You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Reading about a hardtail frame 'lacking versatility' because it's designed for a specific wheel size and I wondered how many people actually have multiple sets of wheels (and forks?) for a frame that will accept them.
I can see that for manufacturers being able to spec a 650b+ or a 29er wheelset (or whatever) in the same frame has advantages of scale for frame production purposes and it also gives them an advertising differentiator but as consumers is it something people actually use?
On my bikes I've got to the point where I don't even swap tyres between seasons (I always seemed to have the wrong ones on when the weather turned so now I just fit all-rounders and don't worry about it) so changing wheels over feels like a faff too far to me.
Reading about a hardtail frame ‘lacking versatility’ because it’s designed for a specific wheel size
That was far from all that was wrong with that article.
My T129S was designed to be 29er.
And it started like that.
After some time rear wheel got changed into 27.5x2.8 and front onto full fat 26x4 with matching forks.
Some time passed and rear get dropped into 27.5x2.6.
At the moment I'm back on 29er rear and 29x3.0 on front.
Also changing wheel on my do-it-all bike quite a bit. Depends if that is on commuting, roadie or gravel duties.
Cheers!
I.
That was far from all that was wrong with that article.
Well, quite and I hope the online version has some additional notes on it or is edited more thoroughly.
I did feel that the 'here's a bike designed around a specific wheel size and that's a bad thing' point was one that warranted further discussion. I've always felt there's a lot less compromise for a designer if they don't have to worry about massive ranges of tyre widths and profiles in a frame, can place the axle where it's best for the design, not compromise due to variations in rim and tyre size. And forks - delivering a bike that'll take a 650B+ wheel if non-ones ever going to fit one when they buy a 29er version of the bike (or forcing them to fit a different fork if they get it with a 29er fork fitted and then want to go 650B+) just seems an odd thing to see as an advantage for the consumer.
Yes. Bike originally came with 650b+ wheel set and rigid forks, swapped out for basic 29r wheel set, then went SS for a while, now 29r with swapped in suspension forks (and different bars).
Probably time I really should be riding, but each combination does have different advantages.
I did with my Stumpjumper. Would often switch between 27+ and 29, but in the end I did settle on the 29 as I felt it rode best with that set up. I certainly don't consider it a negative that my current bikes are made for a specific wheel size.
I swap between B+ and 29 on one bike.
Not very often but its nice to sometimes have a change.
Yeah, I’ve gone from 27.5x3 to 29x2.5 on my ebike, and I have 2 wheel sets for my fat bike (26x4.8 & 29x2.4)
Ebike is better for the change, and I swap the fat wheels pretty regularly.
Depends on the rider and what you want to do. SaxonRider's Tarn came with 27.5+ wheels and it looked good for technical MTB but if you wanted to go on a long 'adventure' ride you'd have been much better off putting 29 on it.
I fancy two wheelsets for the Salsa: 3.0/2.4 for MTB and 2.2 or even 2.0 for 'gravel'.
Done it on one of the Levos so that we can compare what they are like. Gone from 27.5 x 2.8 Butchers to 29 x 2.3 on the rear and 29 x 2.6 front with Butchers. had the wheels and tyres in the garage already so no further cost.
Not got round to doing the comparison yet.
Yep, I ride anything from 700x25 Grand Sport Races to 26x4" Jumbo Jims, but usually stick to the FatNotFat 29er wheels as I do very little offroad and those JJs feel damn hard work when you are used to GP4000S IIs on the other bike!
Nope, my solaris has 29er wheels. Never tried b+.
Can't be bothered. Think I'd rather have a different bike....
Ti hardtail with either 29er or B+ wheels and rigid or suspension forks. All permutations are used, though the 29er wheels are rarely a thing for me now.
Van Nicholas Amazon has 700c or 650b wheels. These get changed frequently. The Amazon also has 132.5mm dropouts so would take either a 130mm rim-braked wheel or a 135mm disk-braked one.
It's a useful feature but I wouldn't put it top of my wishlist for some bike types. I've not seen the article.
I’ve not seen the article.
This was just one example of a number of injustices that I felt were inflicted on the bikes being reviewed.
Sort of on my old jones I swapped between 26x4.3 29x3 and 29x2.4 but the rear was always 29x2.4
That was easy as it was only a front wheel
My current bike pinnacle ramin plus came as 27+ and can be run ss, I've swapped the wheels to 29x2.4 and it felt so much better I've not bothered switching back
in short - no but if I had spare cash I'd probably get a 650b wheelset for my RAG+ (gravel bike, takes 700 & 650) just for the hell of it. Unfortunately because of standards the RAG is 100 / 142 spacing while my MTB is 110 / 148 so I can't even swap the 2 wheelsets I have.
