Why I'm back on 29" Wheels

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[@MTB_Corbin]

I loved hearing your thoughts on the wheel changeup! I also wanted to encourage you a bit... you're an amazing rider. You, Dave and Dale all have different strengths and areas of opportunity which is why it's so fun for us as the audience to watch all three. However, I understand the comparison game quite a bit (when comparison walks in, contentment walks out). You are smashing trails that a lot of us would not be able to clean. You've got style on the jumps and find hidden spots to jib. I hear you that 29rs make up for the areas you want to improve on, but at the end of the day you really are incredibly talented. Don't forget that man!

[@midnightwolf7417]

I think you should do a mullet setup and see how that goes.

[@kingrat738]

Beat me to it 🤙 Rode my mullet Eeb ⚡ on the weekend on some steep, jank... and that smaller wheel out back kept the twig & berries from going on the tread mill 👌 My riding budz all buzzed their butts 🫣

[@midnightwolf7417]

@@kingrat738 I’m debating on getting a mullet and not sure if I should the bikes that I’m looking at are the new Sata crus Hightower and the Bronson

[@kingrat738]

@@midnightwolf7417 Do it!! Do it!!

[@midnightwolf7417]

@@kingrat738 I will when I get the money

[@sjaan7370]

I know a 5'0" lady that rides a custom built XS 27.5/26" emtb mullet with 150mm cranks and she loves it!

[@HardtailLife]

Talking while riding is an under-appreciated skill 😜

[@VanCan]

It can be tricky!

[@martinshortt7750]

If I tried it would take me forever to insert all the beeps...@@VanCan Good skills on keeping it PG.

[@ShadLife]

I honestly think we need to stop comparing 29 to 27.5 to determine which is better. You said it in your video, you are taller and can easily ride 29 inch wheels. I am 5' 7" tall and on a more aggressive bike a 29 inch wheel dominates and I don't have the control over the bike that I want/need. I use the term, "Do you want to be a passenger or a pilot?" a lot. I want to be a pilot and 29 inch wheels make me feel more like I am just along for the ride, the passenger. I think wheel size should match bike size. I see some companies do it that way. An XS, Small, and maybe even a medium should have 27.5 inch wheels and a Large and XL 29inch wheels. I have seen companies have the medium size have the option of 27.5 or 29inch. This makes sense. As a rider gets shorter, smaller wheels and shorter chainstays make sense. As a rider gets taller, larger wheels and longer chainstays make more sense. I know it costs more for manufacturers to do it this way, but for ideal fit and control it's definitely the way to go.

[@gabrielestes7236]

Hey interesting take. I’m also short and I haven’t really had the chance to try 29 (except on a DH bike) so I haven’t formed an opinion. I did kind of think height was a big factor

[@PeteMac69]

Same here. I'm lucky I have both, but 9 times out of 10 I take the 27.5 enduro rig out (even on simple trail rides) and leave the 29er trail bike in the shed. 27.5 just feels more controllable/accurate/fun. Will be selling the 29er in the near future and adding another 27.5 as I see no ride/terrain where I benefit hugely from the 29er.

[@papapelatomtb]

It's amazing the contrast of you talking relaxed while riding that stuff and my brain telling me omg omg omg ! Braaake. Great riding man.

[@andrewsiasparks]

I believe everyone should have one of every bike if possible.

[@mtbman1980]

I had my first ride on my chilcotin last night after being on a my warden MX and I can say I really like the dual 29 setup. The mullet was great but you could definitely feel the back tire getting caught up on roots and square edge hits compared to the front. Not a 100% direct comparison as the new bike has a coil and the old had a air shock.

[@fivetool]

I love the honesty. It sounds like your perfect Whistler day would involve having access to two bikes at once if you had a magic wand. But, if forced to choose, the 29'er suits more of your needs and wants. Makes sense.

[@cameronmartin719]

Thanks for the explanation! At your height, a 29" front wheel is a no brainer, but you may want to consider trying out a Mullet set up in the coming years. Especially if you're looking for a slightly more playful and poppy ride.

[@ryansteiger6960]

Thank you for the video 👍 I was very impressed with the riding 🤯 I think you should try a Mullet downhill bike.

[@Couffee]

You, Dave and Dale need to colab with skills with Phil!!! Your video with him was awesome. You guys should really put into perspective the difference between riding out northwest gas out east in the Appalachians. Obviously out west you guys have a lot more elevation but I think both sides of the continent have a lot to offer.

[@thim8009]

29er on my enduro, mullet on my ebikes. Once I tried 29 wheels, didn't look back.

