27.5+ dying??

Dingo said:
I have the dropper post higher than where it would be if it was a fixed post. For me the fixed post position was always a compromise between climbs or descends.

With the dropper I can be at the best seat height for best leg extension. Even at Allaire the post gets used almost as much as the shifter.

Agree, it's the best thing for mtb in years.
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This is a worthy consideration for anyone doing big distances for sure. For my personal uses I’ve found that I can match my road Bike’s saddle height, but also ride at various intermediate heights that seem to offer more bike control and leg comfort as I fatigue.

Experimenting with heights between all the way up and all the way down offers different bike control worth noting.

In the lower/dropped position you increase the bike/body separation which I find allows the suspension to better do its job.

I’ve been Riding a hybrid bike all week here in FL and I find that every time i come to a stop I’m reaching for that dropper button. I can see the advantages of a dropper on every style of bike.

I’m also teaching my 7 year old daughter to use a dropper on her bike already. She stops and starts with the post down and it’s allowing her to improve her handing. It’s a joy to watch.


As for tire sizes.. with some exception, I’m finding 27+ still very relevant. I ride a Bronson setup 27x2.6” and a trail 429 w/ 29x2.6”. For my use I find the extra weight to be a fair tradeoff for increased traction. I’d encourage riders to try bigger volume rubber to see what impact it has on traction and control. Be sure to note that as volume increases, psi should decrease for the same relative ride feel.

As for 27x2.8, I find that it’s ideal for non-xc racer types on hardtails, great for ebikes, nice when used as a front when paired with a 2.6” in the rear. So I don’t think it’s dead at all.
 
jdog said:
This is a worthy consideration for anyone doing big distances for sure. For my personal uses I’ve found that I can match my road Bike’s saddle height, but also ride at various intermediate heights that seem to offer more bike control and leg comfort as I fatigue.

Experimenting with heights between all the way up and all the way down offers different bike control worth noting.

In the lower/dropped position you increase the bike/body separation which I find allows the suspension to better do its job.

I’ve been Riding a hybrid bike all week here in FL and I find that every time i come to a stop I’m reaching for that dropper button. I can see the advantages of a dropper on every style of bike.

I’m also teaching my 7 year old daughter to use a dropper on her bike already. She stops and starts with the post down and it’s allowing her to improve her handing. It’s a joy to watch.


As for tire sizes.. with some exception, I’m finding 27+ still very relevant. I ride a Bronson setup 27x2.6” and a trail 429 w/ 29x2.6”. For my use I find the extra weight to be a fair tradeoff for increased traction. I’d encourage riders to try bigger volume rubber to see what impact it has on traction and control. Be sure to note that as volume increases, psi should decrease for the same relative ride feel.

As for 27x2.8, I find that it’s ideal for non-xc racer types on hardtails, great for ebikes, nice when used as a front when paired with a 2.6” in the rear. So I don’t think it’s dead at all.
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What bike is your daughter on and which dropper did you install? I am very intrigued by legit kids bikes with good parts and reasonable weight.

On the Bronson specifically do you setup the suspension any differently to account for the larger volume tires? I am thinking about putting 2.6" wide rubber on my 27.5 150mm FS bike.
 
yes you need to adjust the suspension setup for 27.5+, not quite sure what the differences are yet, i haven't gotten that far, i will . . . . eventually (no i dont have a bronson, but suspension feels way different just by swapping 29 to 27.5+ on my fuel ex)
 
I agree - 27.5 x 2.8 is a lot of fun on a burly-type hardtail. That was the bike I rode at Kingdom Trails a lot back in 2016.

Hopefully as tire tech improves thy can make the tires more durable while keeping the weight reasonable.

I totally use my dropper on trail rides about as much as the shifter. And definitely every time I stop. I don't entirely miss it when I'm road riding (I guess my brain doesn't expect to have it with drop bars), but I won't dismiss the idea of having one in the future. For some reason, a lot of my friends have been slow to warm to them. One friend steadfastly refuses the idea and sells every one that comes with a bike she buys. She said standing that much hurts her knees. Actually, of the half-dozen or so women I ride with frequently, only a couple of them even have them on their bikes and neither uses it very often.
 
Paul H said:
Thats my problem. Get used to the dropper in warmer days... then winter hits and i forget how to use it. F'n reverb!
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Yeah, reverbs are definitely sluggish in the winter, although only seemed really bad for me before 25. But yeah, get a fox transfer, like 2% more sluggish in the cold.
 
Ian F said:
I agree - 27.5 x 2.8 is a lot of fun on a burly-type hardtail. That was the bike I rode at Kingdom Trails a lot back in 2016.

Hopefully as tire tech improves thy can make the tires more durable while keeping the weight reasonable.

