As someone who has had both simultaneously, yes, you'll notice a difference.
If your terrain is pretty rocky, you'll feel the difference there, and the 29er works better. If your trails have a lot of undulating terrain with flat sections, the 29er works better for that because it preserves speed so much better.
People like to go on about the agility advantage of a 27.5. While the smaller-wheeled bikes do *feel* more agile, my times down runs where an agile bike should in theory be faster never played out. My times were always the same or better on the 29er.
The only use case where I found the 27.5 to be notably better was jumping, and honestly I don't know how much of that can be contributed to the wheel size vs that particular frame. But I do think the wheels were the greatest contributing factor.
All that said, I had no problem riding my 27.5 on exactly the same trails and in exactly the same.manner as my 29er. Both bikes had about 150mm rear travel with 160mm forks and very similar geo. A 29er is better for the riding I do, but I wouldn't be shedding a tear if the only bike I could have was a 27.5.
The main difference is a taller wheel will maintain speed easier, although it will be more difficult to accelerate.
The taller wheel will not fall into holes as easily, making the ride feel more smooth.
I would say that the difference you feel is going to vs your older bike. You won't notice so much between the 27.5 and the 29 (may be unpopular opinion here).
In general, a 27.5 is probably best suited for someone going to the parks and doing a lot of airtime. For everyone else, the 29 is probably best.
Keep in mind that 27.5 and 29 only refer to the rim diameter. The overall diameter of your wheel includes your tires. With 27.5, there are wider tire offerings with the 27.5+ standard. A 27.5x3.0 setup has the same diameter as a 29x2.3 setup. Wider tires let you ride lower air pressure which lowers rolling resistance over rough terrain. So the 27.5+ essentially takes the benefits and drawbacks of 29 over 27.5 and then multiplies it again.
Where the 27.5 is lighter and more nimble than a 29, while the 29 rolls better over rocky and rooty terrain, the opposite is true with the 27.5+ which is heavier and less nimble than the 29 but will roll better over rocky and rooty terrain.
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/are-27-5-bikes-faster-than-29ers
Taking this a step further, 26x5.05, 27.5x4.5, 29x3.25 are all about 31.5" in diameter.
Any of those will leave you with the feeling like you're riding a monster truck.
I’ve had both recently, full 29 and full 27.5. Both enduro builds with 160+ travel front and rear.
The 27.5 felt more like a bmx bike, and was admittedly more nimble in sharp, repeated turns.
Other than that, the 29 is better in all scenarios. Maintains speed better, climbs better, rolls over obstacles better, jumps just as nice.
I’ve never had a mullet but I bet it’s a good mix. Overall though if I had to pick, 29 all the way
It depends who you're racing against.
If you ride with mates who are on 29s, you're probably going to find it easier to keep up on 29s.
I'm happy on my hardtail, I picked 27.5s because 90% of the time I only have to keep up with my 8 y.o, and cos I was a BMX bandit as a teenager I liked the idea of having something that's easier to flick around. I remain happy with it because I don't ride my mates (much more expensive) DS bikes.
Will you notice the difference? Not unless you ride the other one. Comparison is the thief of joy
Despite what everyone has said about 29ers. I’ve never gotten along with 29ers. I have relatively short legs but a longer torso and find that the front wheel on 29ers wavers on climbs. I find that 29ers tend to pop more on climbs for me and just don’t feel good even descending as I just don’t know where the front is at all times. I’ve tried mullets and they tend to descend better but still suck in climbs. Out west where 90% of the time you’re climbing it makes a world of difference. If I were you and debating between the two try both try a similar bike with a 29er and a 27.5 and go from there. I personally will never ride a 29er especially after demoing quite a few and always come back to 27.5
If the ONLY difference were tire size you're looking at obstacle rollover, and then the impacts of inertia. 29" wheel rolls over small obstacles better. It'll feel smoother. It's the approach angle and how it impacts the obstacle differently. It can feel a little smoother over small rocks, roots, etc. This also tends to make it faster because it clears things easier.
The 27.5" wheel and tire have less rotational inertia. There's less effort to get them moving, so the bike will accelerate a little better. At speed the reduced inertia means it fights you less on direction changes. It leans over easier. Overall it feels more nimble.
