Mountainbike shootout! 26er vs 650b (27.5) vs 29er

CEBU, Philippines - Over the weekend, I had the chance to do our version of Mountainbike shootout ‘the wheel size wars.’ Three cyclists with 3 different bikes. Terence Fernandez brought his showbiz 26er Hard tail bike, yours truly rode a 650b/27.5 hardtail and Ramon Rodriguez from Cagayan de Oro rented a 29er Full suspension  bike courtesy of Noy Jopson and the Brick Multisport store.

Our goal was to test and switch bikes along paved road, off-road both uphill and downhill. In order to have an accurate shootout, the 3 bikes has to be of the same make and model with wheel size the only difference but due to unavailability we have to do what we have.

Here’s Terences take on the wheel size wars:

The test was far from scientific to begin with.  The 29er was a full suspension bike while the 650b and the 26er were both hardtails.  While all bikes had ten cogs at the rear, the 26er was specified with a double crankset (40/28). The 29er and the 650b both had triple cranksets (42/32/24). Tires were also different on each bike.  The 26er had Kenda Nevegals on both front and rear wheels, while the 650b also had a Kenda Nevegal in front. It was equipped with a Kenda Slant 6 at the rear. The 29er was fitted with Schwalbe Rocket Rons front and rear.

The ride was quite an eye-opener.  It dispelled some notions and bolstered some theories at the same time.

The 29er.  Owing in no small measure to the humongous size of these wheels, no one can argue against the distance you gain by just one pedal stroke.  You can leave the other bikes behind.  But you must have the power to turn those cranks, especially on steep climbs and during sprints.  No small wonder then that for these bikes, gear ratio and lightweight wheels are very crucial.

The descents give you a feeling of moving slow when in reality, those big wheels are covering a lot of distance at a much faster clip.  Those big wheel also give short work of any obstacle.  You also need to commit yourself in leaning into turns because of their size.

The 29er, however, is not for everyone. No offense to those who may have less in height but more in might, but the 29er only looks good on someone  at a specific minimum height, say 5’8 and taller.  For guys shorter, the circus nature of these wheels may become too obvious to ignore.

The 650b.  It’s more agile than the 29er and definitely more stable at descents than the 26er.  Just like the 29er, gear ratio and lightweight wheels  are crucial here.  You cannot use the same gear ratio you have been using in your 26er.

Its agility and “flickability” will truly shine in singletracks and tight switchbacks.  Climbs are pretty much the same as you would ride on a 26er.  The descents, however, are much more fun on this bike because the 650b wheels give it more stability than a 26er.

Negotiating turns is quite similar to the 26er.  You just lean or bank into the corner and hold your line.  No need to muscle the bike into the turn as you would in a 29er.

The 26er.  Nothing to say here because this has been the default size of mountain bikes for decades.  Definitely, it’s the most agile and “flickable” of all bikes.  It’s faster, but it depends on tweaks on its geometry to make it stable.  This bike, however, won’t have any easy time on obstacles as the 29er and the 650b.

So which is the best bike for you?  Scrap the test.  I am not an expert.  Never claimed to be one.  Just ride your bike and enjoy the ride!

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For me, I used to ride a full suspension 26er when I was super heavy weight at 300lbs and switched to 650b just last year

I had a great time with the 29er bike mainly because it was lightest bike of the 3 and it was a Full suspension armed with a very light tires,  wheel set, and it was tubeless so we can under inflate the tires to make to give more grip on a tight corner.

Like the observation of Terence and 26er and 650b has the name nature of maneuverability in single tracks and tight switchback. But in the decent 650b and 29er eat up all the obstacles, rocks and ruts.  But on a long steep uphill gear ratio is very important as 29er is harder to pedal on steep climb compared to 650b and 26er but if one can adapt with the gearing combination and has the power in pedaling the 29er travel farther with one pedal stroke compared to 26er and 650b.

This will be a never ending argument of which will be a better bike 26er, 650b or 29er.  Sad to say everything boils down to the cyclist. It is the INDIAN never the ARROW. You have to train hard to be a fast cyclist, hours and hours of biking. One should focus on training, core,    strength and conditioning,   rather than getting a new bike and expect to be stronger and faster.  If you are slow on 26er and you will be definitely slow on 650b or a 29er.

If you own a 26er mountain bike now and has no plan to race and level up in a more competitive races, then you have no need to upgrade your bike. But if one is seriously considering to compete then you have to get a 650b or a 29er.

Please don't hesitate to email me for any reaction at alanchoachuy @gmail.com