Am I crazy to want a 27.5?

[panchosdad]

I've got a 2020 Evil Calling 130/140, and thinking of going 29er. Better pedaling through rough chunk is probably the main reason, but also just new bikeitis. I do like going uphill. Really fun bike on the downs though.

Not really sure how this advances the conversation, but just one more data point. Wanna buy a sweet Evil?

[XXX-er]

I'm shredding those nice juicy berms every day at the area, so in the middle of a series of those berms I will be thinking

" wow, I'm sure glad i got that big meaty 29" up front, I'm pretty sure this would suck on a 26 "

[wkd-rdr]

If there's a 29er out there that is agile and nimble and flickable and fun, I'll check it out for sure.

Oh man, you need to test ride some bikes.
Most modern bikes check these boxes.

Currently have a Stumpy EVO (fuck specialized, broke a rear stay and it took 2.5 months to replace, just got it back and its a different color)
and that bike rips, pivots, switches lanes, corners on a dime, launches, fucks, and has a spot for your weed.

In the interim, I picked up a Rocky Mountain Altitude.
The bike is big (XL), but still corners like a 26er half its size. It's unreal. You can mullet it, you can adjust the geo to make it feel dramatically different (one bolt).

The changes in geometry have been amazing in the last few years. Really hard to find something that *doesn't* check those boxes.

[bagtagley]

Ultimately, any bike is playful if you play on it. You'll get used to whatever you're on and be able to push and flick it around just fine. Yes, even if it's a 29er.

Well said. In a head to head of the same bike with different wheel sizes you’d probably notice a different, but that comparison never happens in the real world. In reality, we quickly get used to whatever we’re riding day to day. The only thing I can’t seem to completely shake is ass buzz. I went a good year and a half, then ruined a pair of shorts Snowshoe a couple weeks ago.

To anyone in the know, are we likely to see 27.5 go the way of 26? If that’s a legitimate possibility, then I change my mind and think it is crazy to consider 27.5. I just dropped off a literal truckload of 26” stuff at the community bike shop, and it was a depressing reminder of the folly of sticking with 26 for too long.

[powbmps]

I suppose it depends on how long you keep bikes. After 10 years on a 26" Yeti 575, I upgraded to a 27.5" SB140 two years ago. Not planning on upgrading, so no worries whether or not it becomes 'obsolete'.

For what it's worth, the SB140 has been great.

[EWG]

FWIW my 27.5 is not getting replaced with a 29 anytime soon. I’m also in Colorado and riding the same stuff you are (the exact same stuff this weekend, actually) and love the way it rides. 165 rear travel so maybe that’s part of the reason?

I certainly my hope 275 sticks around for many years.

[kootenayskier]

I’ve had 5 seasons now on my stock 27.5 SC V2 CC Bronson, with a 2X XT drive-train, and 2.3 Minions. It’s incredibly comfortable, capable, and reliable. Perfect. I try the latest bikes whenever demo days come through town, and while some do certain things we’ll, I’m yet to ride anything I prefer for the full range (tech-gnar to epics) of riding Im into. I’m not racing or going huge, so whatever trends the pros are following means nothing to me. With SC’s lifetime warranty and 10 year parts support, I expect I’m good for another 5 years, at which time who knows where the industry’s endless need to “innovate” will have taken us. If I was forced to buy a new bike right now, I’d be looking for a used (pre-mullet) 27.5 SC 5010.

[whyturn]

I moved to 27.5 and never looked back. Kind of like the protest, it just makes riding more fun. I picked up a revel rail in large and I’m 6-1 with long arms. It rides really nimble in trees, but can run o the down. Climbs really well and just a sweet suspension linkage. As I get older I want easy but still fun.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[toast2266]

To anyone in the know, are we likely to see 27.5 go the way of 26? If that’s a legitimate possibility, then I change my mind and think it is crazy to consider 27.5. I just dropped off a literal truckload of 26” stuff at the community bike shop, and it was a depressing reminder of the folly of sticking with 26 for too long.

I don't think 27.5's will completely go away, but they'll be rarer. You can already see it - companies are dropping 27.5's from the lineup, or morphing them into mullets.

But 27.5's are still popular with short folks and on some longer travel bike, so I think they're safe for now. The real question is, in ~8 years, will 27.5's still be popular enough that tire companies make a full run of 27.5's in every tread pattern / casing / rubber? I'm guessing tire options will exist, but they might be a bit more limited than they are currently.

[Greenstateofmind]

I was pretty surprised to see the new 5010 go mullet. It seems telling that SC won't be offering a 27.5 anymore.

[krchoquette]

I was pretty surprised to see the new 5010 go mullet. It seems telling that SC won't be offering a 27.5 anymore.

I "found" a levo in 2022 that's a mullet. I'm really surprised by how responsive and planted it is. Hard to say what has to do with the 50 pounds, vs. the smaller rear, but I'm a fan.

My daily is the SB 130. The 29 always feels like it requires a lot of rider input to excel, but like good skis, it does so.

I've ridden an 27.5 SC, I think it was the Bronson? It felt WAY more intuitive than the other in terms of getting it to do what I want, but, I'll take the direction stability (think damp ski) over the agility. Roll over in the rocky regions of Tahoe trumps the need for nimble. I like my wheel to go over, not stop, on obstacles.

Interesting to see 27.5 might drop as an option.

I was forced to give up n the stick shift about 6 years ago too....

