29er vs 27.5 Wheels on a mtb?

DKILLER12

Hi,

Still trying to gain as much info into bikes and riding before I make my first mtb purchase. I have decided to go with the Vitus Sentier Deore (2017). I now notice that there are both 27.5" and 29" models. Which one would suit me better? The only noticeable difference I can see, is the 20mm extra fork travel on the 29er. I'm 192cm (6' 3 & 1/2") if it makes any odds

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/vitus-bikes-sentier-29-hardtail-bike-deore-2017/rp-prod146543

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/vitus-bikes-sentier-hardtail-bike-deore-2017/rp-prod146560

I plan on doing a good mix of trail and downhill riding. This will be my first proper bike. I have ridden before and am nifty enough..

Let me know your thoughts..

Cheers

ec18

Travel is the same on both?

You really need to try them yourself to see which wheel size you prefer. Personally I didn't like the 29" i thought it found less nimble than the 27.5 but I'm a few inches shorter than you (178cm).

It's a bit of a boring suggestion but maybe try biking.ie to see if they have both in stock and try and do a split session or something to try both out?

Lemming

Observations made from watching the UCI downhill series this year; there was a big boner-fest for 29" wheels after Greg Minnaar did well using them in an early stage, three stages on and more than a handful of the smaller riders are moving back to 27.5" wheels having found 29" wheels are not the win button the wheel manufacturers claimed they were as the wheels didn't feel right for them personally.

Moral of the story? Wheel size is a personal thing, much like "what saddle is best". In theory, larger wheels roll over obstacles better, but if your line choice is poor, or you are not confident and/or your skills aren't on form, or the responsiveness/handling doesn't "feel" right, no wheel size is going to see you through an obstacle any better than the next. In short, it's the rider, not the wheel, that makes a difference. Anything else is just salesmen trying to sell you the latest craze in wheel sizes.


Disclaimer: I ride 26" and I'm 6ft 3 so I'm not the worlds expert on the larger wheel sizes. The only "real" benefit you'll get from either 27.5" or 29" wheels is that it's far less hassle trying to find after-market front suspension forks or rims because that's what the manufacturers want to sell you right now.

DKILLER12

Cheers for both of the replies lads, fortunately for me, I'm not hunting for the boner-fest, but more so seeking whether one wheel has any specific advantages over the other. By the sounds of it, it seems like a very subjective choice. I will wait for some more replies, (hopefully I get some!) to see what other lads think.

Suspension travel wise, afaik, the 29er, has a 140mm travel while the 27.5 has a 120mm travel. Either that, or I must go for an eye test.. *Edit*.. maybe I could be wrong here, would like someone to clarify.. it says in the description that there is a 140mm fork yet in the specs it has 120mm. Not sure which to believe.

Tenzor07

Wheel size has nothing to do with the rider's height..

As already mentioned, it's also down to personal preference as to the wheel size..
I'm far from tall but have both a 29er and 27.5, and I like both..

For my next bike i'll go 29 again, I just like the wheel size for rolling over rocks etc and the bit of extra speed on flat out sections..

Lemming

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Wheel size has nothing to do with the rider's height..

The connection with a riders height is purely anecdotal; casual observation made by the UCI commentators remarked that several of the smaller riders had all moved back to the smaller wheel size citing confidence/comfort/etc. and that perhaps it seemed to be that the larger riders were finding the 29" wheels more to their liking on the more technical tracks. It's an entirely unscientific observation and could be down to mere coincidence.

DKiller, if you can, maybe try out both wheel sizes from mates bikes, etc. and see which you find more to your liking.

Tenzor07

Lemming wrote: »

casual observation made by the UCI commentators remarked that several of the smaller riders had all moved back to the smaller wheel size citing confidence/comfort/etc. and that perhaps it seemed to be that the larger riders were finding the 29" wheels more to their liking on the more technical tracks. It's an entirely unscientific observation and could be down to mere coincidence..

Ya it was just cos the DH riders were handed these all new bikes with subtle changes and 29" wheels just before a race and didn't have all the suspension and rider positioning dialled in as well as many months practice done on the 27.5 bikes, recipe for disaster when you're a pro.. means nothing for your average Joe though... 29 will takeover...

Biopace

Looking at those two, the 27.5 will be a bit more of a fun ride, the 29er a better mile muncher, the 29er looks a little steeper in its angles which will make it a bit more twitchy on the downs and possibly it may feel a little 'tall'.

Suffice to say, if it was my money I'd be going for the 27.5, its a bit lighter, its a bit slacker, just overall I'd reckon a more fun bike.

Eamonnator

Tenzor07 wrote: »

Ya it was just cos the DH riders were handed these all new bikes with subtle changes and 29" wheels just before a race and didn't have all the suspension and rider positioning dialled in as well as many months practice done on the 27.5 bikes, recipe for disaster when you're a pro.. means nothing for your average Joe though... 29 will takeover...

Greg Minnaar and the rest of Team Syndicate tested their 29ers in Italy before the DH season started, and indeed compared them with their 26 inchers. It was far from being handed new 29ers just before the first World Cup race.

Tenzor07

Eamonnator wrote: »

Greg Minnaar and the rest of Team Syndicate tested their 29ers in Italy before the DH season started, and indeed compared them with their 26 inchers. It was far from being handed new 29ers just before the first World Cup race.

Danny Hart, given a Mondraker 29er, switched back to 27.5, only tested it a couple of times..

Trojan

Riders height affects frame geometry as the distance between the bars and saddle is shorter, so it does have a relationship with wheel size. But I think manufacturers have gotten better with the geometry since they started out with the larger wheel size.

I'm 5'7 and I was fairly comfortable on a fairly new 29er a couple of years back. I just looked (even more) ridiculous, that's all

davidfo

If you want to try the 27.5 inch version they rent them out at ticknock and ballinastoe as someone already said. I'm buying one at the end of the season as they sell them off cheaply for around 500, not sure if they are still available though

saccades

It's not 27.5" for a start.