Let’s talk about wheel sizes here for a bit. Everyone knows that 27.5 is like the latest rage in mountain biking. The argument is that this size wheel has the benefits of both 26 and 29ers…the best of both worlds. If you didn’t know, I own all three types of wheel sized bikes. I love the 26er for the fact that it’s super nimble and the 29er is feels like it just flows. But to me the 27.5 just feels like a 26, just slightly bigger. So for me that 27.5 is just, let’s see, how can I put this in a gentle way, “just ok.”
I really don’t see myself dropping almost 2k on a new 27.5 bike just because it’s the latest craze, heck I still like running a 9 speed cassette with my 3x crank-set. Why? Eh, I guess it’s because I like the way it works. Yes I do have a 2×10 set up on one of my bikes, it’s great and all, but it’s not my favorite. I like the range that a granny gear gives me as well as the big ring. For me, I like the idea of click 1-2 on my left shifter to dramatically change my ratios rather than click several times on the right shifter with a 10 speed set up.
I suppose we could go on for hours about why old is better and vice versa. Rather than argue, why don’t we listen to some actual old school…
