough stuff.lesson learned
Started on 29ers back in 2010. Steel HT Gary Fisher, RIP 9, Lenz Lunchbox, then to a 27.5 Megatrail which I still have and love. Tried a Following, loved it on the descents for its geo and wheel size, but ST was too slack. Now building up a Trail Pistol and am super stoked to do so. I see the Trail Pistol as the bike that I'll ride on 80% of the trails I ride, but only 50% of the rides I do. Still think a long travel 27.5 is right for the burly stuff, drops, and gaps.
I've had several bikes with either wheel size. 26 to 27.5 to 29 back to 27.5. If I can only have one bike, it's going to be a 27.5 long travel bike because I can run heavy ass tires without the bike feeling unmanageable. DH tires on a 29er wheel, especially with inserts, is a TON of weight. With a 27.5 long travel bike you can throw downhill tires on and go race DH, or throw on skinny light tires, add 10 psi to the rear shock, and race XC (poorly). I don't have experience with the new Maxxis 29er DH tires, so maybe those are great, but as is I'd have zero confidence racing a rocky DH on EXO or DD 29er tires.
Main reason I went from 29 to 27.5, was because the mfgs were pumping money into it, making super competitive bikes in the trail/AM segment. I saw a sale on the SB5c frame and thought its 150mm fork with 5" rear would be suitable for a 130mm 29er front (27.5 rear) mixer bike.
I went from a 165mm travel 26” to a 130mm 29” and completely loved it. Did not miss the 26” in a single circumstance. Then I went to a 27.5” bike and thought it was ok and that my next bike would be back to 29” for sure. Well, an opportunity presented itself to me that allowed me to get a new, different, 27.5” frame and swap all existing parts over. This has been my favorite bike of all-time. My final synopsis is that there is more to what makes a bike “good” than wheel size alone...
I was on a 2011 Specialized Enduro Pro (26") for 8 years. Loved it. It was recently totalled in a car / rack accident. Super bummed...
I was on a 2011 Specialized Enduro Pro (26") for 8 years. Loved it. It was recently totalled in a car / rack accident. Super bummed. I decided to replace it with the new Nomad (actually the Stega as it has a lighter shim stack). I am 5'5" 135-140lbs. I didn't feel 29 was a good fit for me as I like a playful bike (drops, jumps, tech) and I am not very strong, nor very fast. Granted, every bike is a compromise and I may have made a bad choice. I keep remembering Laurie Greenland rode all three wheel sizes prior to Andorra and was fastest on his 26" Summum - he just didn't race it due to some tire / wheel issue - and he is around my size.
There is obviously a lot more to a bike than its wheelsize but I believe it's probably the property having the most impact in the riding experience, it is such a dynamic component interfacing the rider and the terrain. It explains why there is much more passion in wheel-size debate than for handlebar diameter.
I went from 26 a while ago to try 27.5 on XC, then 29 few years later and at every step with lighter wheels (I guess the wallet grew up as well) so the feeling was always a big improvement between capability and agility.
So I didn't see any point of going back to 27.5 and even made that choice on my DH.
But I think it depends of what the rider needs as well, agility, speed, confidence, stiffness...
Roughly I did those changes :
- from 26 to 24 on my dirt/park because of the agility, it feels like riding a bmx on pumptracks, small wheels 'pump' easier!
- from 26 to 27.5 on my 4X hardtail, grip, speed and stability are precious.
- from 26 to 27.5 to 29 on my DH, because of the grip, stability and more confidence in rough sections.
- new enduro in 29 because I felt good in DH on 29 and I want the same feeling when I descend everything I climbed
I was riding a Mega 290 with a 64° HA 46mm offset. The chain stays are 450mm on those so the thing was quite long (1220mm...
I was riding a Mega 290 with a 64° HA 46mm offset. The chain stays are 450mm on those so the thing was quite long (1220mm wheelbase on a medium iirc). I am 5’6”. It was great at high velocity as you can imagine. But the high axles, slack HA and shorter offset created way too much wheel flop for my liking (makes me doubt the SBG bikes, especially the Sentinel but I guess if you only ride at Mach chicken then maybe it’ll work). Also hated the gyroscopic effect of the larger wheels in the air (again this is worst at lower speeds, on steeper DJ type jumps. On high velocity booters it can help stabilise the bike in the air though throwing shapes takes more effort).
I would really like to try a 29er with a shorter wheelbase. Agile geometry and big stable wheels could be a great combo. Still think it’d piss me off on jumps but that feeling of taking off into the complete unknown and knowing you’ll be fine was pretty hilarious. The big wheels just roll over anything.
I don’t really get wheel flop on climbs, that’s not where it bothers me - I don’t even notice it going uphill (maybe cus I don’t...