[@akozzz]

Hey @VanCan I really like your videos, especially your thoughts on bike parts and trends. I find many "professional" channels to be focused to much on racing and competitive aspect of sport while most of us just want to have some fun and as result don't care so much for split second differences and nitty-gritty details. I am looking for a new bike and i am struggling to decide between 29, 27.5 or mix. I am 35, 6'1 and have some bad shoulder injury behind me. I don't race but i ride a bit of everything from flow, park to natural stuff and jumps. This last part is what give me most fun (althought i am mediocre at it but want to improve) but after injury i struggle both mentally and physically to return to jumping. I dislocated my shoulder badly on big drop and now i struggle with big impacts. I was thinking about something like Propain Spindrift with 180/180 travel to give me this extra plush reserve to help with absorbing impacts on jumps and drops and fitting it with pair of 27.5 to make it lighter and livelier one more mellow trails. But everybody seems to be switching to 29ers and it makes me feel like i am doing sometnig wrong considering pure 27.5. What do you think about my idea of big (180/180) bike with pair of 27.5 considering what i have said? Your opinion would mean a lot to me, thanks.

[@Biking_with_Akiva]

For me on my hardtail 29x2.4 feels similar to riding 27.5x2.6 no idea how that would effect your riding style maybe a mullet 🤷🏾‍♂️ Great vid and awesome riding 🤙🏾💯

[@JustJake77]

As a 6'4" giant.... 29 hoops are working for me. I was so resistant to jump up from 27.5... Because I was worried about losing the playful factor... It's been a year since I jumped up. Haven't noticed any significant change in that aspect.. only thing I noticed is I go a heck ton faster...

[@N8MRN]

I almost got a Chilcotin or Warden this summer. Knolly and IMBY Wheels were having big sales. They were offering a MX setup (29/27.5"), too. Have you tried one? Very nice Bikes. I ended up getting a full 27.5" bike locally, though.

[@gregstevens2917]

I'm 5' 8" and been riding mtbs since the 80s, but I will always prefer 27.5. BUT I do wonder about a staggered setup. A full 29er has never worked for me...good vid, man!

[@rawmancemtb]

I like full 27" it's just more fun being more connected to the ground and being able to initiate turns faster and turn tighter. But for overall speed 29" is better probably also switching for this reason.

[@99MrJ99]

im 6'3 and recently switched over to 29''. I'm comfortable with the 27.5s as well but the 29s have a more mountain goat sort of feel to it.

[@daltonknapton]

Rode 27.5 trail bikes for 5 years and got my first 29er this year and couldn't notice any negative differences. I think 29ers get an unfair bad rap

[@LastAphelion]

Your height and how comfortable and able you are at leveraging the larger wheel I think has a greater reverence than people consider. People just wanna say "thing bad" but don't think that maybe it has a lot more to do with their size and if maybe they lack the strength to compensate in maneuvering it as well. It took me many months to stop feeling like my 29" was a skeletonized moto or penny farthing that I was flip flopping back and forth over, soon enough I got used to carving corners more fluidly, and they didn't look so alarmingly large like a donk with massive rims anymore. If anything the comparative experience made it impossible to ride my 26" anymore, they looked so tiny like a childs bike, I got spoiled, I couldn't take the vibrations and chatter anymore now that I knew how much smoother my ride could be. I don't have the fitness yet to feel as seamless on 29 as I do my 26 and my height (5'7) still has me feeling like Im too small on too big wheels, but I'm going to try a compromise as my MX bike just came in today.🤘

[@DQridesbikes]

I just came to say your bike is pretty 😍

[@tomassanesson902]

Awesome cool bike and trail

[@LECMTB]

Great explanation, it is always interesting to hear other people thought processes. You could always have a 27.5 bike and a 29er and rider whatever bike you feel like riding that day?

[@VanCan]

That would be the dream! I’ll need everyone to watch this video about 1000 times each and we can make it happen 😂

[@user-lp1hw9bb5e]

you should do the mullet on the dh bike

[@orestisvas7277]

hey Nick grate video as always. I am starting to look into getting a new bike and i have a dilemma in wheel size and basically the TLDR is: do you find 29er rear wheels to be obstructing you movement in trials/messing around or slow/steep/ technical situations? thank you

[@ashleytombs]

Original sin and Tatiana 2 awesome tech trail nothing like romping through rocks and roots on 26s it’s a skilled job but someone’s gotta do it lol yeah 29 does. make it easier if you’re not skilled to ride smaller wheels. that’s why I love 26s it’s like riding a HT have to pick your lines And those 40s upfront is like having 29 forgiving you in your mistakes

[@stevebennett3587]

👍great vid, personal preference i suppose, tried a 27.5 in a large at 6ft 1" and it just felt too small for me🤔but then tried a large on a 29er👌and that was it👍😉

[@mangoshake]

I get that "giant" comment a lot too. I'm only 5'9" and my friends have been saying that my size L Marin San Quentin looks like a BMX when I ride it. Even my size M Canyon Spectral 29 (same reach) apparently looks too small for me, but at least the wheel size makes up for it.

[@garyharmon5386]

Awesome video

[@hashtagnoname1580]

I am back on a 29er again and it feel's greate ä!

