Does 650b have a future?

[Eddy Gordo]

Personally, its really not about wheelsize. You can buy the most expensive bike with the best components ane not be happy riding it.

Bikes are a personal preference as well as suspension and wheelsize, its all about what you are comfortable one as far as dual suspension bikes go. 

Unfortunately hyped up market  trends influence buying. One should really try and test as many bikes as possible before buying.

[Dirkitech]

By the trend of this thread... 27.5's are girls bikes...

and by the subsequent posts, I ride a kids bike. I'll gladly take that label, I simply love it and have never felt the need to change to 27.5" or 29" on the mtb

[stefmeister]

gravel is a growing segment.

More gravel bikes are being launched with a 650b wheel option thanks to beign able to accept wider tyres.

 

As for mtb, tried and IBIS RIpmo and holy crap what a beaut but damn its just a big ass bike. Its a bus actually. So hop on a Mojo HD and ..........Nirvana. More playful lighter. 

 

that Ripmo is long. bigger okes seem to like it though so 650b will always have a future if the manufacturers want to build bikes that people like.

PS: Also compared a Habit to a Scalpel. Habit was way more fun and just as fast.

Interesting, I rode the Ripmo and HD4 as well. Being used to long travel 29er, @1.73 I felt right at home on the large Ripmo. That thing is nimble and playful, but then the HD4 is even more so.

Compared that to the new Stumpy which is a bit shorter felt dead and sluggish. 

Geo and personal preference is what it's all about.

[Grease_Monkey]

All this talk about geo... I agree geo trumps wheelsize any day of the week. But, same geo, 29 vs 27.5 as a play bike - what do you pick? I interchange between 27.5 wheels and 29 wheels on my hardtail, and I can tell you without a shaddow of a doubt when the bike is faster/pedals better, and when it is more fun/flickable. Both wheel sizes have their place.

[Yo-Yo]

I think everyone agrees that it's about Geo. You choose a bike mostly on the essence of that bike rather than walk in and go 'I want a 29r, just give me a 29r because they are [insert myth]'.  The 27.5 vs 29 wheel size and speed was shown to be a non starter in the last couple of seasons on the UCI DH World Cup. 

I'm guessing that wasn't the idea reading the original OPs post. Rather that now that 29rs and 27'5 inherent differences have started shrinking or being over come the will the industry have a long term view / wish stay with 27.5 in the next 5 or 10 years. 

[s14phoenix]

All this talk about geo... I agree geo trumps wheelsize any day of the week. But, same geo, 29 vs 27.5 as a play bike - what do you pick? I interchange between 27.5 wheels and 29 wheels on my hardtail, and I can tell you without a shaddow of a doubt when the bike is faster/pedals better, and when it is more fun/flickable. Both wheel sizes have their place.

 

650B feels a lot more fun for sure

 

Honestly with 2.4 tyres on my 650B and 2.2 on the 29er the wheel size was not much different and also why the 650B was faster in the corners and only slightly sluggish on the open dirt road or straight single track due to drag and weight and tread pattern differences.

 

Not much between the 2 bikes in the end but also was different tools for different jobs and tuned accordingly with the equipment fitted etc.

 

I agree - both definitely have their place

[Hairy]

what's all this 29'ers are not as fun goobily gook stuff ........ last 29'er I owned was a while ago, but this bike was a really fun and flickable / jumpable ride (On One Inbred)

 

I do regret selling her, but I wanted "something new" 

[Dirkitech]

what's all this 29'ers are not as fun goobily gook stuff ........ last 29'er I owned was a while ago, but this bike was a really fun and flickable / jumpable ride (On One Inbred)

 

I do regret selling her, but I wanted "something new" 

N-1+1 is a different debate though. If you changed because you want something new, good on you for putting you first

[Skott5]

Lol ... much speculation about Geo and Wheel size making you faster ... pfffft - it’s your legs that make you faster - go out and ride !!!

[Sbloomer]

This thread makes me feel old an even more old fashioned, on my 26 Trance X3.

