Evening all. Used to ride a lot, sold my last bike (trek fuel ex9 26") many moons ago now. Wanting to get back into it, really need to get fit, thought I wanted to go 29, but 27.5 also seems popular. What is your preference, and why?
Mountain Bike - 27.5 Vs 29
brendanm on 14/01/2025 - 23:34
Last edited 14/01/2025 - 23:34
Last edited 14/01/2025 - 23:34
Comments
My advice would be to buy a bike you don't need to do anything to. It comes with everything you want on it.
Yep, I just want something I can ride, make sure I actually ride it, then buy something else with higher spec at some point if I "need" to. 29 does seem like it would be the choice for what I want to do.
My advice would be to buy a bike you don't need
That makes sense…
That makes sense. Cheers.
FTFY
27.5 is really for smaller frames these days. Unless you are a small frame or under, a 29 is likely to be the go to. Medium is often a changeover point and may have both options
Having said that, my most recent proper MTB purchase about 6y ago i went with 27.5 Trek Remedy in a large frame. I wanted a bike that was nimble and agile. Something playful to ride. Back fo back a 29er in the same model just felt slower to turn and accelerate. It was less agile. I love the remedy. It's not awesome for riding up or XC, but its a lot of fun for technical stuff.
When 29ers were first coming to the market i rode a couple of high end specialized bikes. Like full carbon, carbon wheels for $10k. It was a back to back test track and the $10k 29er accelerated like a scalded cat, but was much slower to corner than my decent 26er at the time.
What sort of rider are you, what sort of riding will you do? What is your budget?
Good info. I'm 6"2 so will be on a large or x large. I will be buying used as I'm not dropping $6k+ on something I may not use enough to justify. Looking at specialized stump jumper, Scott spark, trek fuel etc. Was looking at a couple of remedies but they are probably a bit too much bike for what I will be doing? They seem to still have 27.5 or 29 for a lot of them around the 2020ish build dates.
Used to ride freeride and trails way back in the day, will probably be mainly trails, no hardcore downhill or racing, so I was leaning toward 29
The remedy is WAY overbiked for me now, but at the time i wanted a fun bike having come from a racy XC frame that was light and fast, but a bit more sketchy when descending.
Don't think you can go wrong with a stumpy, fuel, trance (or equivalent).
I have both 29 and 27.5 bikes.
Both have their areas where they shine and where one is more preferred, but generally both will work(?)
The main reason I swap is based on the trail and if there's more of one more thing that I'd like to do OR depending on the friends I'm riding with.
I still ride a couple of retro 26" bike. They dont have modern geometry but are still fun to ride on single track. Not so much MTB park trails with huge jumps though.
The 26" was a lot easier to get in & out the car! More maneuverable. Try a 29" on a BMX track! :-)
The shift to 29" everywhere was more a matter of fashion and "new & improved" sales pitch for the average buyer. Pros and cons.29ndoes roll over stuff better thann26, but its not a massive difference.
I saw a yesterday on 32 tyres being the next thing. I can see a 32 being good for fast flowing flat trails, but not much else. The wheels wont be stiff enough and will be even more sluggish than 29ers. Apparently you can get 36er too.
Mullet bike
Why not both? N+1.
Given your 6'2" height though, I'd lean towards 29 if you could only have one. 29 is generally slightly heavier and less nimble, but won't make much difference at your height. If you were smaller like under 5'10", then there may be noticeable benefit with 27.5 in terms of bike weight and agility.
What have you decided on? I'm in a similar position to yourself (except I'm already fit 😉) and been following the thread. I just want to try some gnarlier trails. Prices for a decent dualy or legit DH bike are crazy, even 2nd hand. I think I'm going to aim for 27.5. I'm current riding a hard tail 26r.
There is a 2020 or so specialized stump jumper 29er in XL available at what is a "reasonable" price, may have a look at that on the weekend. As you say, prices are silly even for used stuff. Some people are obviously just dreaming, $2k for average bikes from 2014 😂
If you're after a medium frame and are happy with 27.5", there seems to be a tonne to choose from, at least up here.
Way back in the day I had a specialized big hit, old school mullet with 24" rear, must have weighted about 18kgs, no lockouts, pro pedal etc. I rode that thing everywhere, those were the days 😂
I'm also 6'2", 90kg so a large frame it is for me at the minimum. As an older dude I'm not looking for speed, more agility and turn in. Of what I've gathered half modern bikes can swap 27.5 and 29 easily. My 2012 Avanti looks like a museum piece in comparison.
We are relatively similar then, you are just a little fatter 😉. The safe thing seems to be if you get a 29 you can swap to 27.5, or 27.5+, but going to 27.5 may mess up bottom bracket height.
Yeah I'm surprised how much geometry etc has changed, that plus the valving magic in shocks, I'm pretty sure anything will be amazing compared to what we are used to.
Most bikes are 29" these days. 27.5" rear 29" front is a popular combo for some of the rowdier bikes, 27.5" isn't really a thing unless your xs size frame. I've been riding 29" for a couple of years coming from 26" and it's great. It's probably more a combo a the latest geometry, wider fatter grippier 2.6" tyres, better suspension, high 108 points of engagement hub. The trek line comp 30 wheels are nice.