BikeRadar Tech Talk Podcast Ep 5: Wheel diameter and tyre size

BikeRadar Tech Talk Podcast Ep 5: Wheel diameter and tyre size

It's the never-ending debate: how big should your wheels be and what width is best for your tyres? Tom and Seb tackle this controversial subject in the latest BikeRadar Tech Talk podcast

Vee Tire Crown Gem tyres in their 2.8in width.

Tom Marvin / Immediate Media

Tom Marvin

Published: September 16, 2019 at 3:00 pm

BikeRadar's Tech Talk podcast series is back and in Episode 5, technical editor Tom and technical writer Seb dig deep into the ever-changing and never-ending debate on what diameter wheel you mountain bike 'should' have and how wide the tyres mounted to your wheels might be.

[acast acastid="techtalk-mountainbikewheelsize" accountid="bikeradarpodcast" /]

Debates over wheel size in mountain biking are seemingly endless. First, there were 26in wheels, then 29er stormed on to the scene and the larger diameter found fans in the cross-country world, but older geometries just didn’t work out when travel numbers grew.

Then, out of nowhere, the 650b wheel arrived and killed off 26in almost instantly.

Bontrager XR4 Team Issue mountain bike tyres
The Bontrager XR4 Team Issue tyres look plenty beefy enough for a trail bike. - Trek

In the background, 29ers started working nicely in longer travel bikes, while plus-sized and fat tyres also entered the market.

Eventually, things settled down, with wider 29in wheels dominating bikes designed to go fast, while 650b retained its place in the ‘fun’ trail and enduro bike market, and shared the honours in downhill.

Then, in 2019, the Mullet truly arrived: 29in at the front, 650b at the back. Why? Let Seb and Tom talk you through the what/why/how of the latest mountain bike wheel size drama.

Taking a photo of the Santa Cruz Chameleon
Tom's long-term test bike, his Santa Cruz Chameleon, is being run as a mullet bike. - Steve Behr

The links you need

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Previous BikeRadar Tech Talk Podcast episodes

Previous BikeRadar Podcast episodes

Tom Marvin

Senior technical editor

Tom Marvin is MBUK’s YouTube presenter and podcaster, as well as a regular contributor to BikeRadar. He writes mountain bike reviews for the site, while also testing components and kit. His work as a presenter has seen him race pro riders, tackle World Cup downhill courses and attend international launch events. He has been part of the MBUK and BikeRadar family for 11 years, contributing to all aspects of tech content, including a spell working heavily on Cycling Plus magazine. In that time, he has tested hundreds of bikes and more than 1,000 products. He has been mountain biking for 25 years, with cross-country (XC) and trail riding his speciality, although he’s more than happy dipping into the world of enduro whenever there’s a chance. Tom’s photos of bikes and food covered in ketchup can be found on his Instagram account.

  • Height: 182cm
  • Bike size: Large
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