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Depends where you stay, North (Atlasville, Bardene, Impala Park) or South (Sunward, Parkrand, Libradene) and your ride schedule.
As mentioned North there's BL group who ride daily except Mondays, weekdays are road around 30-40km distance with 1-3 ave speed groups depending on the numbers. Sat and Sun there are long and short distance road options and also a MTB ride on the Sat distance about 40km easy pace and nothing hectic. Besides Fitshack there is also Cyclelab in the Retail Park who do weekend rides as well.
South there is Sunward Slipstreamers who ride weekends 6am in Summer and 7am in Winter leaving from Sunward Village in Nicholson road. Sat road and MTB, Sun road.
Other group MTB rides which ride Sat but involve a bit of travelling are Procycles in Northmead and Finish Line in Kempton.
Thank you Scotty
All depends on your timing, BL(Atlasville) does daily rides from the shop at 4:40 weekdays and 5:40 weekends, otherwise, Fitshack rides from Eldridge corner, there are other groups BP group but not sure from where they ride.
Thank you
Thank you DavidHi ,
Cycle alab has a ride from 7 o clock on a Saturday and a Sunday , You can contact the shop for further details.
We also do a Saturday and a Sunday ride you can contact me David on 083 307 9761.
Regards
Yes some manufacturers due to the layout and wheelbase they target can't fit 29inch wheels into the design and achieve 100mm or more of travel.
Some do (like GIANT) but then they make the bike very long which is sometimes a problem for ladies with narrower shoulders and less upper body strength than men. Don't shoot me, this is just design decisions.
Anyone who thinks that a 650b wheel is going to be slower over a marathon course has never ridden one. As mentioned, there is some places where a slightly bigger wheel will roll a bit better but then you have to consider how fast are you going? If going slowly the added control of the 650b bike may actually be faster even if the ride feels more choppy.
Best thing is too pick a 650b wheeled bike that you like and get a test ride and then the smallest possible 29 er and compare how you feel on each
Awesome thanks
You see I'm not fast. HahahahaI beat people on 29ers all the time on my 26". Just sayin.
Only reason my missus rides a 27.5 (hardtail and Dual Suspension) is because they don't make 9'ers that small.
Some valuable advice in between the usual hubbery.
Look at what you are riding, if you have been riding for a while, and you are used to the 29'er I don't see a reason to change.
If you are at the sharper end of the marathon/xco scene I would take all the technical malarkey posted into consideration, other than that, ride whatever puts a smile on your dial...
Yes the issue is they only make new mtb in 650 b for ladies. Why I don't know. I have a 29 ladies small. Had it a few years. Looking to upgrade
Lol thanksSo you are telling me that instead of sitting at work doing my "work" and reading on BikeHub, I should rather be out on my bike...??!!
DEAL!! .(Bertus, will you please handle my boss and wife as I get my base training up to form)
PS. Marilou, the funny font means I am being sarcastic. Just thought I would bring you up to speed with this unwritten rule of BikeHub
Awesome adviceIf I had to look back to myself when I first started out, the only advice I'd give is to not overthink it, and go out and ride your bike. The differences and advantages at that skill level is negligible, so don't worry about it just yet. Time spent thinking and researching could be time spent riding and improving your fitness and skill.
Cool thanks.This thread is so last year. BUT.....................
I have a modern 2018 29 er trail bike 130mm and i have a 2013 650b trail bike 140mm. The big bike is better for rolling over the mean gnarly nasty stuff its more stable and it is probably faster downhill as all my PB are on this bike, the 650b defs climbs better i certainly feel like it accelarates easier and it is defintely better to jump and play with.
If i only had to have 1 i would probably go 29er but at the end of the day a bike is moes a bike and they both equally capable as the weakest link in the setup is me. So what im saying isjust get what you want it doesnt really make that much of a difference.
How fast your bike rolls depends largely on what tyre tread pattern and size you use. For example, a Maxxis Aspen tyre in 2.2" width (XC tyre) will roll faster and have less drag and weigh less than a Maxxis Minion DHF in 2.5" width (an aggresive trail tyre). Of course it will also have less grip - but that is the trade off. Tyres make a much bigger difference to how hard you have to pedal to keep to a certain speed than wheel size does.
Thank you
Thank you very much. I do understand.
Awesome thanks so much
Two questions:
1. Are the new gear option 1x11 going to help me with uphills and acclerarion more than the 3x 9 that I have?
The short answer is no...1x11 will not necessarily make climbing easier than 3x9.
