Image courtesy of Bike Radar
Very interesting video and test results from Bike Radar. Well worth a look. I find some of it very revealing, even though I am no scientist. One thing is that the scientific numbers by themselves did not point to a clear winner although they did state that the 29″er took less energy output for a given speed overall. But in “practical terms”, meaning, ‘we actually rode them just like you and I do’, the 29″er was indeed faster. Now there is always personal preference and terrain to consider, but still…
But, hey, we already knew 29″ers get it done and rapidly so. Very interesting which wheel was the slowest overall.
The results are in, 29’r are much faster. Almost 20 seconds over a less than 2 mile loop. THAT IS A LOT! 26’rs were just slightly faster on descends, OK downhill bike should be 26’rs. Everything else should be 29’rs.
Now lets kick 271/2 to the curb and get on with it……
Wow, this is the first and only place I’ve ever heard of a 26″ wheeled bike being faster downhill than a 29er. (Talking normal person riding here, Pro downhill excluded). Everyone I know who switched to 29er noticed immediately how much faster they could descend, if anything it took awhile to realize you climbed faster as well. The simple science says big wheels roll over obstacles easier, thus allowing for faster speeds. Now that you can get 29er wheels/tires/bikes that barley weigh more than the 26er versions – the extra speed from this ‘roll over effect’ far outweighs the extra weight of the bigger hoops.
So the inadvertent control here was rider effort. They all went hard on each bike and the result was different times for different wheels. I’d like to see it flipped. It would be cool to control for speed, ensuring that each loop was ridden at the same speed on each wheel so that the result would be all the metabolic and muscular data they collected. That might tell a more definitive story about efficiency.
I was perplexed by the results..I love my 29er, but on some of my trails I feel like my Tallboy C (racing ralphs/carbon wheels) is a MACK truck and my friend on his 26er seems faster through the twisties and short run climbs since there are no mountains. We are similar fitness, I need to ride his bike and feel for myself. It feels like I work harder to maintain the pace he does, while I toss around my big bike. I was really thinking hard about a Pivot Mach 4C as a new bike, but this video does make me take notice. Unfortunately in Timbuk Two Indiana, there aren’t any demos to try.
I’ve been riding a Pivot Mach 429 Carbon for a little over a year. Best bike I’ve ever had. I’d have no hesitation with regard to a Mach 4C but think that in Indiana a 429 might be a better choice. I’m in SoCal by the way so a lot of XC but a lot of climbing and descending too. We did 62 mi and 4,500′ on Sunday.
Love the no riders had any experience on a 27.5 comment… kinda negates the ‘objective’ element of this experiment.
Partially helps explain the findings. I find 27.5 to be faster everywhere than 26 and faster than 29 in technical descents. But of course my feedback is entirely subjective 🙂
^^^So experience is needed to ride a 27.5 effectively? I’m doubtful.
I wish they wouldn’t do these kinds of tests. I’m getting older, and I want my 29er advantage shared by my friends and nobody else.
Ha!