26 or 29?

Well,as long as you don’t think you’ll miss the 26" wheels for YOUR riding style I would say give the 29er a try.

The answer is … one of each! 😎

Borrowed from a Taylor Sage interview:
Quick reasoning for the the love 26 inch wheels?
I feel like people who ride other size wheels are confused.

😆

Actually, I like maddslacker’s philosophy.

I’ve only ever owned a full rigid and a HT. My next bike is going to be a 26er FS. The one after that is probably going to be a 29er HT.

27lbs isn’t extremely light, my 29er HT weighs less with not a single piece of carbon fiber on it. There’s plenty of bone stock 29ers below 27lbs.

What are you riding now by the way? It’ll be easier to recomend something if we know what you’re on now.

Sucks that it broke! Have you checked with your LBS about the warranty yet?

Bummer about your bike.
If you were to switch to a 29er you would not look back.
29er hard tail is the way to go.

How about the upcomming size 650B / 27 1/3

I just had the similiar problem when it came time to buy me a tougher ride. (I keep breaking my "intro" ride.) I had a tight budget and was torn between a Giant 29er and a Kona 26er. I was told that the 29er was a sweet ride and would roll beautifully. I was then asked my riding style which is insanely stupid, and was told to stay with the Kona. I thought about the technical trails I like to ride and couldn’t imagine those big tires being maneuvarable. So I went home on 26ers again.

+1 .. one of each is how I roll

This probably won’t help but I understand your dilemma. Its such a tough decision especially when you think about the cost involved of bikes these days. You stay with a 26 and you think perhaps you are missing out on something or you ride a 29er and think you may also miss out on something you had with your 26.. I ride a 29er Hardtail, for me as far as hardtails go there is no doubt a 29er has more benefit (but again thats just my feelings) however I am now in the market for a FS and have been in the market for like 4 months now. I just can’t seem to pull the trigger on a FS bike. Have rode a few 26 and a few 29 and just truly cannot decide which one I prefer. I definitely like the smoother rolling speed and feeling that I can get over any obstacle of the 29ers, but so far I find I climb quicker and like the agility of the 26.. So I just continue to ride my Hardtail and keep searching. Plus now with the new 650B options it gets more confusing, however limited they may be now and for 2013. I am intrigued by them especially from the few tests a few mags like MBAction and BIKE have had between all 3 sizes and 650B has come out on top.. It would seem you get a bit of everything with the 650B, but is it enough of each where you really notice a difference? When you are shelling out big money and you are not rich, you owe it to yourself to weigh all options. So for me I’m holding out right now waiting for an opportunity to ride a 650B bike however long that may take since it is not currently an option in my area.