SRAM SX Eagle 1 x 12-speed drivetrain. Price: $1,125. Weight: 30.5 lb. (XL) BUY NOW. Open Gallery. Cheap mountain bikes continue to get better and better. As the fancy rides get even fancier 29" geo nowadays is so good that I don't see much reason for a 180cm+ person to get a 27.5" bike. For stability vs playfulness, geo makes a bigger difference than wheelsize anyway. In my experience carbon is just a bit lighter than aluminium and that's it. In any case I'd urge you to demo as many bikes as possible. Take test rides: As you consider 27.5 and 29 in. wheels, keep in mind that the best way to learn the differences is to feel them for yourself. Swing by your local REI or bike shop and take each one for a test ride. Shop 27.5 Mountain Bikes. Shop 29er Mountain Bikes. A 29 will give you: -Way more roll over than a 26 or some more roll over than a 27.5. Once up to speed you kind of just steam roll things. You can forget getting stuck in roots cause it doesn't happen. They see you rollin' they hatin'. -A bike that is TOUGH to get up to speed but once you do it just doesn't stop. For what it's worth, I took a quick measurement of my 27.5+ vs 29er. The pics shows the height difference between the Specialized Purgatory 27.5x3.0 on a Roval SL38 (38mm ID) = (28 3/4 inches tall) Specialized Purgatory 29x2.3 on a Kappius KR-29-XCW (40mm ID) = (29 3/8 inches tall) Here's the thread John We offer an extensive collection of high-performance mountain bikes at Firefox Bikes designed to deliver exceptional performance and durability. Explore our top models, including the Firefox Bikes Tornado 27.5D", Firefox Bikes Spartacus 29D”, and Firefox Bikes Stravaro 29 D", each crafted with precision and built to easily conquer any trail. the question is 27.5 or 29. the 29 is spongy so the rear suspension is partially in the tires. 29 rolls up taller obstacles. 29 is taller. 27.5 is spry, it carves quickly, flys faster and farther. Saddle and stem height are the same but the axle is 2 '' lower. Of course a 29er with 130mm of suspension is going to steer slower than the equivalent 26er, the head tube angle has to be slacker to make it work. Fork trail is a big reason why some of these (29er) bikes track slower. You want fast handling go with a steeper head tube angle and less travel. I set up my Megatrail 29/27.5 two years ago, and rode it that way for a bit. For axle to crown heights, a 160mm travel 27.5 front end is about the same as a 120mm travel 29er front end. I ran a 150/120 dual position 29er front, which in the 120 setting was the same front end height as before, and the 150 setting raised/slackened the front end. xcerj61 YT 2's & Jeffsy 29er • 8 yr. ago. I don't know the trail, but 27" is generally more stable so it's easier to do large gaps. pinnr • 8 yr. ago. I prefer 27.5, but I'm currently riding 26" because they're still new enough that you can get killer deals on slightly used 2014/2015 26" DH bikes on eBay. UCqwb.