Haven ridden both 27.5+ and 29+ (2.8 and 3.0 tires on both) on both hardtails and rigid, here's my take. At 6'3" I overall prefer 29+, especially now in AZ and in rigid mode. Much better rollover and helps eat up a lot of real rocky/chunky terrain. But you've got to ask if the Jamis PR shootout win was a bit hyped. They don't have much competition yet for competitively affordable 650b bike sales. The leader in early sales in the emerging market of 650b will go a long way to establishing exponential long term sales as 650b wheeled bikes become the mainstream choice of new bike buyers. Long story short, I watched a lot of vids about hardtail vs fs, 27 vs 29, and figured a 27.5 would be an easier transition vs going straight to a 29. So that was my thought process. My buddy now rides a 29 Gorilla Gravity Smash and another rides a Stache 7. hi all, I'm posting this in the 29er forum because you are probably riding that wheel size. This question always seems to be an aside in debates about 27.5 vs 29 (or 26 vs 29 back in the day). Pros and cons of each, but if you are short, maybe a smaller wheel too. My current bike is a 2004 Titus Racer-X, with the standard of the time 26" wheels. 27.5" vs. 29". As I switch to my first trail bike I have the choice of either getting the Giant Stance in a 29er, or a 27.5. From my understanding 27.5 seems to be more in your control but you tend to have more resistance when flying down a trail. Regardless its been "proven" that 29ers for speed is better. But for an overall riding experience Most mountain bikes today are offered in one of two wheel sizes: 27.5˝ (also know as 650b) or 29˝ (called 29ers), with traditional 26˝ wheels reserved for dirt jump, freeride and kids’ bikes. These widely used measurements refer to the tire’s diameter, and are typically paired with a tyre width in inches when written out, (i.e. 29 x 2.0 For more detail checkout our other articles "26 or 29 You Choose" and "An introduction to 650b". Of interest in this table is the N/A under 29" for Gravity. This is quite simply because the 29er hasn't really been used in this area yet. Also the only "POOR" is under 27.5" for Availability - this is because new bike shops are not really stocking You can run lower pressures in big and wide tires. This is because the more surface area you have, the more your weight is displaced across the tire. You also have to run more air in smaller, narrower tires. For example you can run a 29 inch x 2.6 tire at a low pressure, say 24 psi with no worries. In the realm of endurance or marathon mountain bike racing, a game changer of technological advancement has taken hold, seemingly for good. We're talking about big wheels: the new world order of 27.5 inch and 29 inch as opposed to the older generation of 26 inch wheels. agF4749.

mountain bike 26 vs 27.5 vs 29