Do You Want a 27.5 Inch Wheel Mountain Bike?

So there you are riding your 8 year old mountain bike with the standard 26 inch wheels and a weight of 35 lbs. and worthless suspension… if any. Now you finally have the money for an upgrade and are hearing everyone talking about 29ers and 27.5 inch wheel bikes and this is better than that and so on.

Now that you are confused and unsure of what type of bike you want you need to first determine what type of riding you will be doing and the terrain you will mostly be riding on. Of course there are other factors besides wheel size to consider when buying a new bike but in this article we are only talking wheels. When it comes to wheel size think of 26 inch wheels (559 millimeters) as being better for tight corners and more responsive steering while 29 inch wheels (622 millimeters) are better for bumps and rocks because they roll over them smoother. They can also be better for climbing but don't seem to handle the corners as well. To get the best of both worlds, well maybe not the best there is also the 27.5 inch wheel (584 millimeters) which offers good cornering as well as smooth transitions over the bumpy stuff. This wheel size is also referred to as the 650b wheel size.

When the 27.5 inch wheel came out people weren't sure if it was just going to be a fad or if it was actually something that would catch on. Years later it's definitely here to stay and being used by many people and even made its way into the world of downhill racing. It's hard to say for sure but the 27.5 may become the standard in the near future. Some bike shops don't even really sell 26 inch wheel bikes anymore unless they are downhill specific.

If you get a quality bike with decent suspension then you should be able to take on most everything with a 27.5 inch wheel bike except for maybe the extreme stuff since there aren't too many 27.5 inch downhill bikes to choose from (yet). Doing steep climbs and taking on technical rocky trails should be fine with the right bike and it will be nice to have some of the characteristics of the 26 and the 29 inch bikes all in one. With these bikes getting more and more popular it should be pretty easy to find one that suits your riding style and budget so do your research and try some out and you will most likely be happy you went with the latest and greatest wheel size.

Posted by Jim Bernstein