[Closed] 27.5+ bikes - what's out there...

Too many to mention these days. It's definitely the way all off-road bikes are shaping up (unless they are fully fat of course).

Tarns look nice. LBS has one in and I might have opted for one if I didn't already have a 27.5+ custom Ti frame from Pact bikes.

You do need to work out why you're interested in fat and why a chubster might suit better though.

Theres a facebook group for 27+ and 29+ that is useful for advice I found.
(running 29+ and loving it)

My father is holding out for the Pine Mountain.

There is supposed to be the Pinnacle one coming out at some point though it seems endlessly delayed. It's the one I'm interested in as it apparently will have an ebb and I want something I can use my Rohloff on.

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/marin-pine-mountain

+1 like

As avdave2,waiting for this pinnacle to show itself,was originally Christmas,then March and now ?

Had a look at the more expensive Tarn... it's a really nice looking bike. Bit of weight in it, but the one I looked at wasn't set up tubeless, so savings to be made. Comes with a crappy lever-operated dropper instead of a remote, which annoys me, esp at the price. Otherwise all XT kit, all very nice. Chronicles look a very summery tread, but I guess rules are a bit different for plus.

I guess the way a fatbike rolls soaking up the terrain interests me. I just don't know if a fatbike would be liveable with and it's an either the hard tail or the fatbike which shall I take out? The chubbie seems like a good compromise for general duties and you get most of the benefits of full fat as long as your not riding on beaches or in snow etc... With lighter weight and snappier handling.

The Pinnacle production's based on when Evans want the bike in stock and that's moved to later spring. I'll need to get a shipping update but the bikes are finished and assembled. There is an an EBB on the Ramin 3+ version, added bottle cages mounts also.

I've been wondering about a plus bike for some time now. I test rode the Stache 7 and thought it felt like a bus compared to my fatbike. I'm hoping someone has tried a 650+ with positive results so it makes me push the buy button.

I have been seriously thinking about a Tarn 20, keen to see the Pinnacle take on it though as I assume it will be better specced for the money.

Sorry if this has been mentioned before but will there be a Pinnacle rival for the Pine Mountain?

If so, any details?

I think the Ramin 3+ will be the rival to the Pine Mountain. I want to run my Rohloff on a 27+ frame so it's heavy enough already without lugging a steel frame around.

avdave2 - bear in mind that most of the B+ frames becoming available will have a Boost rear end. I assume you've taken this into account as regards your Rohloff?

fd3chris - my Pact is definitely not bus-like, though I've specced it mostly for bikepacking. Try a few more, check out geometries. I'm sure you'll find something more nimble than your fatbike.

I have scotroutes, it's been the limiting factor in finding something, every time i look at an option I come up against that issue. However as I understand from jameso's input on the long running Pinnacle thread that the Ramin+ will be 135mm quick release.
Sadly I can see the Rohloff becoming less an less of an option on mountain bikes unless they develop one for boost spacing. And unless they can modify existing hubs or produce an adapter then those of us who already have them are going to find our choice of frames even more limited.

I have scotroutes, it's been the limiting factor in finding something, every time i look at an option I come up against that issue. However as I understand from jameso's input on the long running Pinnacle thread that the Ramin+ will be 135mm quick release.
Sadly I can see the Rohloff becoming less an less of an option on mountain bikes unless they develop one for boost spacing. And unless they can modify existing hubs or produce an adapter then those of us who already have them are going to find our choice of frames even more limited.

There's already a fat/170 Rohloff. I'd be surprised if they weren't looking at a Boost version (though I appreciate that may mean additional expense).

so how is one of these 27.5+ bikes, with a decent suspension fork, going to compare to a traditional modern HT, like, say, a Soul ?

Thinking of local rides in the woods, tecky singletrack, bigger days in the hills, winter gloop. Really everything when I wouldn't be on my Anthem (like trail centres, dry dusty rides)

I remember seeing a prototype of the fat version on the Rohloff stand at Bespoked. The guy also showed me the result of running a Gates belt on the alloy sprocket and front ring which rather put me off the whole belt drive idea as once they'd had to change to steel all the weight saving I'd hoped for had gone.

