29'er or 27.5

[Marichen]

Hi there Bike Hubbers

 

I need to hear your opinion regarding buying a 29'er or a 27.5

 

I am a small lady with a small frame (155cm, weighing 63kg, leg inseam 60cm)

 

I usually ride MTB like events that is both flat and downhill.

On special occasion I do ride some road cycling events like Argus and the 99er, but recently entered the Karoo to Coast, so I need to be comfortable with my bike.

 

My size I will always have to buy a small frame????, but unsure about the wheel size

 

Thank you

[Grease_Monkey]

Wheel size doesn't have much to do with frame size or your length, more the type of cycling you will be doing. It sounds like you are more into endurance type of events where a 29er will be more beneficial - they roll faster and keep speed better.

 

I would recommend 27.5 if you were more into trail riding and techy stuff (more focus on down than up).

 

These days the new frames geometry are so good that even in the smaller sizes the big wheels do not feel clumsy...

 

At the end of the day though it will come down to your personal preference, because there are very good 27.5 cross country bikes out there like the Giant Anthem. Go and test ride a few bikes and see what you are comfortable with.

 

For a reference point, my wife is 1.65 and feels very comfy on a 29er - much more comfortable than she was on her old 27.5 bike.

[Marichen]

Wheel size doesn't have much to do with frame size or your length, more the type of cycling you will be doing. It sounds like you are more into endurance type of events where a 29er will be more beneficial - they roll faster and keep speed better.

 

I would recommend 27.5 if you were more into trail riding and techy stuff (more focus on down than up).

 

These days the new frames geometry are so good that even in the smaller sizes the big wheels do not feel clumsy...

 

At the end of the day though it will come down to your personal preference, because there are very good 27.5 cross country bikes out there like the Giant Anthem. Go and test ride a few bikes and see what you are comfortable with.

 

For a reference point, my wife is 1.65 and feels very comfy on a 29er - much more comfortable than she was on her old 27.5 bike.

Thank you so much, I will definitely go and test a few bikes.

[V12man]

27.5 - You can test this by trying a restart on a slope - clearance becomes much more of a problem when you try this... Trek make a.very nice 27.5 full suspension bike for people your height - Amy McDougal is very happy with hers and she is about your height.

[Grease_Monkey]

I mis-read your post. Thought you were 1.65, not 1.55. At that height I would definitely say 27.5.

[Traveler]

I'd first start riding the 27.5 wheeled bikes.

 

There are 2 ladies in our riding group who are into races such as (and having completed numerous) Cullinan2Tonteldoos, 36One and Waterberg Extreme's. Both of them are on the shorter side, both being on small framed 27.5's. I cannot even imagine either of them riding a 29'er, and they are super happy on their bikes; I think the fact that they also both earlier this year replaced their previous bikes again with 27.5's.

 

Just a bit of advice which will be of value going forward, get your bike fitted and make sure your new bike comes with a crank no longer than a 170mm.... if it is between 165mm and 170mm it is even better. Unfortunately our bike fitting specialists only know how to swop out saddles, stems and bars, and they have not yet caught onto the fact that you have to start with the crank. Most body aches and pains start with a crank which is to long, and then through a chain reaction is impacts on knees, hips, lower back and eventually your shoulders. Sorting the crank might be one of the more important upgrades/fitments you can do to your bike and for your own comfort.

[Grease_Monkey]

Just a bit of advice which will be of value going forward, get your bike fitted and make sure your new bike comes with a crank no longer than a 170mm.... if it is between 165mm and 170mm it is even better. Unfortunately our bike fitting specialists only know how to swop out saddles, stems and bars, and they have not yet caught onto the fact that you have to start with the crank. Most body aches and pains start with a crank which is to long, and then through a chain reaction is impacts on knees, hips, lower back and eventually your shoulders. Sorting the crank might be one of the more important upgrades/fitments you can do to your bike and for your own comfort.

 

 

If there was some sort of way to upvote a comment on this thread I would upvote this one a thousand times. A crank that is too long will always have you feeling like your saddle is too low because your knees come up way too high (causing knee pain), then when you put the saddle up you are stretching with your toes at the bottom of the pedal stroke and rocking on the saddle which causes back pain. Having the correct length crank is probably one of the most important factors when setting up a bike!

[DC Carbon]

Hi there Bike Hubbers

 

I need to hear your opinion regarding buying a 29'er or a 27.5

 

I am a small lady with a small frame (155cm, weighing 63kg, leg inseam 60cm)

 

I usually ride MTB like events that is both flat and downhill.

On special occasion I do ride some road cycling events like Argus and the 99er, but recently entered the Karoo to Coast, so I need to be comfortable with my bike.

 

My size I will always have to buy a small frame, but unsure about the wheel size

 

Thank you

 

It actually depends on what type of riding you going to do. The benefits of 27.5" would be handling in the technical sections and possibly a small weight saving for the up hill's. Being as small as you are you will feel more comfortable and confident on the 27.5". If you typically do marathon races very little time is spent riding technical sections compared to long open roads. So look at the events that you are targeting if 5% of the race is technical a 27.5" bike is going to help in 5% of the race.

 

I know from a fairly recent interview on Cadence Emily Batty had a lot of difficulty deciding what wheel size to use and for the Cross country Racing she went with the 27.5" however if she were to choose a bike for marathon racing she may rather go with a 29".

 

What you have to do is weigh up the pro's and cons and make your decision from there!