After a decade riding 29er wheels, I returned to 27.5 (front AND rear)

In 2014, I vividly remember the thrill of riding 29″ wheels for the first time. I was on a flow trail with friends, testing a Rocky Mountain Element demo bike, and I immediately noticed I was riding faster than ever before. Small bumps seemed to disappear, and when I pushed into harder gears, I felt an exhilarating surge of momentum. It felt amazing to be fast, and my friends confirmed it—they told me I was. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that experience sparked an obsession with speed and efficiency, leading me to ride 29” mountain bikes exclusively for years to come.

Since then, the wagon-wheeled machines have evolved from being awkward and clunky to becoming the more nimble, confident, and efficient trail machines they are today. Most of the MTB enthusiasts I ride with in Golden, Colorado, also jumped on the 29″ bandwagon and have continued since, with each newly released refinement.

Almost unnoticed, 27.5″ wheels started fading out within my riding groups, and I found myself a part of the growing 29er “cult” in our area. I had frequently recommended bikes with 29″ wheels, and my bike shop, along with my friends, did the same. Recently I’ve even seen some of my shorter female friends under 5’3″ also move over to 29″ wheels. Buying a 27.5″ bike began to feel like a poor investment, potentially with low resale value. This local shift has been on my mind a lot lately, particularly because I recently bought a 27.5″ bike in late April—the Pivot Mach 6.

The reactions to my decision within my riding community highlighted just how strong the loyalty to 29″ wheels remains. I began regularly asking others during local rides if they would even consider buying a bike with 27.5″ wheels. In these conversations, many riders expressed how 29ers had become more exciting, with no more noticeable drawbacks in terms of maneuverability. Bikes with 27.5″ wheels were no longer being considered, unless it was a mixed (MX) wheel. In fact, some friends couldn’t identify the Pivot model my new bike was, and some others assumed it was a limited edition color of the more popular Switchblade. “Oh, it is 27.5?” They would ask, with a surprised tone. 

I spoke with several folks in the bike industry to understand where 27.5″ bikes stand today, but first I wanted to know how regular mountain bikers currently feel about tweener wheels.

Mountain bikers still want 27.5″ wheels front and rear

Singletracks posted an online poll earlier this year asking readers if they would consider buying a bike with 27.5″ wheels. To my surprise, the survey results said that 57% of respondents would still consider a bike with matched 27.5” wheels front and rear, with over 7,500 responses. Conversely, the same survey sent directly out to local riders in the Colorado Front Range, showed only 18% would consider the same.

I asked Kevin Farrell, Golden Bike Shop General Manager, if he or any of his employees would buy a 27.5″ bike. He answered, “With money?! Haha, no one… they will ride them and have fun on them, but not own them, at least not as their primary ride.” He clarified, “I think this environment just lends itself to being easier on 29ers. There are great applications for smaller wheels and more maneuverable bikes, but out here everyone is chasing efficiency and stability. It’s tough to convince people to commit to a fun bike as their only bike, more often it can be a secondary dirt jumper / long-travel / park bike.”

27.5″ bike sales are stronger in certain regions of the US

To reach a less biased audience, I connected with Pivot Cycles since they operate on a national scale. I wanted to know if 29ers were as dominant elsewhere as they are in my local area. Since the Pivot Shadowcat and Mach 6 are two prominent 27.5 bikes offered by my local shop, I reached out to Patrick Ribera-McKay, a product marketing specialist at Pivot, to get insight on the sales data for those models.

During our conversation, he mentioned a noticeable increase in 27.5 sales in some areas in Colorado, the Northeast, and the Northwest, which he attributes to the prevalence of tight, twisty trails in those areas. This contrasts with places like Arizona and Europe, where 29″ bikes remain mostly unchallenged. Ribera-McKay also pointed out that the rise in 27.5 sales is directly related to Pivot’s extensive demo program, which showcases their entire bike lineup and gives 27.5″ models a chance to stand out. At a recent demo event in Boulder, Colorado, 27.5″ Mach 6 and Shadowcat models outsold 29ers.

“Reviews of bike geometry or characteristics on paper are somewhat intangible, and don’t translate to the actual riding experience,” Ribera-McKay told me. “Many riders are seeing performance gains on their everyday trails going with smaller wheels, including several Pivot employees who value their quick and nimble feel over MX or full 29er setups on the trail. Chris Cocalis, CEO and founder of Pivot Cycles, is also a big fan of the smaller wheel size and is a hold out for a reason.”

Pivot has been getting a lot of pressure to abandon full-on 27.5 bikes and go mixed wheel, but sales are showing a resurgence according to Ribera-McKay.

Pivot designs their bikes around the terrain around their headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, where trails feature jagged and technical, rocky terrain similar to the front range in Colorado where I ride daily. With my experience on the smaller wheels and lower speeds, they do struggle a bit more, keeping momentum through the frequent rock gardens. This characteristic might be what Colorado and Arizona riders have experienced and contributes to the 29″ popularity. Based in Sedona, Arizona, Steve from the popular YouTube channels Hardtail Party and Big Brain Party created his own bike consultation service through Patreon. Hardtail Party Steve frequently recommends bikes with various wheel sizes, depending on rider ability, preferences, and the rider’s local trail characteristics. He and I have communicated for a few years as I experimented with different hardtail designs and I got some of his feedback on the wheel size selection for Sedona specifically. He says Sedona is dominated by 29ers, just like in Colorado.