I tried it on my Tarn and ended up with one of each.
Thing is, a decent sized 29" tyre is going to be noticeably taller than a 27.5 x 2.8, even a 3.0 and I felt with 29x2.3 it was just a bit high.
I did, for a bit had plus wheels on my Fast Forward, and then built up a set of 29er wheels using cheap rims from CRC. The plan was plus wheels for grip in the woods, fast rolling 29er tyres for trail centre use.
The 29er wheels took me by surprise though, really felt like I was sitting up very high. I wouldn't have thought I'd notice half an inch in BB height, but the bike felt "wrong" to begin with. I did swap over and back for a bit, but eventually the wheels ended up converted to boost and moved to a 29-specific frame, because n+1, and the FF now runs the plus wheels full time.
I think plus and 29er are different enough that the original plan had some merit though. It's nice to have the option, but I wouldn't see it as a dealbreaker if a frame didn't allow it.
I ran B+ For a couple of months to get the feel for it on my mk1 Solaris (but had fork rub).
My mk1 SolarisMAX has spent most of its life in B+ (although I did the Hebridean Way on 29ers as it was mostly road). But it was bought to run in that mode.
The Sherpa I only ever had B+ in (a 142 rear axle meant I didn’t have a rear 29er wheel that fitted).
I’ve not tried the B+ in the SodaMAX or FlareMAX (although I have a spare set of boost B+ wheels now, so it might happen at some point...).
If I only had the one bike though, I’d swap...
If I only had the one bike though, I’d swap…
Back in the noughties I used to put swap between 26" MTB wheels and 700c road wheels on my old inbred
My Production Privee runs changeable dropouts which is genius imo.
I started out on it with 26" and am now 27.5".
I wouldn't expect it to be able to take owt bigger though.
I tried my Bombtrack Beyond + as a 29er for the SDW this year, as the plus wheels i have are really heavy along with the heavy tyres. It was fine bumbling along and uphill, but at anything over about 20mph downhill with bumps and corners was a nightmare. I didnt think it would make so much difference but it ruined the fun. I still have the front which I might try again on the rigid forks with a plus rear just because, but maybe not. Certainly wont be a serial swapper
“I wouldn’t have thought I’d notice half an inch in BB height.”
My first Spitfire had three geometry settings, giving +/-6mm in BB height. The 12mm difference from low to high was very obvious (and not just when trying to get on the bike with the saddle up!)
That bike was designed to run 26” or 27.5” wheels and a fair range of fork lengths (and had swappable dropouts for different tyre clearance and axle standards).
I don’t think it’s a bad thing because as we’ve seen with bike geometry, lots of different geometries work well (despite marketing claims that “xxxxx is THE BEST EVER!”) But there’s only so much wiggle room before a design is too compromised.
The new Nicolai Geometron thingy is quite interesting because it’s one frame with various adapters to run 27.5” or 29” wheels with various travel and forks etc. And I think Liteville are doing something similar with the latest 301.
And Banshee’s bikes (bar the Legend) are all either 26/27.5 or 27.5+/29/29+.
Re the bb , both mine have the adjustable bb in the rotating shell , it cant be much of an adjustment but it is noticeable
Cycling is becoming such a bloody faff!
Yes I enjoy both 29 and B plus on my Solaris max.
And sometimes a chubby mullet too.
It makes it very versatile.
chiefgrooveguru
“I wouldn’t have thought I’d notice half an inch in BB height.”
My first Spitfire had three geometry settings, giving +/-6mm in BB height. The 12mm difference from low to high was very obvious (and not just when trying to get on the bike with the saddle up!)
I did mean I didn't think I would notice, as I'm not generally the most perceptive when it comes to these kind of changes. But it was startlingly obvious.
The new Nicolai Geometron thingy is quite interesting because it’s one frame with various adapters to run 27.5” or 29” wheels with various travel and forks etc. And I think Liteville are doing something similar with the latest 301.
That's rather different though, as they change chainstay length, adjust the position where the seatstay drives the shock, and use an external headset for 27.5 versus internal for 29. It's effectively a different frame when configured for a different wheel size. Worlds apart from bunging different wheels into a hardtail.
I have...ran my Hightower in 29er and hated it, so tried some 650b+ wheels and it was even worse.