Can 29er MTB frame assembled with 27.5er wheels?

[SportingGoods]

One more update on 27.5+

I have raced yesterday with these wheels, something I never thought I would do. Again, everyone was amazed. It was a very technical trail with plenty of large drops, rock garden, mud, etc... I went through all of that perfectly and felt no weight penalty. Several times I was the only one still on the bike uphill while others had lost grip.
The only question for me now is when will I sell my 29er wheels

[MTB2223]

The only question for me now is when will I sell my 29er wheels

Keep them for a while and switch back and do your test loop again and see if you're slower or faster than your first run on your 29 wheels.

I like the idea of 27.5+ on a 29er. Maybe, sometimes ....

[SportingGoods]

OK, it's been a few month now that I ride 27.5+. I won't switch back to 29. It's actually better and better.
Schwalbe has started to release Nobby Nic 27.5 x 2.8 and it's a blast. I still use a WTB on the rear but the Nobby Nic on the front is great. Better control and traction then WTB and surprisingly lighter (810g). It sizes 69 mm on my 35 mm rim (internal) which makes it a perfect match for my Reba fork. 3.0 wide would not fit.

[carbonazza]

Very interesting feedback! Thank you.
Yet another way to throw more money at my bike 

[bxcc]

OK, it's been a few month now that I ride 27.5+. I won't switch back to 29. It's actually better and better.
Schwalbe has started to release Nobby Nic 27.5 x 2.8 and it's a blast. I still use a WTB on the rear but the Nobby Nic on the front is great. Better control and traction then WTB and surprisingly lighter (810g). It sizes 69 mm on my 35 mm rim (internal) which makes it a perfect match for my Reba fork. 3.0 wide would not fit.

I agree with this. Although I am going back to a 29er. But it will be a 29+ bike. For a rigid bike, I definitely liked it better as a 27+ with the 2.8 trailblazers versus 2.2 XR2's on 18mm rims. So the skinny rims will stay on the 062 and some 29+ wheels will go on the new Plus frame.

[Patrick C.]

Thinking about doing this on my -057.  I've sent Peter a note about the 35 mm internal width rims, as I'd like to build up the wheelset.  Would these take standard hubs?

I used DT Swiss Revolution spokes on my 29er wheels- any opinions on whether to use the light spokes, or just go with Champion or Competition spokes (or similar)?   

[cmh]

Thinking about doing this on my -057.  I've sent Peter a note about the 35 mm internal width rims, as I'd like to build up the wheelset.  Would these take standard hubs?

I used DT Swiss Revolution spokes on my 29er wheels- any opinions on whether to use the light spokes, or just go with Champion or Competition spokes (or similar)?

With such beefy rims, they're bringing a whole bunch of strength on their own, so I see no problem going with the Revos, especially if you've used them on your 29er wheels. Smaller diameter, wider rims, all make for a stronger wheel and less need for heavy spokes. I run Revos (technically Sapim Lasers, but the same dimensions) on my fat bike, and it's fine despite my 220lb weight.

[bxcc]

Thinking about doing this on my -057.  I've sent Peter a note about the 35 mm internal width rims, as I'd like to build up the wheelset.  Would these take standard hubs?

I used DT Swiss Revolution spokes on my 29er wheels- any opinions on whether to use the light spokes, or just go with Champion or Competition spokes (or similar)?

What do you have for CS clearance on the 057? My WTB Trailblazer's on i29 rims (65mm roughly) are about as big as i would want to go on my WW 062 which has 75mm of clearance. If you're interested, I would let the Trailblazer's go for relatively cheap. Less than 150 miles on them.

[SportingGoods]

Thinking about doing this on my -057.  I've sent Peter a note about the 35 mm internal width rims, as I'd like to build up the wheelset.  Would these take standard hubs?

I used DT Swiss Revolution spokes on my 29er wheels- any opinions on whether to use the light spokes, or just go with Champion or Competition spokes (or similar)?   

My rims (35 mm ID from Peter) are mounted on standard hubs. No issue at all. I still run WTB Trailblazer in the rear (about 65 mm wide) and Nobby Nic up front (they have now expended to 70 mm wide). I can't safely fit any larger either rear or front.

Grip is just fantastic. It's probably not the right place to share it but you can check here how it performs on snow (my bike is the SR, I'm the guy in blue, the poor rider .
https://vimeo.com/153423986

[cmh]

Grip is just fantastic. It's probably not the right place to share it but you can check here how it performs on snow (my bike is the SR, I'm the guy in blue, the poor rider .
https://vimeo.com/153423986

Wow, that video was awesome, and those trails were even more beautiful. Where was that? Most videos folks share, I'll watch it, but if it's over a minute long I'll just skim through and probably not watch the whole thing, but that one was great. Must have been a huge amount of work getting all the different angles. Love the music selection, too. I guess it was to show off your tires, but I just enjoyed watching it.

[SportingGoods]

Thanks! Indeed, it's good to see the 27.5+ in action. It tells a lot more then words.

That's in the French Alps (near Grenoble). The snow session is 25 minutes drive from home. The second one you added a comment is my lunch ride, no car, just get out and ride. That's actually the trail I used to benchmark 27.5+ vs. 29". I know, I'm lucky

[Patrick C.]

Awesome video- thanks for sharing!  Makes me want to move to Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Tahoe, etc...

Looks like you stayed in the ski tracks most of the time- did you ever get off into untracked snow?  That's probably hard to find in the ski area, but just wondering how well it does in soft snow.  How do your regular 29er tires compare on the packed snow?

[SportingGoods]

Thanks Patrick. Very easy to answer that:
- Forget about fresh snow. Even a fat bike can't handle 3 feet of powder. Well, even a snowboard can't handle that without speed/slope. No way a bike will, whatever the tire width. You immediately plunge into the white
- My buddy was on 29er, pretty aggressive tires and was doing fine too. Going up I still had more traction then he did. Going down his skills made up 10x for the tire width

[Carbon_Dude]

SportingGoods, thanks for sharing, that was a really nice video of riding in the snow.  I think it would take me some time to learn how to ride packed snow with the lower amount of grip.  I may even want spikes on my tires .

Also, nice choice of music, I'm also a big fan of Daft Punk.

[cmh]

Also, nice choice of music, I'm also a big fan of Daft Punk.

Agreed - when the second song started, I just smiled - perfect choice. Was also listening to the Ki: Theory today after the other video.