[Eluder]

To anyone in the know, are we likely to see 27.5 go the way of 26? If that’s a legitimate possibility, then I change my mind and think it is crazy to consider 27.5. I just dropped off a literal truckload of 26” stuff at the community bike shop, and it was a depressing reminder of the folly of sticking with 26 for too long.

The sales difference is staggering between the two on high end bikes. You will be seeing less 27.5 options in suspension forks in the very near future. I suspect there will be some holdouts but that could be seen as a sign of the snow ball starting.

Ultimately it will be up to full price paying consumers to keep them around.

[chicken feathers]

When I think about it, I sure hope they stick around for the sake of short folks...

I'm 5'10" and while I think I prefer 27.5", I can at least imagine that new 29er's would most likely work for me.

OTOH my wife is 5'3". She commuted on a 29" adventure bike for a few years and honestly it was kinda dumb for her size...maybe it's apples to oranges, but I think a 29" trail bike for her height won't ever make sense.

I'll be bummed if high end 27.5" frames and parts go away, she'd be really bummed.

[XXX-er]

not much use for a 26 anymore altho a local i know put a 29 on the front on a 26" SC and it looks off for sure

look at tire choice/ sizes in chain reaction and see if you notice a trend ?

but at least the 27.5 is still necessary for a mullet

[Eluder]

For what its worth I will throw some data into the debate.

Me - 5'7" perfectly happy on a 29er or 27.5 but the later is slower. While moving from 26" 140mm rear travel was my max on a 29er, I like riding steep trails and while I get butt bumps with the 29er it's not too big of a deal. One of my bikes is mx and I quite like that for what it's worth and having that compatibility on a big travel bike is important for me but I still think I would start with 29.

Wife - 5'4" prefers 27.5" but can make a 29er work just fine on technical trails, recently went mx and pretty stoked on it. I think she would be equally stoked on a full 27.5" but the options are already limited in the 160/150 do all category.

[Andeh]

I'm 5'8", rode full 29 for a couple years and have been on a mullet setup for a year and a half. I really appreciate the less frequent DHR ass tickles on steep bits. The cornering of mullet feels different than either full 27.5 or 29 - the rear wheel wants to cut inside compared to the front. I definitely like the 29 front wheel - much more stable than 27.5. The ebike I'm looking to get around Christmas will probably be full 29, although it looks like I could run it as a mullet if I wanted to. I'll ride it for a while as 29 and see what I think.
There's a contingent of local guys around me who are die hard 27.5. Most are also in the 5'7"-5'8" range, our local trails aren't very chunky, and they don't travel to places where chunk exists.

[XXX-er]

The cornering of mullet feels different than either full 27.5 or 29 - the rear wheel wants to cut inside compared to the front. I definitely like the 29 front wheel - much more stable than 27.5. .

I always say mullet pivots better on the 27.5 but that might be a better way to put it

and thats what i like about mullet handling, where i ride there are machine made multiple tight switch backs

[Falcon3]

So if 27.5 is on the way out, maybe I should hang onto my 27.5 carbon wheelset and Fox 36 Factory fork that are currently collecting dust. Might be worth a mint in a couple years

My .02 is I think 27.5 is great for shorter riders. Im 5-10, short inseam, and on a low-bb bike with 150 travel in the rear, that 29er comes up to the butthole pretty quick. I think if I was any shorter with my current proportions and keeping the BB drop, I’d be pretty uncomfortable on a 29.

[Dantheman]

There is a lot of talk in the replies about "short travel"- the shadowcat I'm considering is 140/160. Is that short travel, because I wouldn't call it that?

It's solidly in the mid-travel category these days, even with the long fork.

[toast2266]

So if 27.5 is on the way out, maybe I should hang onto my 27.5 carbon wheelset and Fox 36 Factory fork that are currently collecting dust. Might be worth a mint in a couple years

Just like how all that old 26" stuff is worth tons of money these days...

For the record, this whole conversation is almost identical to multiple threads on here discussing 26" wheels when those were phasing out ~11 years ago. History repeats itself.

[XXX-er]

Just like how all that old 26" stuff is worth tons of money these days...

For the record, this whole conversation is almost identical to multiple threads on here discussing 26" wheels when those were phasing out ~11 years ago. History repeats itself.

thats cuz if something works ... it works

actulay the prices on-line for " vintage "mtn bike parts are stupid

[bagtagley]

For the record, this whole conversation is almost identical to multiple threads on here discussing 26" wheels when those were phasing out ~11 years ago. History repeats itself.

I guess I didn’t realize we were approaching that point. That sucks for kids and shorter folks if good fork and tire options start to go away.

Maybe we need to try 28.25 before we fully commit to 29?

[rideit]

I always say mullet pivots better on the 27.5 but that might be a better way to put it

and thats what i like about mullet handling, where i ride there are machine made multiple tight switch backs

False premise…there are no truly ‘tight’ machine built switchbacks!

[adrenalated]

goldenboy, have you considered hording 1990s bikes like you do with skis?

I find my Norco Optic to be plenty agile/nimble/playful. I am on a size smaller than Norco thinks I should be on (5'9" on a medium). But I don't have ages of experience on old school bikes either. It certainly doesn't have the point and shoot sled feel of other 29ers I've tried, and I'm finding the 140/125mm of travel to be totally sufficient - my longer travel Patrol definitely can go faster in the jank, but I can pretty much ride whatever on the Optic.

[toast2266]

Maybe we need to try 28.25 before we fully commit to 29?

We just need some 31's to make the 29ers feel small and flickable.

People used to complain about 27.5's being big and slow handling compared to 26's.