Skip to main content

Cyclingnews The World Centre of Cycling

Sign in

View Profile
Sign out

Search

Search Cyclingnews

News
- Racing News
Racing
- Races
  - Results
  - Live Reports
  - Calendar
  - Road
  - Gravel
  - MTB
  - Track
  - Cyclo-cross
- Teams & Riders
- How to Watch
- Rules
Women's Cycling
Premium
- Labs
- In-Depth Racing
- Tech Galleries
- Columns
- Industry
- Investigations
- Performance
- Training
- Finance
- Health
Tech
- Bikes
- Cycling Kit & Accessories
- Components
Buying Advice
Features
- Live Reports
- Quizzes
- Cycling Culture
- Forums
- Autobus
- About

Home
News
- View News
- Racing News
Racing
- View Racing
- Races
  - View Races
  - Results
  - Live Reports
  - Calendar
  - Road
  - Gravel
  - MTB
  - Track
  - Cyclo-cross
- Teams & Riders
- How to Watch
- Rules
  - View Rules
  - Safety
  - Doping
  - Motor Doping
Women's Cycling
Premium
- View Premium
- Labs
- In-Depth Racing
- Tech Galleries
- Columns
- Industry
- Investigations
- Performance
- Training
- Finance
- Health
Tech
Buying Advice
Features
- Live Reports
- Quizzes
- Cycling Culture
- Forums
- Autobus
- About

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

An account already exists for this email address, please log in.

Trending

Transfers
Tour de France Femmes
Tour de France
Leadville 100
Subscribe from $1

Cycling Tech & Components
Wheels & Tyres

Getting to the bottom of the MTB wheel size brouhaha

By Cycling News

Published 8 June 2006

Two-niner this, 29-inch that… what's the deal with those big wheels, anyway? Once dismissed as a...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email

Share this article

Join the conversation

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Subscribe to our newsletter

Image 1 of 12

Two options, but which is best? — Two options, but which is best? (Image credit: James Huang)

Our pair — Our pair (Image credit: James Huang)

Our pair — Our pair (Image credit: James Huang)

Tail to tail — Tail to tail (Image credit: James Huang)

Seven Cycles provided a pair of fully custom — Seven Cycles provided a pair of fully custom (Image credit: James Huang)

Weld away! — Weld away! (Image credit: James Huang)

Our actual build sheet — Our actual build sheet (Image credit: James Huang)

The finished 29-inch frame — The finished 29-inch frame (Image credit: James Huang)

If you happen to spot — If you happen to spot (Image credit: James Huang)

In spite of the dramatically different wheel sizes — In spite of the dramatically different wheel sizes (Image credit: James Huang)

Nope, you’re not seeing double. — Nope, you’re not seeing double. (Image credit: James Huang)

As cool as all of this sounds, — As cool as all of this sounds, (Image credit: i-cubed)

Image 1 of 12

View Original

Two options, but which is best?

Image 2 of 12

View Original

Our pair

Image 3 of 12

View Original

Our pair

Image 4 of 12

View Original

Tail to tail

Image 5 of 12

View Original

Seven Cycles provided a pair of fully custom

Image 6 of 12

View Original

Weld away!

Image 7 of 12

View Original

Our actual build sheet

Image 8 of 12

View Original

The finished 29-inch frame

Image 9 of 12

View Original

If you happen to spot

Image 10 of 12

View Original

In spite of the dramatically different wheel sizes

Image 11 of 12

View Original

Nope, you’re not seeing double.

Image 12 of 12

View Original

As cool as all of this sounds,

no copy in legacy cms

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

TOPICS

Cycling News

Latest in Wheels & Tyres

Roval Rapide CLX III wheels

Wheels & Tyres Roval Rapide CLX III wheel review: The road mullet approach delivers the goods

DT Swiss ARC 1100 DICUT 65 wheels

Wheels & Tyres DT Swiss ARC 1100 65 wheel review: Excellent high-speed performance, but can they keep up with lighter competitors?

A zipp wheel in an alpine meadow

Wheels & Tyres Zipp 202 NSW wheel review: Lively, light, but ever so expensive for what’s on the table

Scope R4.G Wheelset

Wheels & Tyres Scope R4.G wheelset review: The budget gravel wheelset in Scope’s lineup is its the much better buy

Wind tunnel wheels test

Wheels & Tyres What are the fastest UCI-legal road wheels? Wind tunnel testing the big-name brands and Chinese contenders

Shimano Dura-Ace R9370 wheels

Wheels & Tyres Shimano launches brand new Dura-Ace wheel range, does this mean a new groupset is imminent?

Latest in Features

Magdeleine Vallieres Mill, Kristen Faulkner, Isabella Holmgren were among the North American contingent at the 2026 Tour de France Femmes

Women's Cycling Overcoming RED-S, inspirational Mexican debut, and a 21-year-old in the top 10 – North American roundup from the Tour de France Femmes

Luke Tuckwell at the Vuelta a Burgos

Pro Cycling An altitude camp, 20-minute power PB, and abandoning Burgos - Inside the preparation for my first Grand Tour

NICE, FRANCE - AUGUST 09: Dominika Wlodarczyk of Poland, Paula Blasi Cairol of Spain, Margarita Garcia of Spain, Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy, Silvia Persico of Italy, Maeva Squiban of France and UAE Team L'IMAD celebrate at podium as final best team prize winners during the 5th Tour de France Femmes 2026, Stage 9 a 99.2km stage from Nice to Nice / #UCIWWT / on August 09, 2026 in Nice, France. (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)

Women's Cycling From the dominant to the anonymous – Rating every team's Tour de France Femmes performance

Tour de France Femmes tech wrapup

Pro Bikes Battle of the brands: Who won with what at the 2026 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift?

NICE, FRANCE - AUGUST 9: Lorena Wiebes of Netherlands and TEAM SD WORX PROTIME (left), Demi Vollering of Netherlands and FDJ UNITED - SUEZ, Puck Pieterse of Netherlands and FENIX-PREMIER TECH, and Antonia Niedermaier of Germany and CANYON//SRAM (right) celebrating at the podium of after the 5th Tour de France Femmes 2026, Stage 9 a 99.2km stage from Nice to Nice / #UCIWWT / August 9, 2026 in Nice, France. (Photo by Silvina Brodersohn - CameraSport via Getty Images).

Women's Cycling Eight things we learnt from a spellbinding edition of the Tour de France Femmes

Boardman SLR 9.8

Road Bikes What experienced cyclists notice first about a high-performance road bike

LATEST ARTICLES

1

Albert Philipsen faces another injury recovery after training crash leaves him with three fractures
2

Scope R4.G wheelset review: The budget gravel wheelset in Scope’s lineup is its the much better buy
3

The Rad Dirt Fest returns to Life Time Grand Prix in 2027 for seven-event series with adjusted selection rules
4

An altitude camp, 20-minute power PB, and abandoning Burgos - Inside the preparation for my first Grand Tour
5

Junior time trial world champion Megan Arens makes immediate move to AG Insurance-Soudal

Cyclingnews is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google

Terms and conditions
Contact Future's experts
Privacy policy
Cookies policy
Accessibility statement
Careers
Advertise with us

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...