Mountain Biking
- Thread starter Zefan
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Soldato
- Joined
- 25 Sep 2012
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Is it worth going from a 26" to a 27.5"? I know 29ers are popular these days just not sure if they are too big, maybe overthinking it. I don't do any twisty stuff these days its just mainly pootling along xc.
Also interested to how many people are tubeless and who is still using tubes?
Also interested to how many people are tubeless and who is still using tubes?
Soldato
Maybe rotate your ergon grips a touch, I have them same ones and they can be a bit funky if not set right.
Consider your brake lever position too. If you have your wrists bent too much it may also be due to your levers putting your hands out of position a bit.
is cutting handle bars down to size a thing? mine are 780mm wide so barely fit though a doorframe and the other day going through those stupid metal bollards the councils use to stop joyriders going off road guess what happened... luckily I was only going 5-7mph but my derailleur, pedal and break lever now has a nice scratch on them and my hip is bruised...
I doubt I would miss 1-2inches
you can get bikes with a mullet setup which is 27.5 rear and 29er front, the benefit of not being full 29er is that the rear end of the bike is more agile on twisty stuff.
tubeless I don't see the point you still need to carry an innertube for if you get a hole a plug can't fill. I guess you could use rim inserts so you can run flat. but then your probably defeating the point of being tubeless anyway.
I'd rather just use tyres with puncture protection built in and not worry about it anyway.
how often you guys really getting punctures? maybe with tubeless your likely to use lighter weight tyres with less protection if any on the sidewalls though
I doubt I would miss 1-2inches
29er is the same size as a 700c wheel on a road bike so they aren't ungodly large or anything, obviously the tire on an MTB is going to add probably 1-2inches more height in reality.
you can get bikes with a mullet setup which is 27.5 rear and 29er front, the benefit of not being full 29er is that the rear end of the bike is more agile on twisty stuff.
tubeless I don't see the point you still need to carry an innertube for if you get a hole a plug can't fill. I guess you could use rim inserts so you can run flat. but then your probably defeating the point of being tubeless anyway.
I'd rather just use tyres with puncture protection built in and not worry about it anyway.
how often you guys really getting punctures? maybe with tubeless your likely to use lighter weight tyres with less protection if any on the sidewalls though
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Associate
Yeah cutting your handlebars down to size is a thing. I've got short t-rex arms so I run mine at 760mm. If you check the manufacturers website for your bars it should give you the safe limits for cutting it down
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Soldato
That time has come in bike ownership where you just want to upgrade everything, new forks ordered Rockshox Recon RL's, new Shimano Deore M5100 1x11 drive train ordered. 
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Personally having gone from a 26" to a 29" MTB about 7 years ago there's no way I'd go back to a 26" tyre. The 29" rides much more smootly, rolls quicker and carries momentum way better than the smaller tyre.
If you aren't doing technical trails and just want something for XC/gravel paths 29" is the way to go IMO. Though I've never ridden a 27.5" bike so maybe that's the all rounder goldilocks option. General opinion seems to be that 29" is still the best for XC though!
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Dmr death grips always been good for me.
Soldato
- Joined
- 25 Sep 2012
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Probably going to go 29 now, sounds like it will be a more enjoyable ride overall. I've noticed also that 26 tyres aren't exactly plentiful like the other sizes.
Did you manage to get to the bottom of the fit problems? Peronsally I found that I really didn't get on with ergonomic grips that came with my last MTB. I feel they force you to lock your wrists in a single position which to me is anything but ergonomic. To me you need the flexibilty to rotate you grip depending on whether you're standing or sitting which is particularly important on a mountain bike.
I swapped mine out for more regular round grips. Much better IMO!
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I'm going to try some DMR Deathgrips so we'll see.
Associate
Fab morning to be out in Nidderdale... 
Associate
Tried a few different grips and always come back to Deathgrips. Quite like Raceface Half Nelson too.
I run the DMR's on both my bikes to be fair, great grips IMO!
Soldato
Ergon grips for me. But not the silly ones with paddles! The GD1 on my trail bike and the GFR1 on the DH bike
Soldato
Anyone think it's worth switching to 180mm brake rotors?
Soldato
from what? 160? Depends on the bike and the typre of riding you do. Personally I always run 203mm front and rear as a stronger brake means I don't have to pull the lever as hard and there for less fatigue on dh runs
Soldato
160 on a MTB at the moment, lever pressure isnt an issue for me it's just one of the trails i do has a long 1km steep downhill section where i'm reaching 60kph and the brakes start to fade sometimes towards the end, just wondering if bigger rotors might help get rid of some of the heat.
Soldato
Bigger rotors will definately help with heat. Which brakes are you running?