Flowta

LOL The first 650B/700D MTB http://fcdn.mtbr.com/attachments/27-5-650b/363595d1211812733-vintage-650b-build-gt-tachyon-img_1066.jpg

Never said he was the "inventor"

That didn't seem to come out right I see GT also tried a 700D which is only 3mm bigger than the 650B

You're doing it wrong #ENDURO

Wyatt, I think we're talking around each about the same thing and in agreement. The most important things in order Personal Preference The right tool for the job, if you have that luxury. 26" wheels/tyres for MTB use AFAIK only came about by accident and what was available at the time. It doesn't come as any suprise that Gary Fisher was one of the first proponents of 29er. I for one am glad that there is more choice is the market I do have one small correction, the wheels you would have seen on the triathlon scene are/were 650C. (my apologies, I'm not trying to be condescending) 650B as a wheel size has been around for a longtime, I believe longer than 26", but I'm most likely wrong. They have been widely used in Europe on touring bikes. From Sheldon http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html French sizes: In the French system, the first number is the nominal diameter in mm, followed by a letter code for the width: "A" is narrow, "D" is wide. The letter codes no longer correspond to the tire width, since narrow tires are often made for rim sizes that originally took wide tires; for example, 700 C was originally a wide size, but now is available in very narrow widths, with actual diameters as small as 660 mm. 650 A 590 mm French version of 26 x 1 3/8; Italian high-performance bikes for smaller riders 650 B 584 mm French utility bikes, tandems, and loaded-touring bikes; some older Raleigh and Schwinn mountain bikes 650 C 571 mm Triathlon, time trial, high performance road bikes for smaller riders

Yes, he's a troll. F$ck marketing, I didn't buy my bike because of the wheels. And you chose to keep your Reign due to it having slacker angles/better geometry, which in a sense also came from sort of marketing. Physically a 650B is bigger in diameter than a 26er, 25mm to be exact. 29er is 38mm bigger in diameter than a 650B. The above is FACT. No marketing needed there. All of this is depending on the tyres being equal, otherwise there is no point in comparison. Using this, in theory the 650B will have a better roll-over than a 26er but not as much as a 29er. But then again, if the bike is *** then your ride is going to be ***, regardless of the wheelsize. My Diamondback is still superfun to ride, the steel frame making more of a difference than fitting fat 26er tyres or skinny 650Bs. One of my all time favourites is my dad's old Bridgestone MB3. Handling is superb, but the rigid fork takes getting used to if you been on a longtravel machine. As I've said Horses for Courses. No-one said you should

Stop arguing so much against it, let people ride what they like. My bike works for me, yours works for you. Win-win. Thinking of converting my 650B to 26er. Sound good?

So?? He still sounds like an opinionated Tjop

Should we?

LOL, I'll enjoy my bike on whatever trails I feel like riding. No need to justify anything to you. As Shaper has said, it seems that you are the one trying to justify something. I just like riding bicycles (in the end, that's all they are)

Agreed, possibly a very simplistic way of looking at it. Yes, the 29er has better roll-over and will possible be more comfortable in the saddle resulting in an improvement of time but not the 2 to 3 hours as claimed by the OP

Stop being such a Troll dude

Reminds me of this Step 23: "..... Now choose your favourite wheelsize and be a $^#$ about it..."

If you change the gearing on your 26er it has the same effect

Compact road chainrings will fit (110 BCD), but might be difficult getting in the sizes you need Best bet would be chainreactioncycles.com

Exactly, which is why I don't see the point of the initial post.

I bought my bike for ..... the bike, wheelsize had nothing to do with it. If Giant had put the "same" bike out in a 26" version I would have bought that one. The difference in diameter between the 26" and 650B is 25mm, assuming the SAME width tyres. And the difference between a 650B and 29er is 38mm I assume the bikes you tested were both hardtails? I don't see the point of 650B hardtails (except maybe for smaller riders), if a manufacturer can't produce a 29er with decent geometry by now then maybe I should steer away from that brand. But in the great scheme of things you get Good 26ers and bad 26ers Good 650Bs and bad 650Bs Good 29ers and bad 29ers The rest comes down to personal preference and horses for courses. I'll stick with my 650B Giant Trance and my 26" 1993 Diamondback Apex Singlespeed for now, when finances and time ride allow I will possibly get a 29er (I don't have the luxury of riding time to put a 29er to good use).

Yes of course, but just stating that 650B sucks doesn't really give the full picture now does it?

Can't wait to see what he does there

You still haven't told us what bikes you are comparing The bike as a whole makes more of a difference than just the wheelsize.

Sorry, don't have any recent pics of me of a road bike

..Very Cool

Yawn!!!

Absolutely agree with you on this

You get bad 26ers,650B/27.5 and 29ers What bikes are you comparing? (please fill in below) 26: 650B: 29: