27.5 or 27.5 Plus – Which is Faster?
Neil ‘The Don’ Donoghue does back to back laps on otherwise identical bikes – and he’s surprised by the results.
Do you buy it? Lots of hype coming about these bikes.
Neil ‘The Don’ Donoghue does back to back laps on otherwise identical bikes – and he’s surprised by the results.
Do you buy it? Lots of hype coming about these bikes.
Comments
Andy Eunson
8 years, 7 months ago
Yeah a person really needs to ride one to form a proper opinion. Not only that, but maybe you need a different technique to get most performance out of it. When skis became shaped, new technique was required to get most out of them. You still see lots of relatively good skiers using old techniques. Full suspension is different than hard tail. You don't ride them the same way. Maybe wider tires will just be another arrow for the quiver like with skis.
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Jerry Willows
8 years, 7 months ago
Of course a Scott rider is going to try to endorse a new Scott product… In order to keep the weight down (800 gramish)on these large tires, the sidewalls are going to be super thin. Psssssssssssssss
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Pete Roggeman
8 years, 7 months ago
It's a problem they're going to have to overcome, especially for heavier or aggressive riders. It may turn out not to be a product for aggressive riders but I already know of a few who are considering them for certain races next year…
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ashroadadam1 .
8 years, 8 months ago
Take away from this is that the PLUS bike doesn't give a huge advantage when going down (or slightly down). So if your time considerations includes climbing, then the regular is the way to go. If you only want to o downhill, then plus it up.
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Illewminati
8 years, 8 months ago
This video is a good start, but it's not exactly scientific. I'd like to see an expanded version, with multiple, longer, diverse tracks, multiple riders, repetition, good timing, ect. Also, I think that guy might be sponsored by Scott but I'm not sure, if so that could discredit this video even more.
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Andy Eunson
8 years, 8 months ago
When I look at motocross bikes, the tires seem to me to be proportional to say a 2.35 on a mountain bike given the added weight speed and horsepower of a motorized bike. There are very few fat tire off road motorcycles. Fatter rims and tires of similar construction will weigh more. I read that some plus tires are kind of flimsy to keep weight down. I certainly have no interest in riding a tire smaller than a 2.3 but I have no real idea if I might like a 2.8. I don't like 1200 gram dh tires because the added weight changes how I can accelerate and my technical climbing suffers.
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Derp
8 years, 7 months ago
mx bikes have narrow front tires for better steering, as wider tires float too much. Go figure.
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Loopie
8 years, 8 months ago
From what was shown…I wouldn't have expected hardly any difference overall either. Ride a climb/drop of at least 500m and then we'd see some real differences….but then again, maybe not…maybe it would all even out by the end again…lol. *Loopie
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Derp
8 years, 8 months ago
Of course the plus size would fair better in dry and loose where more contact patch is advantageous, but test them in thick mud and I bet the results would be better suited for a more narrow tire.
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GoatOnMorphine
8 years, 8 months ago
To be devil's advocate . . .How often are people riding in thick mud though, that usually ruins trails anyways
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PolishTea
8 years, 8 months ago
As a trailbuilder - the average rider (you, here, reading a mountain bike webpage, not average) doesn't give a shit about the trail system health.
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Derp
8 years, 8 months ago
almost every mountain biker does, don't kid yourself.
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Derp
8 years, 8 months ago
also as a trail builder, again, mostly every mountain biker doesn't give a shit about ripping up trails.
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Poo Stance
8 years, 8 months ago
Didn't bother watching the video. Can't see how adding even more to rotational mass could be considered a positive! One of the main digs against 29ers before modern geo changes were the wheel weight. Plus size seems to be the perfect crutch for over-weight middle aged joeys. No surprise that the talentless ass- clown cycling industry is pushing this now.
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Nat Brown
8 years, 7 months ago
Nice to know that you don't hold your opinion back on a video even if you haven't watched it. Do you work in mainstream media by chance?
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Pete Roggeman
8 years, 7 months ago
And then time passed and 29er wheel weights dropped and technology advanced. Huh.
There isn't much doubt that a huge target of these bikes are intermediate level riders. That also was the case with shaped skis - now everyone uses them. And guess what? There are some people who read mtb websites and watch videos that aren't pro-level racers. Like you. Obviously.
I don't know what "talentless ass-clown cycling industry" means, let alone how it relates to the point you might have tried to establish there. When you preface your comment with "I didn't even watch the video" it becomes hard to grant your opinion much weight.
Anyone talking these down without riding one first is using the same shitty logic as equestrians who claim we do more damage to trails than they do. Try one. You may not like it, but at least you won't look like such a toolbox for hacking on it without knowing any better.
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Poo Stance
8 years, 7 months ago
As a matter of fact, yes I do!
Good catch.
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Poo Stance
8 years, 7 months ago
Why would I try it? Plenty of people before myself came to the same conclusions with both 29 and 650b.
What if I don't want to ride dumbed down bikes on dumbed down trails? In a few years we may very well be riding downslope "Seawall" trail machine-cut thru the forest
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Pete Roggeman
8 years, 7 months ago
Technical trails are alive and well and not going anywhere. We're not about to be invaded by a horde of newbies who pave everything and declare it the new MTB. But you'd better keep your zombie survival kit nearby just in case.
Where do you draw the line on 'dumbed down'? Better brakes? Rear suspension? You're making the same argument that has been made every time a new technology or idea has arrived. I haven't seen anyone say "everyone should adopt this, it's the future of mountain biking", and Plus bikes won't replace 'regular' ones. Why the paranoia? Why the hate?
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Poo Stance
8 years, 7 months ago
Every time we dumb down a technical single-track trail infant baby Jesus weeps. 😉 I love riding my hardtail!
The paranoia and hate likely stems from spending too much time on bike forums. The amount of systems released in the past couple years is mind boggling. When few, if any are compatible with previous components I feel like I'm being fleeced worse than with electronics. QR15 almost wiped 20mm axles off the map excluding DH, only to be brought back again. Giant OD2 steertube system and how it disappeared. Every PF BB. When people are complaining about not being able to run 2.8″ tires on enduro race bikes I bash my forehead into solid objects. Or EWS and WC DH bikes being too slack and WB too long.
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Hans Heim
8 years, 8 months ago
Tire pressure on the two set ups?
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PolishTea
8 years, 8 months ago
He says he'd love to know if he was gaining speed in some sections and losing in others - you know there literally are very simple and free ways to do that, like with most tracking apps availible to anyone with a smart phone…
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