650b

THATmanMANNY said:
that's like saying you want a flip phone when you go renew
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I do because they outlast everything else. True story my flip phone fell out of my pocket at 40+ down hill on the road and still works like a charm. Kinda the same thats why i use a bullit for DH too. Cant kill easy to work on.
 
I think the prices are out of whack right now, and I understand that right now it might be partly because of the lack of inventory wheel-wise/early adopter thing. IMO until they start cranking out bikes in the 900-1200 range it'll will continue just to be a niche area of the market
 
MikeP said:
I think the prices are out of whack right now, and I understand that right now it might be partly because of the lack of inventory wheel-wise/early adopter thing. IMO until they start cranking out bikes in the 900-1200 range it'll will continue just to be a niche area of the market
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Like the first 29er bikes, these will come down in price as more get built and more people see the benefits. The major advantage I see with these 650 bikes is the fact that you can have the long travel full suspension with the larger wheel. The second benefit I see is that folks with smaller frames can enjoy larger wheels, too.
 
Allamuchy Joe said:
Like the first 29er bikes, these will come down in price as more get built and more people see the benefits. The major advantage I see with these 650 bikes is the fact that you can have the long travel full suspension with the larger wheel. The second benefit I see is that folks with smaller frames can enjoy larger wheels, too.
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so far I don't see much in the way of frames with low SO heights. Jamis HT is a 13" gives you a 28.5ish SO with a 21.2 TT. Niner offers better choices with bigger wheels. I'm sure this will change with more bikes sold in the coming years. Totally agree about bigger wheels (than 26) with more travel. I'd have alot of interest in a 650b FS bike with a 5-6" fork
 
If you can't make a 5-6" travel bike work for you with 26" wheels, bigger wheels won't help you. If you're "not rolling over" things well on a modern, well designed multilink bike, it ain't the wheels holding you back.
 
Monkey Soup said:
If you can't make a 5-6" travel bike work for you with 26" wheels, bigger wheels won't help you. If you're "not rolling over" things well on a modern, well designed multilink bike, it ain't the wheels holding you back.
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never said any bike was holding me back, I just think that a 6' FS 650 would be the sweet spot for the wheel size, that's all
 
Because I always here that bigger wheels are better in the context of "rolling over stuff". This is why suspension was invented, to roll over stuff easier. On a hardtail, yes, I would definitely get a 27.5 or 29 (probably 29), but I'll never go back to hardtail so the point is moot. But on fs, it was a whole different ballgame. I felt that 29 handled like shit compared to 26, to the point that it outweighed any percievable benefit. As for 27.5, I did a lot of back to back testing before I bought my bike and I felt nothing, no difference between the 2. I understand that there is a benefit on paper, but it wasn't translating to 5.5-6" travel bike. Just saying don't automatically believe all the hype.

Funny how in the world of motox where rolling over things is also a big priority, no one is messing with wheel size.
 
Vote

This is an interesting time in the bike world.

I have a pretty good idea of what is coming and by who in the next few seasons.

Locally, it may prove very hard to find any 26" wheeled bikes in shops in a year from now.

Most of the big brands are simply giving 26" one more year to see if 650b will stick.

29er is steadily gaining market share, but no one wants to be left out if 650b takes over.

I see a real chance of an over-saturation of 650b. There are already too many tires on the market for the # of bikes on the street.

This could end very badly if 650b is a flop.

We each get a vote (or a few votes) here. Ride all the wheel sizes and buy what you like.
 

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I was never a believer of the 29er when it came out. I agree it rolls faster, etc. but I know it handles poorly. Everythings a trade off. I'm alot more open to the 27 650 B rush that is about to happen. I've never ridden one...but I feel you will be getting the best of both world with the 650 B. I still own a 26 full sus..and find no need to upgrade anytime soon. I guess I'm a one trick pony and will always be comfortable on what originally got me here 🙂
 
JDurk said:
Not looking to start another "which wheelsize" debate, but I'm going to say I have to disagree with that statement.
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If you find a proper fitting bike that's set up correctly any wheel size should handle more than adequately. On a tight and twisty trail at my local spot I've consistently clock better times on my 29er than my 26er. There's no one right wheel size.
 
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