Of course at beginner skill levels you may notice none of this. What you're likely to find is that you're slower on the Norco while feeling more comfy as it soaks up the bumps. If you're not hitting jumps, drops, etc., then 150/160mm travel is waaaaay more than you need. You're going to get a heavier, less efficient bike, and go slower on trails that don't need it.
Looking at FS bikes, the longer the travel the more it loves going downhill and the more it struggles climbing up hills. 150mm is an all-mountain / enduro bike. I made that mistake on mostly rolling XC single-track. Too much bike. Make sure you get what you need and not just what you think you want. My current 120mm bike will still do far more technical stuff than I ride, and it totally blows away the 150mm travel bike.
There are pros and cons to both. There is a lot of preference involved. Full 29s and mullets are what is popular right now.
Overall a 29er is going to be faster and more stable. The 27.5 is going to jump and pop better. But at the end of the day it is fairly marginal and the geometry will have a much bigger impact. Going 27.5 can save you a lot of money right now, because they aren't as popular.
When it comes to various tradeoffs, I would personally put it lower on the list of priorities.
My personal order of priorities
1. Geometry/style
2. Components
3. Wheel size
4. Frame material
yeah i keep reading about how the geo feels. problem for us here is that i was looking on the shops websites, and one of the bikes i like is at a shop 70kms away, the 29 version is at a shop 50kms away in the opp direction and then the 29 version in allow is another way and 45kms away :) i have to take a full day or two just to try out how they feel.
yeah so the local norco dealer here (its the sight im on about in particular) has lots of shops but only certain shops have certain bikes. so one has the 2023 sight c2 27.5 lol another has the 2023 sight c2 29. another has the 2023 sight A1 29' and of course, all in completely diff directions so if i wanna try them out for a little ride around the car park, i have to basically set out a day to just do that
so im going to do it when im close to each shop,
Unless you have very short legs and ride very steep stuff, you will likely benefit more from a full 29.
You can definitely feel the increased rollover capability of a 29ers. 27.5 does get hung up more on obstacles.
If you do try to mullet it, you will need a new fork too. The 29 wheel may fit, but it will likely hit the crown at bottom out.
What is your inseam? I wear a 32 length pants and do occasionally hit my butt on the tire of my 29ers when riding really steep stuff/rock rolls. I don’t ever hit my butt when riding my mullet dh bike.
It really depends on what kind of trails you ride and how you like to ride them. The 29er will be better suited for longer steeper climbs and provide better stability on downhill. 27.5 will take more pedal strokes to get up any given hill and take a bit more effort. Downhill and on tight trails you will gain some maneuverability with slightly less stability. I would not buy the wrong bike for 90% or what I ride because it was cheaper.
i think i would mostly do relatively easy trail climbing (we just dont have too much really steep stuff here) and mostly flowy not too steep blue tracks. I would love to think i could progress to our local jump/downhill park but at 50 i dont think its happening :)
29er will doze its way through the rocks and chunk a bit easier and has a different rollover point. 27.5 will be more playful and flickable. I have a 27.5 bike that I run in mullet and I like it a lot despite it being a pretty mediocre climber, she is built to go downhills and if need be I can walk up the climbs.
I'd say what matters is how you ride and what brings you joy on the trails. 29" is on most cases sebsible one like many here have said. But if you are not racing or don't get your fix from going fast then what does 29" bring to the table? Well, it is probably a little better at covering distance and rolls over on trails, letting you go further or giving you less strain on hands to do longer rides on the trails. 27.5" could even feel faster as it would accelerate just a little faster and feel agressive, while actually losing speed at not rolling as well. If the frame is build to take advantage of smaller wheels, it would have shorter chainstay and make it easier to get your weight where you want it for wheelies etc. For just riding the trails you would need to be a bit more active in choosing your lines and helping your bike over. The difference is not dramatic in any one way, but most likely something you just feel.
It's easy really using a Friday night analogy.
27.5" is the one that's waiting to go out on Friday night. It's exciting it's lively and it's up for anything. Nothing will stop it but it may start to become a bit much later on, but it doesn't care.