Nobody loves me.  I'll just go eat some worms (when I fall off)

[Hairy]

N-1+1 is a very real illness 

 

N-1+1 is a different debate though. If you changed because you want something new, good on you for putting you first

[Headshot]

This poll will result in a totally skewed sample. Most SA mountain bikers are fresh off the golf course or gym circuit.  They believe that the Cape Epic is the pinnacle of mountain biking, much like the TDF. Their egos are huge and get even more inflated after mashing their way through an Epic. Suffering up a hill is somehow seen as a virtue and manly.  Their bikes are like their cars - never touched except to ride and only worked on at the dealer. They march into the concept store and are sold an Epic S Works 29er. They think 26 is a kids bike wheel size and downhill and enduro is for kids and hooligans. (they are actually just scared of getting hurt and don't fancy some bike coach telling them how to ride properly)

 

PS - some of this is true :-) 

[Hairy]

PS - most of this is funny :-)

This poll will result in a totally skewed sample. Most SA mountain bikers are fresh off the golf course or gym circuit.  They believe that the Cape Epic is the pinnacle of mountain biking, much like the TDF. Their egos are huge and get even more inflated after mashing their way through an Epic. Suffering up a hill is somehow seen as a virtue and manly.  Their bikes are like their cars - never touched except to ride and only worked on at the dealer. They march into the concept store and are sold an Epic S Works 29er. They think 26 is a kids bike wheel size and downhill and enduro is for kids and hooligans. (they are actually just scared of getting hurt and don't fancy some bike coach telling them how to ride properly)

 

PS - some of this is true :-) 

[Odinson]

I'm hoping that in the next couple of years we'll see a slow-down in geo and wheelsize development in XC to enduro bikes. 

 

We've already seen this in DH bikes. Most of the DH bikes nowadays have similar geo. It's come to be accepted that 63° HTA, 450mm reach, etc. is about the ballpark figures for a modern DH sled and few companies are going out of their way to radically reinvent DH geo. Now, they focus more on suspension and other smaller refinements. Similar thing happened in DJ and slopestyle bikes. Folks know what geo works and stick with it. 

 

However, the industry is going to milk this progression for all that it's got, so as to keep on selling more bikes with the 'latest geo and wheelsize'. 

[Jewbacca]

All this talk about geo... I agree geo trumps wheelsize any day of the week. But, same geo, 29 vs 27.5 as a play bike - what do you pick? I interchange between 27.5 wheels and 29 wheels on my hardtail, and I can tell you without a shaddow of a doubt when the bike is faster/pedals better, and when it is more fun/flickable. Both wheel sizes have their place.

But you wouldn't have the same geo around a 650b and 29 specific bike. That's the whole point.

 

Basically reinventing the wheel, or around the wheel.

 

Looking at some 29er bikes with 65' HA and 77' seat tube angles. The geometry of a 29er fun bike will not be the same as a 650b. For that reason changing wheels will give you a different feeling, but a properly designed bike should tick the right characteristics and the same/similar characteristics between wheelsizes, based on the proposed use of said bike

[stefmeister]

This poll will result in a totally skewed sample. Most SA mountain bikers are fresh off the golf course or gym circuit.  They believe that the Cape Epic is the pinnacle of mountain biking, much like the TDF. Their egos are huge and get even more inflated after mashing their way through an Epic. Suffering up a hill is somehow seen as a virtue and manly.  Their bikes are like their cars - never touched except to ride and only worked on at the dealer. They march into the concept store and are sold an Epic S Works 29er. They think 26 is a kids bike wheel size and downhill and enduro is for kids and hooligans. (they are actually just scared of getting hurt and don't fancy some bike coach telling them how to ride properly)

 

PS - some of this is true :-) 

 

Lol, all of that is true.

Friend, ex Golfer, after years of dissing him about golf not being a sport etc etc and that he should rather take up mountain biking...and guess what...he goes and buys a S-works epic, and now he's going to ride the epic and all the other suffer fests, and is the epitome of a mountain biker now.