[@kaijubambam4505]

Not sure if anything changed in post for this vid but I liked this aspect more than the last few? Seemed a bit less of the fish-eye effect that the 360 seems to bring (then again it could just me me and my untrained eye haha). Great riding mate

[@mangoshake]

The Insta360 X3 does have a widescreen mode if I remember correctly, so it doesn't have the wonky fisheye that the more adjustable 360 mode has.

[@frank8278]

I want to do Whistler on my Banshee Paradox V3.

[@sprousaTM]

You are back on 29 because the frame colour if f***ing amazing! Don't argue! Sole reason behind it! Now go pair it with some black/purple Hope Tech4 V4 brakes 🤣

[@angievega3122]

Hey Nick, quick question. We will be riding and staying at Whistler 9/3-9/10 we will ride the park Monday 9/4 to Thursday 9/7 then planning and driving to Squamish on Friday 9/8 to use the shred shuttle. We wanna obviously ride half Nelson and Pseudo Tsuga in Diamond Head but we also want a lap in Alice Lake to ride some intermediate friendly slabs. Any chance you can recommend a route in Alice Lake for us?

[@bryancehelsky4302]

After watching your videos, I got a Chilcotin. I love the thing! Call me crazy, but the 167 Chilly is poppy, playful, and a good climber. I love slamming stuff and hucks to flat. Why? Because I can, that's why!

[@JaggedTusk]

How do you like the Fox suspension compared to the Rockshox setup?

[@impaledface7694]

I ride 26 because I like to. If ya like 29 do that. My preferred setup is have more bikes with different personalities and wheelsizes so I can choose. I am the weirdo at 5'11 who likes medium sized bikes. I can choose my lines since I go slower then you.... so I have more time. Monster trucking like you do through that gnar I would probably want a 29, or 32in tire.

[@CP-qx2ff]

Obviously you "need" the Chilcotin and Warden and a mullett Warden and a 24/26 mullett dh setup, plus a dirt jumper, Tyaughton and your bmx bike and a large garage to store them all.

[@VanCan]

Now we’re talking

[@LastAphelion]

Yeah, and a Vancan alla Boostermaster style 300mm 26er" when!

[@MrSupermugen]

What pressures are you using at whistler on the 29ers? you are similar build etc to me

[@SummitMTB]

I love 29 too

[@ShitStefanShoots]

I mean: you knew all this before you got the yellow 27.5" bike 15 months ago. 29er better rolling isn't the latest news, so the real question is: why did you step down from your first 29er Chilcotin and spent another year on small wheels before coming back? Oh - and the perspective/view/angle is somewhat better than in the last videos.

[@starbuck5728]

Maybe try 27 front and 29 rear. I heard proper mullet is the way to go

[@99MrJ99]

lol reverse mullet, i like it

[@MrShocking68]

29’er for life son!

[@Myke_Juliet]

220 Front AND rear??? All the stops

[@SpencerBaum]

Lighting seems a bit off in this video. Usually it's perfect, but at points it's pretty hard to see here. Did ya change any camera settings?

[@VanCan]

used the single lens mode, but whistler lighting is also really harsh!

[@SpencerBaum]

@@VanCan yeah, it's definitely very harsh and choppy light. It just seemed like the camera was really struggling to adjust quickly to the rapidly changing light conditions

[@trailcollective7013]

next video: Why I switched to 26" Wheels

[@MTBMcPhee]

This 26/24 mullet must now be done! Impressive that you can talk like that while riding HUGE jumps, and yes the 29 definitely looks like it fits you better

[@bearded4glory809]

Great video. One correction tho, you are a good rider. If you aren't a good rider than what the hell am I?

[@danielsal5442]

You are the only KZbinr I know. That keeps on justifying why you ride a 29er. Like it’s the biggest no no there is 😁😁

[@GreenMeanie101]

Stay with 29

[@FVPOV]

29, all day every day.

[@ExhumedToConsume]

ngl, kinda weird seeing you ride park lol.

[@VanCan]

you should watch my bike park playlists!

[@ExhumedToConsume]

@@VanCan I'll check it at work today lol

[@reggieringgoldjr68]

🤝🏾🇺🇸💪🏾👍🏾

[@BasicBodThor]

"Not that great at riding" I mean maybe compared to professional riders haha

[@wg2060]

Agreed, heard that and ??

[@JaggedTusk]

if it ain't 29 it ain't shit

[@Newbieriderr]

The lighting is sooooo baaad on this video, sun is out much.

[@Alex-xt9hn]

It’s good to be humble but not recognizing the skill you obviously have is weird

[@user-kb7ij6ye8u]

You dont give yourself enough credit man. Youre a strong bike rider and plenty skilled on tech. I think riding with dangerous dave and the other shore tubers is clouding your perception!

[@RotormanMTB]

yep.. couldn't agree more.