I don’t really get wheel flop on climbs, that’s not where it bothers me - I don’t even notice it going uphill (maybe cus I don’t corner a lot on climbs) In fact I’d say slacker angles and more trail help keep the front wheel nice and smooth and straight on climbs. I actually find steeper angles (my 67° Scout for example) to wander around on climbs but not due to flop, just because they’re more susceptible to inputs from the rider which will happen when you’re going uphill and mashing the cranks.
The 29er Mega I put together specifically to try the very same concept as Transition later brought to market labelled SBG and it was really pretty horrible in corners. If you’re riding bike park with huge arc corners then yeah you get a more stable ride (less effected by rider input or other inputs in terrain etc) but we don’t really have much of that in the UK. We have a lot of tight corners. I found the wheel flop was just too pronounced to provide a consistently cornering bike. Once you hit the torque from the wheel flop the stability is flipped upside down and you’re fighting the bike. It’s super stable until all of a sudden it’s not at all.
The one way in which the Mega differed from the Sentinel design was that Transition have short chainstays and the Mega has long meaning there’s more weight on the front axle and therefore more pronounced wheel flop. It could be the short chainstays on the Sentinel mitigate the effects of wheel flop. I doubt it though to be perfectly honest. But I’m just one guy that doesn’t like huge trail figures on 29” wheels - ymmv.
I haven’t messed around with this sort of thing on 27.5” but in theory you can go farther with a slacker HA and reduced offset before you create the same issue. My guess would have been that the SBG Scout handles really well as you point out.
I’ve gone from 27.5 to 29 and I run an AM (mega 290) and HT (honzo). I also have a 27.5 DH rig.
I’m 6,2” and so my bikes are pretty big (c1250 WB on the AM and almost 1300 on DH) with the HT a bit shorter due to frame size and adjustable CS length.
I’m based in the U.K. where trails are often very tight on the way up and down, but I’ve also done a lot of european and more open area riding in the last 2 seasons. While my Mega has been awesome on the bigger, more open and much faster tracks, and even some sections where it shouldn’t have handled them as well, after testing some others Bikes I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a case of horses for courses.
I have tried a couple of good 275 AM/Enduro Bikes down some tracks that I just can’t see the Mega slicing through in the same way. I’ve also tried a Switchblade and found it very nimble for a 29er, but still not the same as a 275. The SB CS are very short so the trade off is that climbing is harder work.
I haven’t been able to lay my hands on a 29er with short offset fork (Sentinel) yet so have no idea if this is really going to change the feel of 29ers. The length of CS definitely changes the character of a bike but the almost default industry standard of 430mm (it’s that common IMO) is too short for guys my size if you are having to do some material climbing.
The bottom line is that the 29ers just feel more proportionate, if a little less nimble and it also takes me a lot more bottle to jump them. The 275 feels weird when the trails open up and even on the DH the wheels feel tiny sometimes after jumping off the 29.
So what am I likely to do? The answer is bike 4.....a 275 AM/Enduro bike that I can use for the tight twisty stuff, for some Enduro racing and when I go back to Finale and adventure riding. I will still have an FS 29er for the trail riding and big mountain stuff.
Before buying a new bike this year to replace my 2003 Specialized Enduro 26", I demo'd MANY bikes. I am in Eastern Part of Pa (cab3r15 we are almost neighbors). I rode many 29ers, and a couple of 27.5's. The first 29r I rode was the Niner RDO jet, and it felt like a pig, just did not fit me right, and it felt sluggish in the corners and I even wiped out on a flow trail. Next was a Specialized SJ Expert 27.5. It felt good, playful and not bad at all. It did not feel as great climbing, though nothing is going to feel great climbing with me on the bike, I need to get back in to shape. I rode a Giant Trance (I think trance) 29r and it was the first 29 that felt good, I was impressed. Next was a Trek Fuel EX 9.8, it also felt good, like the trance. What they both lacked though was a good feeling in the turns. Speed was key thats for sure, as the faster I went the better it felt.
5'9" Have some pounds to lose as well :D
One thing though, the 27.5 did not have an area where it felt wrong, the climbing was not as good, but again, it was not bad either. Everything else worked for me. I picked up a 2018 Specialized Stumpjumper Expert, and am very happy I did. It is a good bike that I can take to a bike park, ride around the rec areas here like Marsh Creek or trail ride with my son once Wrestling season is finished. I think either the Trek or the Giant would have suited me fine as well, but the 27.5 just worked all around.
Honestly my biggest question I go back on forth on is to stick with my clips (clipless) pedals or throw on flats. Thanks to VitalMTB I picked up a nice set of flats, though I have not used them yet. I figure for most of my trail riding I will use clips and for any downhill parks or enduro type rides the flats.
