Any ladies out there prefer 26" tires over 29"

[missjean]

Last year, when I finally decided that it was time for a new bike, I test rode the Santa Cruz Tallboy and the Yeti SB95. Both were great fun - I rode the SB95 down the single track trails on Burke Mt. in VT with a huge grin on my face the whole time - but I ended up with a 26" Yeti ASR 5.
In the + column for the 29" bikes:
They go over everything.
Awesome climbing & fearless going downhill.
In the - column:
I love twisty, tight, technical trails and I found the 29" difficult to maneuver.
They make things too easy, all you have to do is point & pedal. Now don't laugh at me when I say that! but I really enjoy the challenge of finding the right line & the victorious feeling when I finally clear a tough section.

If I lived in an area with long, flowy trails, or if I lived on Burke Mt, I'd have bought a 29", but I am loving my regular, old 26" bike. :-)

[zoom-zoom]

My first mtn. bike was a freakishly heavy and sluggish 26er...new ride is a faster/lighter 29er. It's hard to compare the two, since the 26 was such a dog on uphills and I struggled to keep up with anyone. I really like my 29er (well, I did before busting my wrist in Nov. I've not been on it a whole lot on trails since then, since my focus now is continuing to heal my wrist and train for an olympic distance duathlon in July), but I wish I'd had some 650/27.5 bikes to try, too. I'm just under 5'4", so something splitting the difference between 26 and 29 would likely have been ideal. The shop we'd frequented when I was shopping didn't carry any 650 models. The shop we are now frequenting (after a bunch of ugly politics had a lot of people jumping ship) does carry some 650/27.5 models. Bad timing.

[Irulan]

Anyone tried 27.5 yet? It's the next coming thing. There are a few out this year, more coming soon.

[Wahine]

My BF had a bike built for him that was a 29er and he just never felt right on it. So he built 650B (27.5) for it and he loves it now.

I personally have tried a 29er but that was at least 2 years ago. I didn't like it at the time, mostly because it felt like it was big and handled awkwardly, especially for cornering. I think that companies are constantly improving the geometry. I still ended up buying a 26er for my last frame. I love that bike. It's tight, corners well and I can fly downhill. I wasn't willing to give up cornering for rolling over stuff, especially since I don't really have trouble with rolling on the 26. I did notice that getting my fork suspension dialed in on the 26 helped a lot with the feeling that I was getting bucked off obstacles with I was climbing.

I am intrigued by the idea of building a 650b bike myself but...

[indysteel]

A woman I "know" from another forum did a write up for Bike Magainze on a new line of bikes manufactured by Santa Cruz under the name Juliana. It touches on the 26er versus 27.5er versus 29er issue a bit, especially as it relates to shorter riders.

[emily_in_nc]

A woman I "know" from another forum did a write up for Bike Magainze on a new line of bikes manufactured by Santa Cruz under the name Juliana. It touches on the 26er versus 27.5er versus 29er issue a bit, especially as it relates to shorter riders.

Very interesting! This article re-confirms that for me (since I would take an XS in each of these bikes), the 26" wheel size is right -- just as I always figured.

[paigecmckinnon]

I started this thread and I finally picked out an awesome bike. I went with a Devinci Atlas small frame 29. The second I got on it, it fit and rode great. When we got it out on the trails, it cornered great and quick. Later after some research I read that they designed it to ride like a 26 with 29 tires by not stretching out the frame to fit the bigger wheels. I definitely felt it. I think I'll really fall more in love with this bike the more I ride it. Thanks for all your tips and suggestions.

[zoom-zoom]

DH and I were revisiting this topic the other night and I think in a year or two that I will most likely start checking out a 650b, once there are more models to choose from. I think it's a bummer that I moved from my tank of a 26" wheeled bike when I did. Had I been able to try some 27.5" wheeled models I am reasonably certain that I would have gone that route. I have to admit that after breaking my wrist I'm more than a little gunshy to get back on the trails and my El Mariachi just feels a bit like too-much-bike. I love that it's a far better bike than what it replaced and I can keep up with people on uphills, but on twisty stuff it's not nimble.

[Owlie]

If I decide to get a mountain bike, I'm on the fence now. After taking my CX bike on what's supposed to be an easy MTB trail, I can see where those big wheels are both an advantage and a disadvantage! (I realize a CX bike isn't going to be quite as nimble as a MTB!) I'm tall enough that I can find a 29er with not too much difficulty, so that part isn't a problem. The 650b sounds intriguing, though I'll wait a few years so that there's a good selection of models and tires on the market.

[Becky]

I have to admit that after breaking my wrist I'm more than a little gunshy to get back on the trails and my El Mariachi just feels a bit like too-much-bike. I love that it's a far better bike than what it replaced and I can keep up with people on uphills, but on twisty stuff it's not nimble.

I have the same perception of my El Mariachi. I love it, but it's not a corner carver and it wasn't designed to be. My Niner has a totally different feel in the twisty stuff. Geometry is the key...although I've never compared the differences between the two.