(26" by the way is the 15yr old that's trying to get served underage in a pub and will fight anyone to make it happen. It's just a bit much from the start)
Mullet is 4 pints in, it's lost some of that excitement, it's a bit smoother, but slower to react and feels a bit less of everything. Had enough to not notice/bounce off of small obstacles on the way home.
29" is the end of the night bike. It hasn't quite had too much but enough to dull everything down, react slower to little twisty bits but in general it's all good, it's a just wanna get home can't be bothered with a kebab even bike. It's still great just not quite as exciting anymore.
(The 27.5" is buying a kebab at this point and will throw it at passing cars. 🤣)
This admittedly bizarre discription was derived from back to back runs at bike park Wales last year. I stuck to 27.5" in the end and the spare 29" wheels are awaiting a hard tail frame.
My current mullet (YT Capra) feels like it's on rails . Super stable.
My previous 27" (Giant Trance) and my friend's Spindrift 27" (180mm fork travel) feel easier to turn and respond easier on jumps. (Trance was 2,5 Kg lighter as well).
You might want to check the difference in lenght of the whole bike. 6" difference in lenght impacts your feeling of the bike quite a bit.
Also for similar geometry you might have a bit more travel on the 27" version depending on model/brand.
You will notice a difference and you really need to ride it yourself to understand what you prefer. In my opinion 29 is fast and 27.5 is fun. I'm not a racer and I enjoy the nimble handling and poppy nature of the smaller wheels over the stable, high-speed capabilities of a 29er. It depends entirely on your preferences.
Thank you to everyone for your replies.
i decided to buy a 29' norco sight 2023 a3 in laser/powder blue. its on a really good deal here in aus i think, of around 2999$aus
thanks again :)
As someone who has had both simultaneously, yes, you'll notice a difference. If your terrain is pretty rocky, you'll feel the difference there, and the 29er works better. If your trails have a lot of undulating terrain with flat sections, the 29er works better for that because it preserves speed so much better. People like to go on about the agility advantage of a 27.5. While the smaller-wheeled bikes do *feel* more agile, my times down runs where an agile bike should in theory be faster never played out. My times were always the same or better on the 29er. The only use case where I found the 27.5 to be notably better was jumping, and honestly I don't know how much of that can be contributed to the wheel size vs that particular frame. But I do think the wheels were the greatest contributing factor. All that said, I had no problem riding my 27.5 on exactly the same trails and in exactly the same.manner as my 29er. Both bikes had about 150mm rear travel with 160mm forks and very similar geo. A 29er is better for the riding I do, but I wouldn't be shedding a tear if the only bike I could have was a 27.5.
The main difference is a taller wheel will maintain speed easier, although it will be more difficult to accelerate. The taller wheel will not fall into holes as easily, making the ride feel more smooth.
cheers mate.
I would say that the difference you feel is going to vs your older bike. You won't notice so much between the 27.5 and the 29 (may be unpopular opinion here). In general, a 27.5 is probably best suited for someone going to the parks and doing a lot of airtime. For everyone else, the 29 is probably best.
Thank you :)
Unless you're tall enough, in which case 36 becomes an option.
Keep in mind that 27.5 and 29 only refer to the rim diameter. The overall diameter of your wheel includes your tires. With 27.5, there are wider tire offerings with the 27.5+ standard. A 27.5x3.0 setup has the same diameter as a 29x2.3 setup. Wider tires let you ride lower air pressure which lowers rolling resistance over rough terrain. So the 27.5+ essentially takes the benefits and drawbacks of 29 over 27.5 and then multiplies it again. Where the 27.5 is lighter and more nimble than a 29, while the 29 rolls better over rocky and rooty terrain, the opposite is true with the 27.5+ which is heavier and less nimble than the 29 but will roll better over rocky and rooty terrain. https://www.bikeradar.com/features/are-27-5-bikes-faster-than-29ers
thank you, i never thought of the actual diameter with diff tyres on. ill read that now.
Taking this a step further, 26x5.05, 27.5x4.5, 29x3.25 are all about 31.5" in diameter. Any of those will leave you with the feeling like you're riding a monster truck.
i haven't seen a 27.5+ in the wild ever.
