Comments on: Interbike ‘07: Outdoor Demo: The Rides http://twentynineinches.com/2007/09/26/interbike-07-outdoor-demo-the-rides/ 29er Bike Reviews, Rumors and News Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:27:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Guitar Ted http://twentynineinches.com/2007/09/26/interbike-07-outdoor-demo-the-rides/#comment-24188 Guitar Ted Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:13:44 +0000 http://twentynineinches.com/2007/09/26/interbike-07-outdoor-demo-the-rides/#comment-24188 Vandal: An interesting take there. I think the "B" wheels offer some benefits to folks where smaller sized bikes are a concern, and in longer travel rear end applications, I can agree with some of the points raised. Will folks be trying to see if a "B" wheel will fit their current 26"er? Absolutely! I think a purpose built race hardtail design with just that in mind might be feasible. Think bigger diameter tires for dry events and swap out to 26"ers for muddy ones. Might be an idea there. Vandal: An interesting take there. I think the “B” wheels offer some benefits to folks where smaller sized bikes are a concern, and in longer travel rear end applications, I can agree with some of the points raised. Will folks be trying to see if a “B” wheel will fit their current 26″er? Absolutely! I think a purpose built race hardtail design with just that in mind might be feasible. Think bigger diameter tires for dry events and swap out to 26″ers for muddy ones. Might be an idea there.

]]> By: Vandal http://twentynineinches.com/2007/09/26/interbike-07-outdoor-demo-the-rides/#comment-24176 Vandal Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:41:53 +0000 http://twentynineinches.com/2007/09/26/interbike-07-outdoor-demo-the-rides/#comment-24176 I'm still in a fog about this 650B thing. Is the idea to enable the owner of a 26" wheel mtb to put a pair of 27.5" wheels on his bike to get some of the benefits of 29" wheels without losing the quick acceleration and wheel strength of a 26" wheel? What about mud clearance? People already slag 29" wheels with comments that they're too heavy, cumbersome and slow-handling compared to 26" wheels. Won't they say the same things about 27.5" wheels? Besides, how many different wheel sizes can the bike market reasonably tolerate? Why not have 26.75" wheels, 27.5", 28.25" and 29"? For the same reason we don't have five different steerer tube diameters or handlebar diameters and a dozen different freehub dimensions or bb shell diameters. Every design variation would have a mix of advantages and disadvantages compared to every other design, but the relative costs of producing all those different standards and parts to match would be huge and interchangability would be nonexistent. Fewer standards means lower costs and higher quality. My feeling is that in an alternate reality, in which the mountain bike wheel size standard had been 24" rather than 26" from the beginning, if Willits and Fisher had come out with a 26"-wheel bike, the same people that, in this reality, love their 26"-wheel bikes and hate 29ers would completely slag 26" wheels. They'd complain about how slow they handle and accelerate and how heavy and weak they are compared to 24" wheels. I’m still in a fog about this 650B thing. Is the idea to enable the owner of a 26″ wheel mtb to put a pair of 27.5″ wheels on his bike to get some of the benefits of 29″ wheels without losing the quick acceleration and wheel strength of a 26″ wheel? What about mud clearance?
People already slag 29″ wheels with comments that they’re too heavy, cumbersome and slow-handling compared to 26″ wheels. Won’t they say the same things about 27.5″ wheels? Besides, how many different wheel sizes can the bike market reasonably tolerate? Why not have 26.75″ wheels, 27.5″, 28.25″ and 29″? For the same reason we don’t have five different steerer tube diameters or handlebar diameters and a dozen different freehub dimensions or bb shell diameters. Every design variation would have a mix of advantages and disadvantages compared to every other design, but the relative costs of producing all those different standards and parts to match would be huge and interchangability would be nonexistent. Fewer standards means lower costs and higher quality.

My feeling is that in an alternate reality, in which the mountain bike wheel size standard had been 24″ rather than 26″ from the beginning, if Willits and Fisher had come out with a 26″-wheel bike, the same people that, in this reality, love their 26″-wheel bikes and hate 29ers would completely slag 26″ wheels. They’d complain about how slow they handle and accelerate and how heavy and weak they are compared to 24″ wheels.

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