Mountain Bike Sizing Wheels

26 wheels are still a good option for junior riders and smaller adults who will find them more manageable than larger hoops.

Mountain bike sizing wheels. For the most part bike frame size is the only thing that changes when you go between sizes things like wheel size suspension and relative geometry number remain the same. Mountain bike sizing can be affected by suspension and your tire choices. Traditionally they come with a 26 wheel but more recently we ve seen the launch of 29 and 27 5 650b wheeled bikes. Today 26 inch wheels are only found on jump bikes junior bikes and occasionally on extra small mountain bikes where anything larger won t fit.

Most dirt jump mtbs still roll on 26 wheels. This is the traditional mountain bike wheel size but most mtbs now feature larger wheels. As year go by mountain bike trend also evolves. So make sure you look at a tire size chart and try a full suspension mountain bike for size before buying.

How are mountain bikes sized. In terms of mountain bike wheels 650b is a standard 27 5 wheel and 700c is a standard 29 wheel. Mountain bike sizing guide. Mountain bike sizing guide when buying a bike the fit is the most important factor when it comes to comfort and the more comfortable you are the more likely you are to keep riding.

A bike that is too small will quickly grow uncomfortable cause handling problems and will frustrate you. 26 27 5 and 29. Mtb s are engineered for off road riding. These size labels come from an old french sizing standard which we ll cover in more detail in the french sizing section.

These widely used measurements refer to the tire s diameter and are typically paired with a tire width in inches when written out i e. 26 inch wheels used to be the standard size on mountain bikes with everything from cross country racers to hard hitting downhill bikes sharing the common standard. These new sizes offer more speed and are generally better at soaking up the bumps. For standard hardtails our mountain bike size chart should be a god send.

These two wheel sizes are becoming more common on modern mountain bikes so if you are buying a bike new it s likely to have 27 5 or 29 inch wheels. Mountain bike wheels come in three basic sizes. Now people go with 27 as the standard as opposed to the 26 your height falls under the 38 42 small category. Very petite women may want a 26 wheels but most will be best served by a 27 5 or 29 wheel.

Mountain bike size chart. Please read my post regarding mountain bike sizing chart here. 27 5 also know as 650b or 29 called 29ers with traditional 26 wheels reserved for dirt jump freeride and kids bikes. Mountain bike size chart.