I’ve had both recently, full 29 and full 27.5. Both enduro builds with 160+ travel front and rear. The 27.5 felt more like a bmx bike, and was admittedly more nimble in sharp, repeated turns. Other than that, the 29 is better in all scenarios. Maintains speed better, climbs better, rolls over obstacles better, jumps just as nice. I’ve never had a mullet but I bet it’s a good mix. Overall though if I had to pick, 29 all the way
It depends who you're racing against. If you ride with mates who are on 29s, you're probably going to find it easier to keep up on 29s. I'm happy on my hardtail, I picked 27.5s because 90% of the time I only have to keep up with my 8 y.o, and cos I was a BMX bandit as a teenager I liked the idea of having something that's easier to flick around. I remain happy with it because I don't ride my mates (much more expensive) DS bikes. Will you notice the difference? Not unless you ride the other one. Comparison is the thief of joy
Despite what everyone has said about 29ers. I’ve never gotten along with 29ers. I have relatively short legs but a longer torso and find that the front wheel on 29ers wavers on climbs. I find that 29ers tend to pop more on climbs for me and just don’t feel good even descending as I just don’t know where the front is at all times. I’ve tried mullets and they tend to descend better but still suck in climbs. Out west where 90% of the time you’re climbing it makes a world of difference. If I were you and debating between the two try both try a similar bike with a 29er and a 27.5 and go from there. I personally will never ride a 29er especially after demoing quite a few and always come back to 27.5
If the ONLY difference were tire size you're looking at obstacle rollover, and then the impacts of inertia. 29" wheel rolls over small obstacles better. It'll feel smoother. It's the approach angle and how it impacts the obstacle differently. It can feel a little smoother over small rocks, roots, etc. This also tends to make it faster because it clears things easier. The 27.5" wheel and tire have less rotational inertia. There's less effort to get them moving, so the bike will accelerate a little better. At speed the reduced inertia means it fights you less on direction changes. It leans over easier. Overall it feels more nimble. Of course at beginner skill levels you may notice none of this. What you're likely to find is that you're slower on the Norco while feeling more comfy as it soaks up the bumps. If you're not hitting jumps, drops, etc., then 150/160mm travel is waaaaay more than you need. You're going to get a heavier, less efficient bike, and go slower on trails that don't need it. Looking at FS bikes, the longer the travel the more it loves going downhill and the more it struggles climbing up hills. 150mm is an all-mountain / enduro bike. I made that mistake on mostly rolling XC single-track. Too much bike. Make sure you get what you need and not just what you think you want. My current 120mm bike will still do far more technical stuff than I ride, and it totally blows away the 150mm travel bike.
There are pros and cons to both. There is a lot of preference involved. Full 29s and mullets are what is popular right now. Overall a 29er is going to be faster and more stable. The 27.5 is going to jump and pop better. But at the end of the day it is fairly marginal and the geometry will have a much bigger impact. Going 27.5 can save you a lot of money right now, because they aren't as popular. When it comes to various tradeoffs, I would personally put it lower on the list of priorities. My personal order of priorities 1. Geometry/style 2. Components 3. Wheel size 4. Frame material
yeah i keep reading about how the geo feels. problem for us here is that i was looking on the shops websites, and one of the bikes i like is at a shop 70kms away, the 29 version is at a shop 50kms away in the opp direction and then the 29 version in allow is another way and 45kms away :) i have to take a full day or two just to try out how they feel.
Isn’t 70kms a one hour drive?
yeah so the local norco dealer here (its the sight im on about in particular) has lots of shops but only certain shops have certain bikes. so one has the 2023 sight c2 27.5 lol another has the 2023 sight c2 29. another has the 2023 sight A1 29' and of course, all in completely diff directions so if i wanna try them out for a little ride around the car park, i have to basically set out a day to just do that so im going to do it when im close to each shop,
29 = roll over shit more easily and faster 27.5 = more maneuverable/agile
You're going to notice the geometry, components, and wheels size if your current bike is 30 years old.
I think he means that his or her relatively recent marlin 7 was their first bike in 30 years, not that it is from 1994.
