26 or 27.5 Fat?

F

FatTaco

Well-Known Member
Ive seen threads here and there but what are opinions of 27.5 fat? The negative I see are tire choices which are already somewhat limited? Worth to go 27.5 fat?
 
Very interested to see what responses you get. At the moment, 26-Fat is where the wide tires are. And although I would expect wider 27.5-Fat tires, they’ll obviously weigh more. Where does this go and were does it end?

I entered the Fat game late, and purposely avoided 27.5/B-Fat just like I purposely avoid 29’er - because I don’t need any roll-over help, and prefer the feel and acceleration of smaller wheels.
 
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I have 26x4.8 minions on my fat bike. I think that in the near future, I'll have a set of 27.5 wheels with the 27.5x3.8 minions. Not sure if those will go on my current bike, or if I'll get a new bike as well. Either way, tire choice isn't limited because they make minions in both sizes.
 
I can't speak to truly fat 27.5 tires, but I am a big fan of 27.5 x 3.8 on my Ice Cream Truck for 3 season use. Makes the bike feel more like a forgiving trail bike in non-snow conditions. I'm running Bontrager Hodags which I really like also.

I plan to try some 26" jumbo jims this spring, but If I still feel that I like the 27.5" tires better, I'm probably going to breakdown my 26" wheels and steal the hubs to build up a better set of 27.5" wheels.


I run a mastodon though. If rigid, I might want the cush of the bigger tire up front.

I'm giving some serious thought to trying a mullet setup with a 26" in the back and a 27.5 up front, but with tire choices that keep the diameter pretty much the same.
 
The consensus elsewhere seems to be that 27” wheels have a little better rollover capability than similar 26” wheels. As the 27”ers have a bigger diameter, that doesn’t surprise me. For the same reason (and, perhaps, having more weight), though, it would seem that 27”ers would be harder to accelerate. I’m Ok with the way my 26”ers roll over things and wouldn’t want to move to something harder to accelerate (it’s hard enough as it is). It seems widely accepted that the width of the widest 26” tires gives them the best floatation, which is a rare need here in NJ, but of interest when we do have relatively deep snow. Since I’ve got so much invested in my two 26” wheelsets, I’m not convinced that a move to 27” wheels make sense for me.
 
Ive got Maxxis Colossus 27.5 x 4.5 on my new bike I have yet to ride but they are pretty wide. I weighed them with my 4.8 JJ and they are only a few grams heavier. Pretty darn close. Im feeling like i may have remorse going to 27.5 but I'll see when I ride it
 
When conditions are bad, you'll never beat a 26x4.8 on a 100mm rim for flotation. 27.5 is meant for faster groomed trails, which we don't have here in NJ. Unless you ride the day after me :)
 
jimvreeland said:
When conditions are bad, you'll never beat a 26x4.8 on a 100mm rim for flotation. 27.5 is meant for faster groomed trails, which we don't have here in NJ. Unless you ride the day after me :)
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I'm sure this is all true, but how much snow have we had this winter? Some of us (OK, just me) still ride our fat bikes year round, and 27.5x3.8 might be better for that.
 
JimN said:
I'm sure this is all true, but how much snow have we had this winter? Some of us (OK, just me) still ride our fat bikes year round, and 27.5x3.8 might be better for that.
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Yes. 27.5 is definitely better for riding singletrack. And Ultras if the course is fast enough. Neil won Arrowhead this year on a Beargrease with 27.5 Dillingers. The correct answer is new bike with different wheel size :)

(Who has time to swap wheels around?)
 
JimN said:
Guess I'll have to buy a bigger car or clean the garage. I'm getting a new car, woo-hoo!
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Bro. We all need little vans. You could live in it to afford a new bike. Win-win.

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