Survey Says You Need an Upgrade – 27.5 or Bust

Forget industry hype! Its not about the bike, wheel size, steer tube, handlebar diameter, anything. The bike industry is going to tell you what you think you need so it can sell you more stuff, its business, it doesn’t make it better or you better for that matter. Think for yourself and go ride the bike you want to ride!

Funny how Specialized didn’t plan on making 27.5 bike, usually they always ahead on making new trending bike like when they started making 29 bike two years ago.

Well in here Indonesia, Specialized in one of the first few bike brand that sell 29 in the first place. Give my friend who own bike shop and sell spez bike headache because 29 bike is quite hard to sell here in Indonesia, I hope is not happening with 27.5 bike. I was looking forward to swap my Yeti SB66 with SB75 too bad Yeti is not making the carbon frame yet for SB75.

Meh, ride whatever the hell you want. My local trails are dominated by XC 29ers. But after a weekend of demoing pretty much most of the 2014 model range from Giant, both 29ers and 27.5, I went with a 27.5 Anthem. Just wasn’t comfortable on a 29er. But i’m not sitting here thinking 27.5 is the best(it’s not), it’s just what I liked the most.

Ride what works for your riding style and your local trails.

However, I really don’t see 26er bikes lasting much longer in the mid to high end range models. 26 and 650b are just too close to justify supporting both.

All I know is I’m stoked to ride my 650b Remedy next season in western NC.

@chasejj: 650b fits when you want to have some of the last point on your list – as rolling over rocks is the whole idea, while keeping as much of the previous points as possible.

Until when the industry will tell us what to ride !!!
Let us ride what we want !!!
There is no bad better and best, all wheels have their audience and their perfect trail.
People also forget that 26 wheels can be 2 kg and 29 wheels can be 1600gr. So it’s not the size but what kind of rider you are, what trails are you riding on, what is your skill level, are you looking for safety, stability or the playfulness and thrill.
I think we need a new slogon: 26-27.5-29 Coexist !!!

@chasejj

Wheel strength-20 beats all.
Weight- 20 beats all.
Gearing for climbing- 20 beats all.
Acceleration-20 beats all
Maneuverability-20 beats all.

I guess we should ride BMXes only.

specialized is going to wait and see what the industry and consumers are going to do about 650, just like they did with 29r. Then when they know what the consumer wants they will produce a product. Just like they did with 29. history repeats itself.

Improper bike fit is the number one cause of 29er rejection as I’ve seen it. Riders going from 26″ wheels to 29″ wheels most often set up their 29er like they had their 26 inch bike and can’t figure out why the 29er dosent handle like their old bike so rather than having the bike professionally fit or experimenting a bit they reject the whole 29er thing and go on to be vocal on how 29er suck and such.

Personally I got other things to worry about than who’s riding what wheelsize however living in the 4th largest city in the U.S. I can can count on two fingers of all the 650b bikes i’ve seen on the trail or at state XC races… i’m just curious of who is buying all these bikes because they are not in Texas as far as i can tell.

Anything Specialized brings out crybabies in mass.

Bike companies are just that – companies. For profit. They are trying to sell bikes, and more of them.
They use marketing to help reach that goal.
They are not forcing you to buy anything, they are trying to influence you to buy.

Specialized did not make a 29er until the market for them was well established, and they were not taking any risk…funny from a company whose slogan was “Innovate or die!”

Ronin – damn straight!

@hotdog, You need a 29er computer screen.

This too:

I love wading into an argument like this…. http://www.eleven.cc/blog/2013/the-650b-placebo-effect

@Bikerguy there’s no doubt there are people out there that gobble everything up, no matter what it is. I know of guys that buy a new bike almost every six months, because they can. I personally have never adhered to that sort of consumerism but if that floats their boat, cool.

The cynicism in this particular case I think is deserved. For too long particular companies have constantly pushed ‘this year is better than last year’, in a clear and endless aim to sell more even if it was not really true. That’s fine, it’s what a private company is meant to do and one can choose to tune out if they wish.

This wheel thing though is more than that. The riding public is now being told that over twenty years worth of riding on a wheel size has been totally wrong and we should all embrace an ‘oatmeal’ solution. While yes, the history is that 27.5 size of choice at the start, the reality is that everyone got along quite happily with 26 after it won out over 27.5 for various reasons. The problem is, the reality is quite different and this new size does not offer all the claimed benefits being brandied about.

It’s not a matter of yet another wheel size. It’s not even a matter of introducing it and letting people make up their own minds and choose accordingly. It’s about being fed falsities and eventually forced to make the swap, not because it’s really any better but because it’s a way to sell more stuff.

Couldn’t be happier about the 10 speed trend. Just bought a set of XT 9-speed shifters for $25. Keep lapping it up, sheep. I’ll keep buying your gear.

I bought my Jamis 650b 3 years ago, after I broke my “basic” 26er.
29ers was way too big for me, so it made sense to me to get the 650b.
Very happy with it, I definitely did the right choice: I’m better with this bike than with the old one: it just fits me right.
Now, I don’t get all the “hate” about 650b from people who don’t own one. The 650b wheel size doesn’t make 26ers or 29ers shitty or old.
These bikes are still as good/bad as they were before.

This is just part of becoming a mountain biker: “Choose a wheel size and be a dick about it!” I love that part of the video.