Then I get another 29er (yeti sb5,5) and it fits like a glove, I feel really confortable and I know really appreciate the extra mellowness/stability and safety and the bit of agression I have to put in the turns. I sometimes would like to try again a 27.5 to feel the difference and I don't think I will ever go back.
My dh bike is still a 27.5 and I can't wait to put my hands on a 29er dh, i'm a strong believer that it would be a great application for this platform.
The 29er Mega I put together specifically to try the very same concept as Transition later brought to market labelled SBG and it was really pretty horrible in corners. If you’re riding bike park with huge arc corners then yeah you get a more stable ride (less effected by rider input or other inputs in terrain etc) but we don’t really have much of that in the UK. We have a lot of tight corners. I found the wheel flop was just too pronounced to provide a consistently cornering bike. Once you hit the torque from the wheel flop the stability is flipped upside down and you’re fighting the bike. It’s super stable until all of a sudden it’s not at all.
The one way in which the Mega differed from the Sentinel design was that Transition have short chainstays and the Mega has long meaning there’s more weight on the front axle and therefore more pronounced wheel flop. It could be the short chainstays on the Sentinel mitigate the effects of wheel flop. I doubt it though to be perfectly honest. But I’m just one guy that doesn’t like huge trail figures on 29” wheels - ymmv.
I haven’t messed around with this sort of thing on 27.5” but in theory you can go farther with a slacker HA and reduced offset before you create the same issue. My guess would have been that the SBG Scout handles really well as you point out.
Sold the e29 to get a nomad v3
Sold the nomad to get a switchblade
Sold my switchblade to get a mach 5.5... sold the 5.5 and now i am back on a switchblade... 27 is not as stable as 29 in the rough stuff.lesson learned
I went from 26 a while ago to try 27.5 on XC, then 29 few years later and at every step with lighter wheels (I guess the wallet grew up as well) so the feeling was always a big improvement between capability and agility.
So I didn't see any point of going back to 27.5 and even made that choice on my DH.
But I think it depends of what the rider needs as well, agility, speed, confidence, stiffness...
Roughly I did those changes :
- from 26 to 24 on my dirt/park because of the agility, it feels like riding a bmx on pumptracks, small wheels 'pump' easier!
- from 26 to 27.5 on my 4X hardtail, grip, speed and stability are precious.
- from 26 to 27.5 to 29 on my DH, because of the grip, stability and more confidence in rough sections.
- new enduro in 29 because I felt good in DH on 29 and I want the same feeling when I descend everything I climbed
I’m 6,2” and so my bikes are pretty big (c1250 WB on the AM and almost 1300 on DH) with the HT a bit shorter due to frame size and adjustable CS length.
I’m based in the U.K. where trails are often very tight on the way up and down, but I’ve also done a lot of european and more open area riding in the last 2 seasons. While my Mega has been awesome on the bigger, more open and much faster tracks, and even some sections where it shouldn’t have handled them as well, after testing some others Bikes I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a case of horses for courses.
I have tried a couple of good 275 AM/Enduro Bikes down some tracks that I just can’t see the Mega slicing through in the same way. I’ve also tried a Switchblade and found it very nimble for a 29er, but still not the same as a 275. The SB CS are very short so the trade off is that climbing is harder work.
I haven’t been able to lay my hands on a 29er with short offset fork (Sentinel) yet so have no idea if this is really going to change the feel of 29ers. The length of CS definitely changes the character of a bike but the almost default industry standard of 430mm (it’s that common IMO) is too short for guys my size if you are having to do some material climbing.
The bottom line is that the 29ers just feel more proportionate, if a little less nimble and it also takes me a lot more bottle to jump them. The 275 feels weird when the trails open up and even on the DH the wheels feel tiny sometimes after jumping off the 29.
So what am I likely to do? The answer is bike 4.....a 275 AM/Enduro bike that I can use for the tight twisty stuff, for some Enduro racing and when I go back to Finale and adventure riding. I will still have an FS 29er for the trail riding and big mountain stuff.
5'9" Have some pounds to lose as well :D
One thing though, the 27.5 did not have an area where it felt wrong, the climbing was not as good, but again, it was not bad either. Everything else worked for me. I picked up a 2018 Specialized Stumpjumper Expert, and am very happy I did. It is a good bike that I can take to a bike park, ride around the rec areas here like Marsh Creek or trail ride with my son once Wrestling season is finished. I think either the Trek or the Giant would have suited me fine as well, but the 27.5 just worked all around.
Honestly my biggest question I go back on forth on is to stick with my clips (clipless) pedals or throw on flats. Thanks to VitalMTB I picked up a nice set of flats, though I have not used them yet. I figure for most of my trail riding I will use clips and for any downhill parks or enduro type rides the flats.
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