[quote=iainc ]so how is one of these 27.5+ bikes, with a decent suspension fork, going to compare to a traditional modern HT, like, say, a Soul ?That'll depend on the bike itself. Handling isn't defined by tyre size and there's already a very wide range of B+ frames/bikes available.

My first experience was on FatBNimbles front and rear and they aren't really designed for gloop. Changing the front to a Nobby Nic makes it much more useful.

Had my first experience of hitting a big patch of gloop going flat out with a 2.8NN on a night ride this week, had me laughing like ****!.

Mahoosive front wheel [s]drift[/s] skite!

^^^ so when is one of these bikes actually better than a regular HT with 2.3 tyres ? Genuine question.

Better? that's such a massively vague area that I wouldn't try and attempt it.

If I was riding the steep muddy stuff at the likes of Caberston/Golfie, then I'd want my 2.3 shortys on.

However, a big all day XC ride covering lots of different terrain, then I think the + tyres are very good. Something like the big loop out of Wanlockhead, the loop out the WHW that takes in Whangie etc...

cheers Nobeer - I guess that's kinda what I though, having never ridden one. Not a bike to replace either regular HT of FS then, a definite n+1 🙂

I've just finished building, and put about 70 miles on a Cotic Solaris. Not rigid, but with a Yari Boost Fork. Running 2.8 out back and a Nobby Nic 3.0 up front.

Takes a little more to get it rolling...but once it is rolling, it just barges through stuff. Slower on tarmac than my 9er, but still reasonable.

Climbs like it has a diesel engine. You can just plough up silly lines and loose stuff.

It's reasonably slack - and a lot of fat tyre out front has seen my better previous descent times on some of my local trails.

Moderate mud, rooty singletrack. Lots of confidence.

Downside - I ended up carrying it last week in real deep clay. Doesn't float like a fat bike. Doesn't cut through like a skinny mud tyre. Mud donuts in plus size are VERY heavy.

on balance...very happy. But have bought some Co2 inflators as I don't like the idea of a trailside puncture repair with a hand pump!!

Ive got a demo booked on the Norco Torrent next weekend ,their 130mm 67o slack 27.5 plus or 650b + and cant wait , I like most fancy the idea of a slack hardtail but have become to accustomed to the bouncy ass saving qualities of rear suspension , Nothing else I have looked at looks as good for the money , I tried the Vantage rr+ or Whinlatter Saturday just gone and wasn't impressed .

Moderate mud, rooty singletrack. Lots of confidence.

Perfectly put, but great on rocky stuff too.

FFS just buy one Iain, you're not getting any younger!.

FFS just buy one Iain, you're not getting any younger!.

I'd imagine they'd be awesome at trail centres too btw, sooo much grip. I'm thinking of heading over to Arran tomorrow, decent sized loop round the North and then as far up Goatfell as I can get.

I'd have taken the BeePlusFullSuss if it wasn't for the fact it needs a new lower headset bearing.

so when is one of these bikes actually better than a regular HT with 2.3 tyres ? Genuine question.

Better at rolling over small stuff, so more comfort on XC rides.

Better at climbing loose stuff i.e. better traction.

Better at soft stuff like sand snow.

Better cornering grip (as long as it's not a muddy corner) so you can corner faster, although this only goes so far before you start to roll the tyre over. I can corner faster as I'm a hopeless mincer, but a better rider might find that they needed to pump the tyres up more to avoid them folding over, which would ruin the point.

I think that's it for advantages really and of course it depends a lot on tyres e.g. a 2.8 Trailblazer doesn't have any more grip than a lot of sticky 2.4" tyres.

roverpig - useful, thanks. So in what situations would you not take the 27.5 bike out, and use HT/FS instead ?