I totally use my dropper on trail rides about as much as the shifter. And definitely every time I stop. I don't entirely miss it when I'm road riding (I guess my brain doesn't expect to have it with drop bars), but I won't dismiss the idea of having one in the future. For some reason, a lot of my friends have been slow to warm to them. One friend steadfastly refuses the idea and sells every one that comes with a bike she buys. She said standing that much hurts her knees. Actually, of the half-dozen or so women I ride with frequently, only a couple of them even have them on their bikes and neither uses it very often.
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I would totally run a dropper on my Mr Pink.
 
Tim said:
What bike is your daughter on and which dropper did you install? I am very intrigued by legit kids bikes with good parts and reasonable weight.

On the Bronson specifically do you setup the suspension any differently to account for the larger volume tires? I am thinking about putting 2.6" wide rubber on my 27.5 150mm FS bike.
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she is on a process 24” from kona.
This bike comes with 24” wheels but it can also accept 26”.
Air suspension And hydro disc brakes too

she loves it but it’s heavier than I’d like. I’m fighting the urge to splurge on the build, but I know this isn’t her Bike for long

ive never ridden anything other than the 2.6” tires on the Bronson so I’ve never had to adjust anything

pretty stoked on this bike, but I’m going to Ride with Pivot in az soon and that new switchblade looks right up my alley.
 

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jdog said:
she is on a process 24” from kona.
This bike comes with 24” wheels but it can also accept 26”.
Air suspension And hydro disc brakes too

she loves it but it’s heavier than I’d like. I’m fighting the urge to splurge on the build, but I know this isn’t her Bike for long

ive never ridden anything other than the 2.6” tires on the Bronson so I’ve never had to adjust anything

pretty stoked on this bike, but I’m going to Ride with Pivot in az soon and that new switchblade looks right up my alley.
Click to expand...

I feel the same way about my son's bike. It's a 24" Riprock. I've put a few bucks into upgrading the mechanical disks to hydraulic and converting the tires to tubless (24x2.8) mainly to drop weight. It's hard to spend a lot of cash when the kids grow so fast. I may try and find a better/lighter fork for it but that's about all I will probably do.

I've had my eye on the 429 Trail for a while and the new Switchblade looks very appealing!


I'm fighting the urge to upgrade....


....for now....
 
Tim said:
I feel the same way about my son's bike. It's a 24" Riprock. I've put a few bucks into upgrading the mechanical disks to hydraulic and converting the tires to tubless (24x2.8) mainly to drop weight. It's hard to spend a lot of cash when the kids grow so fast. I may try and find a better/lighter fork for it but that's about all I will probably do.

I've had my eye on the 429 Trail for a while and the new Switchblade looks very appealing!


I'm fighting the urge to upgrade....


....for now....
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Fight the urge, hard.
unless you are feeling your kid is the next big thing, Save the money until, when they are younger than 10, it is a new bike every 18 months. Once I realized that, it was $100 bikes
 
stb222 said:
Fight the urge, hard.
unless you are feeling your kid is the next big thing, Save the money until, when they are younger than 10, it is a new bike every 18 months. Once I realized that, it was $100 bikes
Click to expand...

Haha. I meant I was fighting the urge to buy a 429 Trail or Switchblade for me.

Agreed on the kids bike stuff. He actually really likes riding at 6 Mile or else he'd be on a wally world special for sure.
 
FatTaco said:
If we have things like droppers making it easier are you really getting any better??
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I do believe its making me better. I only have a dropper on 1 of 3 bikes. I have gotten quite use to getting back behind my fixed post on my fat bike and 29'er hardtail to the point I'm surprised I have not ripped a hole in my pants on some drops. The dropper on my 27.5 FS has given me confidence to rip on downhills that are fast and tech by letting me learn to adjust my center of gravity and lean potential. Admittedly it was awkward at first but now I flow way better. It has upped my game on my fixed post bikes through learned positioning. Is it a cheat...sure, just like any kind of suspension or tire size increase is in reality (IMO). It feels good to cheat in this case since I only answer to myself anyway.
 
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Paul H said:
prolly on a 2x?
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He runs a 1x. so, shifties on the righties, droppies on the lefties. or somethin like that.

Edit: I'm also a lefty, which means I can wank it with either hand. (by wank it, i mean push remotes on the handlebar)
 
TimBay said:
He runs a 1x. so, shifties on the righties, droppies on the lefties. or somethin like that.

Edit: I'm also a lefty, which means I can wank it with either hand. (by wank it, i mean push remotes on the handlebar)
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He has other bikes other than the Fug and the Muk
 
Paul H said:
He has other bikes other than the Fug and the Muk
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Lies.

On topic, the industry has me not even looking at 27.5. I do ride Hart's as my home base, where I think 29ers would shine more, so I guess I got that as an additional reason to go wagon wheeling.
 
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