But we can elaborate on this later so you gain a better understanding of gearing and what the differences are between them.
2. What is meant by rolling Tyre choice?
Tyres come in various thread patterns. And as with all things there is always a compromise.
The short and oversimplified answer is that the more aggressive a tyre's tread pattern is.
The better it grips at the expense of rolling speed. Think bigger knobs.
The more subtle the tyre's tread pattern is. The faster it rolls at the expense of grip.
The ideal solution is often to choose a fast rear tyre and a grippy front tyre.
I am new to mtb king so please don't stone me for my question.
I already got some rude comments based on my question on wheel size.
Two questions:
1. Are the new gear option 1x11 going to help me with uphills and acclerarion more than the 3x 9 that I have?
2. What is meant by rolling Tyre choice?
Thanks for you taking the time to explain and giving me positive info
You learn quick.
Good job, ma'am.
Get fit on the 29er and learn to handle it properly. My wife is also small, but preferred the 29er over her 650b
Thank you
Noted and thank youI'm rather surprised by how balanced the responses were actually, its usually more 1-sided. 2 things I think the responses missed -
1. It almost always depends on who you're riding with. You more naturally pace yourself to the rest of the group if you're riding the same wheel size, and most groups ride 29 (also sharing spares, upgrades, etc.). From experience you can outsprint a 29er with a 27.5, but only for about 800m, then the momentum of the bigger wheel catches up.
2. If you're not riding club rides or racing then you might enjoy the easier handling and smaller steering movements of the 27.5 wheel. I do love riding mine, but I recognise its limitations I a group.
Have you ridden with the BL Sat MTB Group.
I do ride with BL MTB group. Best group to join
Also have held back a bit on replying here. I honestly think wheelsize should not be your first consideration when buying a bike, and definitely not a factor for trying to keep up with others. The myth that 29" wheels roll faster on open roads is a myth - your gearing and tyres determine how fast you roll.
Where 650b is faster is cornering and acceleration as DnD said. They do tend to be more fun and nimble bikes - BUT geometry of the bike has a bigger impact than wheel size.
Anyone that tells you to go one way or the other is just sharing an opinion - you have to ride a few bikes and pick the one you feel comfortable on - don't buy into marketing hype around 29" being faster.
That said, I personally ride 29" wheels on my Enduro bike, it's a sled - sluggish in the corners but it monster trucks over things. On my XC bike I switch between 650b and 29" inch, but I find myself riding the smaller wheels 90% of the time as I just find the bike more fun, and flickable on the trails. Where I do appreciate the 29" wheels is on open roads - but again, I think that comes down to my faster rollong tyre choice on the 29" wheels as well as the wheelset being a bit lighter than the 650b wheelset, not the diameter of the wheel.
What do you mean by rolling tyre choice?
Marielou, I have ridden both 650b and 29er.
the differences are hard to quantify. The big wheels definitely get you through rock gardens faster but the smaller wheels turn better and accelerate better. They're easier to climb with as well.
But and this is a big BUT..
Try finding 650b tyres for an XC consistently. Local shops just don't stock them and if they do it's one or two. You should really go to an XCO race, and an Enduro and ask the ladies competing what they prefer and why.
ask around at your local trail center as well but ask as many ladies as you can. You'll be surprised how willing they will be to help you make an informed decision.
asking a male dominated forum is only going to deliver a male perspective to mountain biking
Perfect thank you
OP just a side note. When you reply to a person's post, scroll down to the end of the quote before you start typing - that way your reply will not appear as part of quote.
Noted
5
Will do thanks a lot
Keen to know what you decided with all the info received. Pls keep us posted.
Good idaet. And you can rent bikes
Why not try and get a loaner 650b wheelset and give them a ride. The best will be whichever you prefer.
Others’ opinions are just that. Opinions.
Thank you
I would stick with a 29'er, you are used to it, 27.5 are not sole purpose ideal for smaller riders, as Emily Batty is an example.
Thank you for those of you who did the effort in providing me with some useful info.
4
I see
lies...for all the others 26"
27.5 is a voefie
Bicycle fit
in Technical Q&A
Posted
Not sure if I'm on the correct forum here.
Would like to know who is best at firing you on the bicycle. Due to some logistical reason. Cyclefit might not be my best option. But I am sure they will fit a good job. Had anyone done this at cyclelab and what is your thoughts?