It was so much easier 30 years ago, 2 possible bikes and I bought the red one. 🙂

^^^ indeed ! I reckon I have it covered with a Soul and and Anthem, but I have this itch..... 🙂

Well if you have the Soul and the Anthem then you absolutely need a rigid bike as well.

Well if you have the Soul and the Anthem then you absolutely need a rigid bike as well.

yeah, I have 3 - a track bike, a CDF and a Defy 🙂

roverpig - useful, thanks. So in what situations would you not take the 27.5 bike out, and use HT/FS instead ?

That's a tricky one. Partly because all bikes are inherently versatile, so you can ride pretty much anything anywhere and sometimes you might take the "wrong" bike just for a giggle. But also because so much of it is down to personal preference.

Let me start with a confession. I don't really like hardtails. I like the way they look and I like the fact that there is less stuff to get ruined in crappy weather. But unless the trail is really smooth, I'd almost always prefer to be on a full suss. If I have to ride my hardtail (e.g. if the trail is a mess and I can't be bothered with cleaning and maintaining all those pivots) then I'd rather it had a bit more squish than not. So, for me, the plus sized hardtail is usually a better option than a normal sized one, but neither are really preferable to the full suss (unless there is snow to negotiate) except for the fact that they require less maintenance.

That's a bit negative so let me also point out that, if I only wanted to have one bike, then it would probably be the plus size hardtail as it is the most versatile.

roverpig - very helpful actually, thanks. I ride weekly wed nights on local manky stuff through the year, where my Anthem would eat up bearings and take forever to clean, so HT is a good option. I like my Soul and also use it on bigger away rides, like when in Cairngorm for a week at Easter with the family. I was however gobsmacked when doing the singletrack descent off Burma Rd with Sanny in October week last yr, juts how capable his fatty was, which got me thinking about a 27.5+ to replace the regular HT, but given all the thoughts on compromises I'm not so sure.

where my Anthem would eat up bearings and take forever to clean

I'm with RP, canny really see me buying a HT again, even though the soul was my only bike for nigh on 8 years. Lots of FS bikes nowadays don't eat bearings - my spectral is 15 months old now, and there's not a bit of play or roughness coming from any of the bearings. I reckon I'll easy get another 15 months out of the bearings, and even then, they ain't exactly expensive, or a big job to replace.

Oh, and it wasn't Sanny's bike that was capable btw! 😆

[quote=Nobeerinthefridge ]I'm with RP, canny really see me buying a HT again, Really? I've just built up a Ragley Marley for dicking around in the woods etc. The Blur, OTOH, will likely be left hanging in the garage for another year (OK - I had it out 5 times in 2015 😆 )

which got me thinking about a 27.5+ to replace the regular HT, but given all the thoughts on compromises I'm not so sure

You can drive yourself nuts trying to decide on the best option. Probably best just to remember that it's all just a bit of fun and there is no right answer.

Really?

At the moment, yes.

nobeer - agree really re bearings, I'm not expecting to need to replace the Anthem ones for a bit, but it's not a bike for winter muddy Mugdock rides, I'm sure you'd agree. Also agree about the sanny example, but you know what I meant 🙂

Think I'll likely run the Soul into the ground anyway a not much point in trying to sell it now.

I give it six months..... 😆

you're probably right scotroutes 🙂 I can 'almost' guarantee I'll be on the Soul or Anthem at Easter in Aviemore....but that's only 3 weeks away 🙂

iainc - Member
^^^ so when is one of these bikes actually better than a regular HT with 2.3 tyres ? Genuine question.

Sometimes better, sometimes slower, but always more fun. always more forgiving, and much more comfortable.

If you go front suspension then the options open up enormously.you can then always add some rigids later if you feel like it.

Loads of b+ info on this thread
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/650b-and-other-plus-sizes-if-you-like-rim-tyre-frame-fork-combinations

For me, I don't seem to be any slower on b+ even on non-technical trails or climbs and it's really good fun rigid on pretty much everything.

Logically it must be a bit slower but I think I'd only worry about it if I was xc racing and given I don't do that...

Add from suspension and it's just scary...

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