wisepowder: What the Wheel Size

wisepowder

What the Wheel Size


There’s a bunch of things that you could accuse Santa Cruz of but being partisan about wheel size isn’t one. We’re open to all wheel sizes, which is why we offer bikes in nearly all travel and wheel size configurations. There’s an enormous overlap in our offerings – for example, do you want the Bronson with 27.5-inch wheels or the Hightower with 29-inch wheels, both bikes having nearly identical amounts of travel (the former has 150mm and the latter has 145mm)? To get more news about Road Cicycle Wheels, you can visit zpebicycle official website.

The reason for this is because we don’t believe in a universal, absolutist approach to bikes. We don’t think there’s one best travel figure, one ideal geometry set and the perfect wheel size. Instead we build bikes, a lot of different bikes and ebikes, so that an individual can find their match made in hero dirt heaven. Every rider is slightly different, from their physical attributes to the style of riding they prefer, so we make bikes with different characters to match different people. 

How does wheel size fit into this mythical decision making matrix? Well, every wheel size has its merits, it’s own characteristics, and depending on who you are and what you want to get from your riding there’s likely going to be a wheel size that most suits you. 27.5 is the most versatile of wheels. It’s great for all disciplines, except maybe XC racing where you want the most efficient wheel for transferring watts to forward trajectory. It’s also suitable for riders of all sizes, but especially if you’re on the shorter side then this wheel size might give you some more real estate to play with (extra butt clearance when negotiating steep trails or for bikes with a lot of travel). 

27.5 has been around for a very long-time, but only really found its footing in mainstream mountain bike setups around 2013 when it eclipsed 26-inch as the ‘standard’ mountain bike wheel size. Before that, the choice had been the smallest of wheels (26-inch) and the largest (29-inch) but 27.5 was seen as the Goldilocks option because it decreased the roll-over resistance (something 29-inch wheelers were celebrating) but kept the nippy, lithe handling characteristics of the smaller wheels. 

In terms of ride characteristics, it’s best for riders who enjoy the most agile wheel configuration possible, those riders who seek out the playful lines on the trails, who like getting airborne and who are looking for the most responsive, quick handling kind of bike. 

So if you’re looking for a wheel size that is easy to get to grips with, if your trails are very tight, if you like to pop and play or if you’re on the short side then 27.5 might very well be the one.