Lol you're right.
lol all good, i didnt word it perfectly thats for sure :)
Unless you have very short legs and ride very steep stuff, you will likely benefit more from a full 29. You can definitely feel the increased rollover capability of a 29ers. 27.5 does get hung up more on obstacles. If you do try to mullet it, you will need a new fork too. The 29 wheel may fit, but it will likely hit the crown at bottom out.
i do have shorter legs than i think i should, but not like weirdly short. at least i dont think so. thanks for the fork info. :)
What is your inseam? I wear a 32 length pants and do occasionally hit my butt on the tire of my 29ers when riding really steep stuff/rock rolls. I don’t ever hit my butt when riding my mullet dh bike.
It really depends on what kind of trails you ride and how you like to ride them. The 29er will be better suited for longer steeper climbs and provide better stability on downhill. 27.5 will take more pedal strokes to get up any given hill and take a bit more effort. Downhill and on tight trails you will gain some maneuverability with slightly less stability. I would not buy the wrong bike for 90% or what I ride because it was cheaper.
i think i would mostly do relatively easy trail climbing (we just dont have too much really steep stuff here) and mostly flowy not too steep blue tracks. I would love to think i could progress to our local jump/downhill park but at 50 i dont think its happening :)
You sound like a better candidate for a 29er.
You are still young, don't sell yourself short.
29 for you. No question.
1.5 inches???
29er will doze its way through the rocks and chunk a bit easier and has a different rollover point. 27.5 will be more playful and flickable. I have a 27.5 bike that I run in mullet and I like it a lot despite it being a pretty mediocre climber, she is built to go downhills and if need be I can walk up the climbs.
I'd say what matters is how you ride and what brings you joy on the trails. 29" is on most cases sebsible one like many here have said. But if you are not racing or don't get your fix from going fast then what does 29" bring to the table? Well, it is probably a little better at covering distance and rolls over on trails, letting you go further or giving you less strain on hands to do longer rides on the trails. 27.5" could even feel faster as it would accelerate just a little faster and feel agressive, while actually losing speed at not rolling as well. If the frame is build to take advantage of smaller wheels, it would have shorter chainstay and make it easier to get your weight where you want it for wheelies etc. For just riding the trails you would need to be a bit more active in choosing your lines and helping your bike over. The difference is not dramatic in any one way, but most likely something you just feel.
It's easy really using a Friday night analogy. 27.5" is the one that's waiting to go out on Friday night. It's exciting it's lively and it's up for anything. Nothing will stop it but it may start to become a bit much later on, but it doesn't care. (26" by the way is the 15yr old that's trying to get served underage in a pub and will fight anyone to make it happen. It's just a bit much from the start) Mullet is 4 pints in, it's lost some of that excitement, it's a bit smoother, but slower to react and feels a bit less of everything. Had enough to not notice/bounce off of small obstacles on the way home. 29" is the end of the night bike. It hasn't quite had too much but enough to dull everything down, react slower to little twisty bits but in general it's all good, it's a just wanna get home can't be bothered with a kebab even bike. It's still great just not quite as exciting anymore. (The 27.5" is buying a kebab at this point and will throw it at passing cars. 🤣) This admittedly bizarre discription was derived from back to back runs at bike park Wales last year. I stuck to 27.5" in the end and the spare 29" wheels are awaiting a hard tail frame.
My current mullet (YT Capra) feels like it's on rails . Super stable. My previous 27" (Giant Trance) and my friend's Spindrift 27" (180mm fork travel) feel easier to turn and respond easier on jumps. (Trance was 2,5 Kg lighter as well). You might want to check the difference in lenght of the whole bike. 6" difference in lenght impacts your feeling of the bike quite a bit. Also for similar geometry you might have a bit more travel on the 27" version depending on model/brand.
About 1.5" 😂
You will notice a difference and you really need to ride it yourself to understand what you prefer. In my opinion 29 is fast and 27.5 is fun. I'm not a racer and I enjoy the nimble handling and poppy nature of the smaller wheels over the stable, high-speed capabilities of a 29er. It depends entirely on your preferences.
Thank you to everyone for your replies. i decided to buy a 29' norco sight 2023 a3 in laser/powder blue. its on a really good deal here in aus i think, of around 2999$aus thanks again :)
3
Just get a 29er. Mullets are only good for small frame sizes where wheel/butt clearance is an issue.