26r, 29r or other?

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
I'm still a fan of the 29 wheel for most applications. Even in technical terrain at variable speeds I like the added roll-over of the bigger diameter. The Rocky Mountain Instinct BC Edition I rode all last year with slightly wider 2.4 tires on 140mm suspension was really fun and capable over a wide range of trails. That's kind of my personal sweet spot.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
What kind of weight is the RM bike Christophe? I am spoiled by my Rockhopper, put on the scales without cables it's 21 lbs.
 

Christophe Noel

Expedition Leader
What kind of weight is the RM bike Christophe? I am spoiled by my Rockhopper, put on the scales without cables it's 21 lbs.
Dunno. Weight matters very little in the bigger picture. My guess is it's in the neighborhood of 25 pounds. I weigh 175 pounds, so 2-5 pounds here and there in bike weight has minimal impact on watt to weight ratios. How that weight is distributed and what it is committed to matters.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
Just like when adding bigger tires/wheels to a expo rig, it all has an effect. My full suspension bike is about 40 lbs because everything on it is crap carbon steel except for the frame. Once it goes on a diet, I think I can knock a good 15 lbs off it. Will be much easier and fun to ride then!....
 

Buddha.

Finally in expo white.
I have been riding a trek hybrid thing that was given to me, it's not great on muddy gravel trails I frequent so today I went and checked out the local bike shops. I was looking for a used 26" rigid MTB. I ended up with a mid '90's Gary Fisher on 650B's, everything on it is new except the frame and fork. It has a lot nicer ride than the hybrid with it's much fatter tires, I'm super happy with it. I thought it would be slower than my old hybrid due to added rolling resistance of the bigger tires but was surprised the opposite seems to be true.

Two questions:
Is 650b the same as 27.5?

I lowered the tire pressure while out on the trail until it started to look slightly low with me on it(I'm 240lb). When I got home I measured the pressure and was surprised to see only 25psi. The bike felt good at this pressure, am I going to hurt anything keeping it that low?
 
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rruff

Explorer
I just built up a 26er and love it. ...I did end up going with 3.0 tires so they're kinda like plus width tires.

I just discovered that 26+ is a thing, and put a 2.8 on the front (barely fits) of my '92 fully rigid Schwinn POS. Looks like it will be a winner.
 

rruff

Explorer
When I got home I measured the pressure and was surprised to see only 25psi. The bike felt good at this pressure, am I going to hurt anything keeping it that low?

If you aren't bottoming out, flatting tires, and denting rims, it's fine.

Also 650b= 27.5.
 

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