What's The Best Wheel Size? | 27.5' Vs 29' MTB Hardtail

We know by now that not only is Blake a big advocate of the hardtail, but also that he spends a lot of his time riding them. He's always blasting around on his 27.5 Nukeproof Scout, but has never given Neil's 29 Canyon Stoic a try! Will big wheels rule the day or will Blake decide to stick with what he knows?

Have you had a chance to try both 27.5 and 29 on a hardtail? What are your thoughts? What works better for you? Let us know 👇

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Leave us a comment below!

[bulaman]

I’m a hardtail guy, but at 70, I can’t even ride like that in my dreams. Still, Blake cracks me up every time and I feel like he’s a friend of mine. Like all his vids, this one redlines the fun meter. Keep up the great work, Blake!

[ALL.TYPE.NO.FACE]

Still will never ever forget Blake shouting ‘Yeahhh hardtail’ as I rode past him down a trail at revolution bike park. Definitely a moment I’ll never forget!!! King of the hardtails

[ilikewasabe]

Love Blake’s energy! I was like “im gonna stay home and chill” after watching this video “nope im going for a ride today”

[ShadLife]

I actually went back to a 27.5 after having a 29er for awhile and I like the 27.5 better. I agree a 29er does roll over stuff slightly, and only slightly, better than a 27.5 wheel. The issue I had with a 29er, especially at my height of 5' 7" is it was just too much wheel for me to be able to toss the bike around how I like. I felt like the bike was taking control of the ride and that made me uncomfortable. I want to be in control of the bike and a 27.5 does that. When I want to (need to?) pull up the front wheel it easily comes up with a 27.5. I manual easier and I can hop better on a 27.5. When it comes to jumping, a 29er is very slightly more stable, but harder to take control of. On the 29er when I got out of sorts off a jump or something else, I didn't have as much ability to take back control like I do an a 27.5.

All of this is very subtle, but what I come to realize is that wheel size has more to do with rider size. If you are a taller rider, 29ers probably feel better and if you are shorter like me, 27.5 feels better. Basically, I want control of the bike, not the other way around.

Of course, bike geometry plays a big role in all of this too. Being that Blake was riding two different bikes makes it harder to believe a 29er is that much better. Maybe it's the bike, lighter tires, different geometry and so on.

[Graeleaf]

I made the switch last year to a 29er trail bike. As a large heavy human, I was truly amazed at the speed and rollover of my new bike! I can see that Blake is now hooked, as well.

[konradchristen]

The energy in this video is absolutely wonderful. The excitement Blake feels translates so clearly that I want to get out and go ride right now.

[gcprost]

Great video. I appreciate your honesty. I went from a 27.5 full suspension to a 29 hard tail. I thought the large wheels would mitigate the loss of suspension. To a certain extent this is true. I ride much slower than you, much, much slower. I’m 67 years old. I really appreciate how easy the 29 rolls over rough terrain when going up hill.

[joshuaweir]

Moral of the story: hardtails are life 😍
More Blake content!!

[j.albertogratacos]

I'm 6'2" 200lbs and ride a Yeti ARC 29 with 2.6" tires and inserts in both. I love it how it plows down the rough stuff like a tank going blitzkrieg. Because of the added leverage of the wheels, I am running the largest rotors I can fit (180r / 203f) on 4 piston brakes. Looking forward to Blake's new rig!

[GrunkyPeep]

Shoutout to the editors and camera crew! Getting better every video.

[martintin]

I lost my 29er somewhere in Asia, now on a 27.5+, I do miss the bigger wheels, but the + is great fun to whip around. 👍☝️

[JustSnowglow]

I just went straight from a 26" to a 29" (both hardtails). The new bike felt gigantic at first but I'm totally used to the size after one season. I'm actually having more fun on the 29er because of the extra speed I can carry and the fact that I can charge over way worse chunk, *especially* on a hardtail. 🤙

[MyGuitartime]

Man great video! I just recently went from a 26'r to a 29'r!!! I am loving it! I love watching you ride and you are one of the reasons I stayed with a hard tail! Keep on jammin!

[VeloObscura]

Fantastic shots on the "Race Run" with both bikes visible at the same time - Wonderfully done!

[yengsabio]

I'm at the moment a 27.5" HT boy! I use a 2017 Giant Talon 2 fitted with WTB Riddler 2.25 tyres. I use it as an all-rounder bike as it is the only one I have. It's expensive to own a new MTB esp. during the pandemic, eh!

I enjoy using my bike on- & off-road! The word "playful" is so true to 27.5ers. Amazing piece of machinery!

Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #KeepBiking

[nigelaston]

I recently made a switch from a 26" full suspension to a 29" hardtail. I find myself having to think about how I ride now instead of just letting the suspension handle everything but I am enjoying my riding more. Just wish I was 20 years younger again so I could ride the way I used to

[VelociRabbit]

I came to the same conclusion on mixed terrain in Maui at Makawao. After a race, followed by a storm, next day borrowed a 29” SWORKS hardie and it won me over (my 27.5” FSR). After sniffing the eucalyptus trees in the parking lot, the Kahakapao loop on Maui was mushy and covered in leaves & vines & roots, but solid by the time I reached the boreal pines. The canopy was however covered in yellow needles. Up top a third transition of this beautiful forest… I realized I never noticed so much of it caus the ride was so effortless. I was sightseeing, enjoying the air, and making the same pace with less effort both on the way up and on the way down. I didn’t end up buying a 29” hardtail (all XTR Santacruz Hiball carbon 140mm Rox, with Roval carbon wheels). Took a few years (late) at 50, but makes and it made me feel like 45 again (haha), but the braking is a bitch needed to shed speed with a bit more risk doing endovers.. than the 27.5…well it ain’t perfect.

[thomasrevell]

Awesome editing so good to see a comparison video where the two bikes are merged into one shot!!!

[pineapplefacetree]

26” and 2.8 at the rear and 3 at the front 👍🥾

[johnnydoe]

I have a 27.5+ hardtail with a 120mm fork and absolutely love it. I am not worried about overall speed because I don't race and I ride alot of technical trails and my current bike has served me well. I am tired of the manufacturers taking this whole marketing scheme to change the standards and sizes constantly because of the next "best" thing. I rode 26" full suspension bikes and hardtails for nearly 30 yrs with no issues, but I was getting tired of the maintenance required to keep them running smooth. I went back to the good Ole hardtail when I got to demo a plus hardtail and loved the extra cush and the grip afforded by those 2.8's. Now it seems the push is to get everyone to move on to 29ers because it's now time for the 27.5 to die(?)....What's next, are regular bikes going away because we all have to "get" E-bikes? I understand everything has to innovate and upgrade, but sometimes it's ok to just improve what we currently have and not just replace it because it's "old" tech.