He
Mountain Bike It has reached a high degree of specialization in recent years and the wheels have not been left behind in these advances. The most significant of all of them has been that of the appearance and boom of the Plus wheels, which broke into the market in 2016 to fill the emptiness between the pneumatic widths of conventional mountain bicycles (from 2.1 "to 2 , 5 ") and the fatbikes (from 3.5" to 4.5 ").
Fatbikes are bicycles with large wheels to overcome very unstable land such as mud, sand or snow, but they failed to be all the versatile ones they intended. Many
Bikers They also sought to make long routes, overcome technical trails quickly or climb more agilely.
The Plus wheels then arrived to meet their demands, with pneumatic widths between 2.8 "and 3" and compounds lighter than those of fatbikes. Here we explain its main characteristics, sizes and we list the pros and cons of rolling with plus wheel bikes, both 27.5 "and 29".
Fast boom and decline wheels
Mountain bicycles with Plus wheels experienced a strong boom between 2016 and 2018, and shortly after suffering a decline and gradual disappearance of the catalogs of the main brands, except for the segment of the segment of the
Ebikes, where they have found their accommodation.
The main reason for this rapid boom and decline is the recent evolution of the wheels of 29 "with tires more than 30 mm internal width, mounted with reinforced flanks tires, to prevent them from being dislocated. They thus manage to supply the extra traction and stability that the Plus wheels give.
Similarly, the Plus wheels did not achieve the endorsement of competition cycling, an important test field of the constant innovations of the discipline, which then adapt to the conventional user.
Plus wheels do not provide speed and agility, but quite the opposite. Because of its largest rolling band, they have when rolling, especially up, and slow down the handling in the descents.
Main advantages of plus wheels in Mountain Bike
Although they have reduced their presence in the assemblies of the new bicycles, there are still brands that maintain compatibility between 29 "and 27.5" plus, maintaining a wide wheel step to accommodate one or another wheel according to the needs of the
biker.
This is the case of
Trek Roscoe, which comes with wheels 27.5 "plus as standard (2.8" ball), but wheels of 29 "can also be installed with a ball of up to 2.4".
Likewise, plus wheels are common for the assembly of a
Ebike, where the greatest ballast is not a problem, when there is an engine that attends on the pedal. In addition, they provide extra traction and bike control already in itself, which in many cases exceed 20 kg.
If you are a
biker Beginner with a low technique level and you are not obsessed with fast, mounting 27.5 "plus, with a ball or width of 2.8 or 3", will give you greater traction in descents, reception of jumps and trails revived with many curves, as well as when climbing.
In addition, with the Plus wheels you can overcome, without risk of losing your balance, sand banks, mud sections or even snow, due to the larger size of the rolling band.
Disadvantages of Plus wheels in Mountain Bike
The greater traction and stability offered And or when climbing.
The weight is contained when the tire manufactured with lighter compounds is. But it will be highly recommended to tubelize both wheels so that the weight does not shoot, being able to roll at the same time with lower pressures than recommended.
Playing with the Plus wheel pressure for mountain bicycle can be an advantage and an inconvenience at the same time. While you can have more customization range, to adapt to a more or less technical route, it is not always easy to find adequate pressure. If it is low, you will climb with a lot of ballast and the passage through the curves will be slower.
On the other hand, if you introduce a lot of air, you will have the feeling that the wheel boots too much when passing through areas of stones or jumps, increasing the risk of losing control of the bike. Hence, the choice of the correct pressure can give more headaches than a conventional MTB tire.
Meditate well your passage to the plus
If you feel attracted to the large wheels such as Plus you must take into account these advantages and disadvantages that we have explained to you.
Value what you can give you as specific wheels as these for your daily exits and if it is worth getting a bicycle that mount this wheel size or simply make a wheel change.
If you are going to acquire a bicycle with plus series wheels, look good in compatibility with other wheels and tires, in case in the future you want to adapt it with more agile conventional wheels.
He also studies the weight of the painting and wheels. An aluminum version in both can be very heavy. On the other hand, making an economic effort and acquiring a carbon picture will be worth it, saving a couple of kilos on the scale that you will appreciate in the climbs.
If, on the other hand, you decide to do only the replacement of the wheels, remember that the picture of your bike must be compatible with this standard, with a wide wheel step that allows them to install without risk of friction or accumulation of mud.
Also consider the added weight of these wheels, whose tire width is larger. Opting, at this point, for carbon fiber rings is ideal, but will take a great outlay.
