MTB Wheels

[pipe dreamer]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

I may just do that. I’ve been sort of intrigued with the Specializes offerings, particularly the Stumpjumper alloy and the “mullet” Status.

I agree..I’m intrigued and really keen to try out a mullet bike..they look a little odd (to me) but seem to make a lot of sense and I feel maybe a lot of fun!!

[pipe dreamer]

I adore mountain biking, though often worry I’m going to mess up my hands via a serious crash!

I wrestle with the worry I’ll lose ability to play guitar…but can’t help riding pretty hard..sorry, this is post is probably for a completely different thread..

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by pipe dreamer

I adore mountain biking, though often worry I’m going to mess up my hands via a serious crash!

I wrestle with the worry I’ll lose ability to play guitar…but can’t help riding pretty hard..sorry, this is post is probably for a completely different thread..

I admit I nearly ended my guitar playing a couple of times these past two summers. Because of that I’ve made it a point to acquire elbow pads, knee pads, a good helmet, a hydration pack (it adds padding on the back which saved my bacon a couple of times) as well as gloves for grip, a gator (keeps the bug ingestion down) and wear goggles (which keeps things out of my eyes and has lining that keeps the sweet from going into my eyes.)

[pipe dreamer]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

I admit I nearly ended my guitar playing a couple of times these past two summers. Because of that I’ve made it a point to acquire elbow pads, knee pads, a good helmet, a hydration pack (it adds padding on the back which saved my bacon a couple of times) as well as gloves for grip, a gator (keeps the bug ingestion down) and wear goggles (which keeps things out of my eyes and has lining that keeps the sweet from going into my eyes.)

Yes I agree safety gear is paramount!! glad you purchased that for yourself.

On my most recent 'thought provoking' crash i was lucky to have all my pads and full face helmet on. I still cracked my goggles and had to replace my helmet due to landing straight on the chin guard! To be honest if I didn't have that gear on, I would have been a real mess! lucky to get away with a sore shoulder plus a few cuts and bruises, but not much else physically.

To answer the original post..I made transition from 26in to 29in and then settled on 27.5, A nice balance between 26 and 29 I find. The industry somewhat forces you to choose once it phases things out (like 26in wheels). I for one am hoping and praying they don't do the same to 27.5 wheels, which some predict.....

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by pipe dreamer

Yes I agree safety gear is paramount!! glad you purchased that for yourself.

On my most recent 'thought provoking' crash i was lucky to have all my pads and full face helmet on. I still cracked my goggles and had to replace my helmet due to landing straight on the chin guard! To be honest if I didn't have that gear on, I would have been a real mess! lucky to get away with a sore shoulder plus a few cuts and bruises, but not much else physically.

To answer the original post..I made transition from 26in to 29in and then settled on 27.5, A nice balance between 26 and 29 I find. The industry somewhat forces you to choose once it phases things out (like 26in wheels). I for one am hoping and praying they don't do the same to 27.5 wheels, which some predict.....

Yesterday was my first ride wearing G2 Pro Form sleeve type knee pads. I actually didn't find them restrictive at all. in fact, as with the matching elbow pads/sleeves I actually found them quite comfortable with a stabilizing effect to my joints.

What I'd really like to do now is take a class. I'm having real trouble getting the rear tire to get up over obstructions in trails. I'd particularly like to address the proper way to dismount so that I can commit it to muscle memory. I got lucky on a recent tumble but my elbow guards saved me. Somehow I was able to tuck and roll.

As for the tire size debate, I think that 27.5" is here to stay and that while 29ers are more common, yes I feel that they are too big. Personally, I think the "modern" geometry of upswept top tubes and seat posts that don't decent all the way down are part of the problem and that there are cheap dropper posts emerging on the market to allow people to experiment. Gone are the days of a truly "one size fits all" bike IMO. While my current 29er felt too big at first I've adjusted and I now feel that my previous 26er was in fact too small for me.

[imwjl]

Mullet name applied to wheel size, tire size and suspension are not new. It's never lasted with the mixed wheel sizes like it has running a larger or different tire up front, or more fork travel than rear travel.

A new area called mullet is SRAM 12 speed MTB and road parts compatibility. For more gear range you can mix SRAM MTB 12 speed with "brifter" brake/shift drop bar levers.

Other important stuff for wheels is a Shimano spline standard for 9-11 speed cassettes is different from SRAM XD 11 or 12 speed but SRAM NX cassettes fit that very popular Shimano standard. XD and a newer Shimano 12 speed standard can have smaller cogs.

For tour/gravel/road I believe you need a spacer mixing Shimano 11 speed road vs MTB.

DT Swiss hubs have a compatibility their products and OEM products have where the right new wheel purchase can accommodate all. Most all or all of those have center lock brake rotor mounts. There are adapters to make all the brake types work. IIRC, SRAM and Shimano rotors have what might be .05 mm difference thickness when new so if you want to swap wheels on a bike keep that in mind.

IMO, the wheels that do all 3 cassette types and center lock rotors are the what will settle the compatibility challenges with this shift to the superior designs that have come along.

Don't shoot if I got some of that wrong but I made a lot of notes on compatibility as we moved from some beloved older stuff to more of the modern stuff.

[Andyrondack]

Originally Posted by pipe dreamer

To answer the original post..I made transition from 26in to 29in and then settled on 27.5, A nice balance between 26 and 29 I find. The industry somewhat forces you to choose once it phases things out (like 26in wheels). I for one am hoping and praying they don't do the same to 27.5 wheels, which some predict.....

If they do phase out 27.5'' keep your kit , 50 years ago in the UK 27.5'' or 650B if you like was the standard bike wheel size and had been for decades.
I like my 26 '' wheel rim brake bike so I've bought spare XT hubs and will get them built up when I need.
Like they say, what goes around comes around, quite literally!

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Andyrondack

If they do phase out 27.5'' keep your kit , 50 years ago in the UK 27.5'' or 650B if you like was the standard bike wheel size and had been for decades.
I like my 26 '' wheel rim brake bike so I've bought spare XT hubs and will get them built up when I need.
Like they say, what goes around comes around, quite literally!

Some things are tried as a market strategy to for a firm to hopefully get a good niche but in my circle of friends and associates in the industry they say performance and engineering are driving the dominance of wider 700c/29r rims and tires.

For your comment on the hubs, they can be built with different size rims but may determine some matters if they can't accommodate 12 speed cassettes or cog size you want.

A whole lot of 650B popularity came from and comes from accommodating older frames. A whole lot of 700c/29r popularity now comes from the wider spacing and ceasing to follow the stupid history of making everything like a racer or following traditions.

One of my wheel engineer friends says they do what works best and can be manufactured at good costs. They don't just follow old standards of weight and rolling resistance as best.

[imwjl]

Maybe for @neil for sure, but this AM I see Trek Roscoe prototype I've seen and hinted at is public now and for the wheels topic, it became a 29r even though the entry level version is also still sold as a "mid fat" 650B with bigger tires bike. It's moved up market slightly but also joined lots of price increases lots of products are getting.

Early in the season Trek's engineering staff with MTB product staff built a new section of expert trail I supervised and the entry level model and 29r model were purposely first bikes up a section of trail that pushes the limits for steep, tight and exposed. The 29r as well as plus made the tight turns. May - end of July I can still only clear that section with a break. If I make the steep and skinny stuff I can't make a tiny uphill rock garden.

The point on wheels is how 29r is not the limiting factor like skill and how good your bike engine is.

Some here would have enjoyed the day and especially the banter between engineers and the marketing staff.