“Slow tech is where 29″ bikes shine, and you can get away with less travel on 29ers,” he said. “Enduro really pushed the industry toward 29, but in reality, if you look at the Pro’s bikes, they are not always running 29” wheels. Pro’s build their bikes to win, not necessarily running the stock builds that consumers are buying to be their primary bike”.

Steve from Hardtail Party echoed what Farrell from the Golden Bike Shop said about riders’ primary bikes. For a majority of riders, a high-end, $4,000-$6,000 bike is their only bike. That bike needs to perform well on 90% of the trails they ride, whether it’s green and blue trails, or double black diamond trails. 

The regional sales channel shapes 29″ demand

As I continued my research with different manufacturers, Kona provides a perfect contrast to Pivot by offering a broader product portfolio that caters to all disciplines, including bikes for younger riders. Like Hardtail Party Steve’s bike consultation approach, Kona prioritizes meeting riders’ specific needs rather than focusing solely on sales volume. According to Doug Lafavor, a designer at Kona for over 30 years, the company will continue to offer 27.5 bikes because they believe the 27.5″ wheel offers more benefits for specific applications. Rider size, ability and intended usage all need to be factored into the design. “There are pros and cons to both wheel sizes, but the right approach is to offer the consumer the best bike to fill their individual needs.”

“Twenty-nine inch sales are higher in a majority of their markets, people just want to go fast in most markets,” he said. “You may have dealers that believe in 27.5 bikes, but it is all up to the sales channel.”

Based on my research, the Colorado front range has certainly become a 29″ dominated sales channel. The Golden Bike shop is not a Kona dealer, but carries Yeti, Pivot, Santa Cruz, and Orbea bikes. Santa Cruz features 27.5″ wheels only on their MX models. Yeti and Pivot each have two 27.5 models in their lineup, but the SB165 is now MX only, leaving the SB135 as the only full 27.5 bike from Yeti. Finally, Orbea offers just one model with a MX option. According to Farrell, 27.5″ bikes only made up 20% of total bike sales and 27% of MTB tire sales since 2020. This aligns with the 27.5″ models offered by GBS, which is only three of almost 40 models available from all four brands, plus 10 different mixed-wheel models.

Will MX-wheel bikes replace 27.5?

Thanks to the recent mixed-wheel trend, 27.5″ wheels have moved back into the spotlight, partially thanks to the good ol’ business in the front, party in the back rally cry. Combining the confidence of the 29″ front wheel for hard-charging descents while keeping things tight and maneuverable with the rear 27.5 wheel, the industry may have found the Goldilocks wheel size. Santa Cruz was one of the first to jump headfirst into the mixed wheel pool with multiple “MX” models available, most of them legacy 27.5 bikes. Specialized also recently released the new Stumpjumper 15, with several trim levels dedicated as factory-built mixed wheel models. In both lineups, neither Santa Cruz nor Specialized offer full-suspension bikes in their current lineup with a 27.5″ front wheel. They are all MX, or 29.

As my friends commented on my new Mach 6, one of the frequent suggestions was to convert it to mixed wheel. Pivot does offer factory-built MX versions of the Mach 6, but the bike was designed with 27.5″ wheels front and rear. I considered the MX conversion, but on paper the geometry change would sacrifice the steeper seat tube angle and lower bottom bracket that I prefer. I did test ride two MX bikes recently, the Canyon Spectral CF 8, and the Propain Tyee AL. Both demos were factory-designed MX, and provided tangible evidence that mixed wheel bikes are not a gimmick if designed that way from the ground up. I appreciated how a friend’s recent comments made a skiing parallel, saying “MX bikes ride like a shaped ski on snow.”

The (legitimate) future of 27.5″ wheels

My time aboard the Mach 6 has been nothing short of a blast, and it’s astounding how little of a sacrifice smaller wheels have been compared to 29ers. I’ve enjoyed wheels that turn over more easily, with the instant acceleration needed on those technical, momentum-killing rock gardens. I’ve also been able to fine-tune my downhill bike handling skills with a more approachable “big” travel bike. The bike park is where this bike truly shines, flying through the air, and constantly hunting for the next feature. Like the story from Pivot, I have set a few PR’s on trails I ride all the time, and I have done so with a more lighthearted riding style.

I’ve also enjoyed educating fellow riders about my somewhat uncommon Pivot Mach 6. The unique Mint Relic color, paired with the Marzocchi Bomber fork and coil shock, never fails to draw attention. Speaking of the Bomber Z1 Fork, many 27.5″ components have recently been on sale from manufacturers directly, at bike shops and from online retailers.

Contrary to my initial theory that 27.5″ wheels are fading out, I’ve found there’s been a mild resurgence, and support for them is stronger than I anticipated, even if its regionally based. I, for one, am more than happy to ride my little wheels into the sunset with a huge smile on my face. For now into the foreseeable future, the Mach 6 is my primary bike.