dieselcruiserhead
16 Years on ExPo. Whoa!!
If it helps...
I think there are some interesting analogies of how bike size fits a lot like some of the hobbies here on the Expo board. Like a good motorcycle there is seldom one that does "everything" well so you kind of need to have a couple to do it all well. And a lot like a built Subaru versus a Tacoma on 31" or 33" tires, this is similar to 26" versus 29" etc. What do you want to drive and how to you want to feel doing it? What type of terrain are you riding and how do you want that terrain to feel to you?
Second is a lot of it is related to the fit and size and feel of the bike. For a MTB to work really well in my opinion you sort of need to be "between" the wheels instead of on top of it. 650b and 29er accent this feel a little further with some differences in style and feel as side effects (both good and a little bad), so a lot of it comes as basically preference and how you like or prefer the feel of the bike. Sort of like which would you rather get around in, a pretty capable beefed up Subaru or a Tacoma. Something like that... Like Flounder for example I ride with a 5'3 105 woman who rips it on 29er... I guess she'd rather drive the Tacoma I suppose..
THis is the largest issue/question I supposed you'll want to come up with on your own, when making a decision. You also probably want to make this decision by riding different bikes and seeing how they feel.
So my conclusions are:
Again, matter of preference...
I think there are some interesting analogies of how bike size fits a lot like some of the hobbies here on the Expo board. Like a good motorcycle there is seldom one that does "everything" well so you kind of need to have a couple to do it all well. And a lot like a built Subaru versus a Tacoma on 31" or 33" tires, this is similar to 26" versus 29" etc. What do you want to drive and how to you want to feel doing it? What type of terrain are you riding and how do you want that terrain to feel to you?
Second is a lot of it is related to the fit and size and feel of the bike. For a MTB to work really well in my opinion you sort of need to be "between" the wheels instead of on top of it. 650b and 29er accent this feel a little further with some differences in style and feel as side effects (both good and a little bad), so a lot of it comes as basically preference and how you like or prefer the feel of the bike. Sort of like which would you rather get around in, a pretty capable beefed up Subaru or a Tacoma. Something like that... Like Flounder for example I ride with a 5'3 105 woman who rips it on 29er... I guess she'd rather drive the Tacoma I suppose..
THis is the largest issue/question I supposed you'll want to come up with on your own, when making a decision. You also probably want to make this decision by riding different bikes and seeing how they feel.- 650b: I've been on a 650b since 2008 (Ventana 5" full suspension) right when the MTB tires (Pacenti Neomoto, etc) started coming out. I used a 650b specific fork at first but 650b fits in a bunch of 26er forks so I just used a 140mm travel RockShox fork that was great. What matters is Axle-Crown measurement if the tire fits, so its mostly a non issue. The wheels were awesome right off the get go and really do feel a lot more like 29er to me in terms of rolling resistance. You definitely feel the lug of the 650b compared to a 26er (26er is very peppy to me) so I agree with the statements of "best of both worlds." Now when I get on a 26er unless I'm really paying attention to my lines all day long I feel like I feel every bump in the road with 26." However the bike is fast, goes around corners and fast and tight areas well, and really has that 26" size tire feel of activeness and aggressiveness. So the answer for me is that I'll likely not ever go back to 26" as well.
- 29er: In just this last two weeks actually, being 6'5 tall, I went back to 29er on a 2XL 140" travel Turner Sultan. I feel "in" the bike for possibly the first time in my life. Being 6'5 and "in" the bike is hard to do unless you go seek out a behemoth bike. I guess, in this case, I finally did.
So my conclusions are:
- 26", handles nice and tight and feels good, feels a lot in the road. I think 26" is still great for long travel plush downhill though. On a 6" or more travel bike, 26" feels completely awesome and no need to change something that works so well. I personally would only but one if I focused heavily on downhill or I was very short.
- 650b sort of like a small off road tire. Good and hearty but still have personality and playful. Sort of like having 31s on your Tacoma. My opinion is all trailbikes should be 650b today.
- 29er great for taller folks or those who want that 33" tire feeling or guys like me where you really should be on a big bike. I think big bike is more important than handling and around switchbacks. Again, this comes with just getting used to the bike. A lot folks really like that big bike big tire feeling, and it completely makes sense...
Again, matter of preference...
