In recent years the mountain bike industry has seen a variety of different wheel and tire sizes gain popularity – 29″, 27.5″, fat bikes, 27.5″ PLUS. As the dust settles, many have come to the conclusion that 27.5″ wheels are here to stay. They offer the best of both worlds between the traditional 26″ mountain bike wheel, and the oversized 29″ wheel.
Most Montague folding mountain bikes are equipped with 26″ wheels to maintain both off-road ability and a small folded size, but for those looking for the best performance possible come two new models. The Paratrooper Highline and Paratrooper Elite are the first folding mountain bikes to come standard with 27.5″ wheels. Let’s take a look at the advantages.
Rollover
The number one reason larger wheel sizes have become more common on mountain bikes is their ability to roll over obstacles. A larger wheel has a shallower angle of attack when approaching an obstacle. This makes for a smoother ride both descending and at slower speeds when climbing.
The above graphic allows you to visualize the difference in angle of attack. Based on a 4″ tall obstacle, a 27.5″ wheel has an angle of attack that is 4° shallower. This works out to rolling over the obstacle 9.8% more efficiently.
Rotational Inertia
A larger wheel also has more rotational inertia since most of its weight is farther from the hub. 27.5″ wheels hold their speed better so once you get moving, you stay moving.
Traction
A larger wheel also has a larger contact patch with the ground, and that means more traction. Wide tires and low tire pressures are used for the same reason, to increase the size of the contact patch. A larger diameter wheel naturally has a longer contact patch, which provides more rubber on the trail.
Go Even Larger?
You may be asking yourself, why not go with as large a wheel as possible?! There are disadvantages, which become even more pronounced as wheel size increases. After the 29″ wheel craze swept the mountain biking world, many riders settled on 27.5″ after trying all the options. The primary complaint with 29″ mountain bikes is that they don’t handle as well as their smaller wheel counterparts; that they aren’t as nimble. They tend to not react as quickly in corners which can be troublesome on narrow winding trails. Also, that same rotational inertia that helps maintain speed, also makes accelerating more difficult.
The general consensus is that 27.5″ wheels offer the best combination of larger wheel performance benefits with minimum drawbacks. If you think you want to try this wheel size, take a look at the Paratrooper Elite and Paratrooper Highline – 27.5″ hard tails that can still fold for the car trunk.
i have no dealers listed with in several hundred miles of me…. i would LIKE a tough bike like a 27.5″ paratrooper pro with an internal hub…. is it possible to order such a thing direct?
Hi Michael. We can ship a bike directly to you if you’re not located near a dealer. Just give us a call at 800-736-5348. You could also have a local bike shop special order a bike even if they aren’t one of our regular dealers. Then they can get the bike in first and set it up for you.
You have plans to make the Highline or Elite for riders of 5’3″ – 5’10” height?
For mountain biking, 27.5″ wheel should be standard size….post is specific.
BTW awesome review…
Is it possible to buy just the frameset? I did this with the previous model and built up the build with very high end components. I live in the UK.
At this time we’re not selling any more individual framesets. It’s possible we might again in the future so I’ll pass your request along to our product manager.
So will 27.5″ wheels work on my standard Paratrooper (2012 model)?
They should fit but you’ll have less tire clearance than our new models built with 27.5″ in mind. You can likely run up to a 2.1″ wide tire on there and even then it will be tight.
Hi, so can I buy the 27.5″ tire from Montague to install on my 2012 Montague Paratrooper PRO 27-Speed Folding Mountain 26″ Wheels Bike 18″ 20″ . Or if Montague plan to offer any upgrade or trade in service?
Any input is appreciated
A 2012 Paratrooper Pro could fit a 27.5″ wheels but it doesn’t have quite as much clearance as our current frames. The widest tire you could fit would be a 2.1″. We don’t sell components individually but any aftermarket 27.5″ wheelset with a 135mm wide rear hub and a quick release front hub would work.
What is the largest tire that can fit on the new paratrooper?
Our current Paratrooper frames can fit a 2.4″ tire. That’s the widest it can handle, and it might even depend on the exact tire model and tread since they can vary so much even with the same labeled size.
Can the new paratrooper accommodate 29″ tires?
The short answer is no, but it really depends what type of ’29 inch’ wheel you want to use. What is usually referred to as a 29″ or 29er wheel in the mountain bike world is actually the same diameter as a 700c road wheel (622mm ISO diameter). However, with a wide mountain bike tire that same size rim has a much larger outside diameter than a road wheel with a narrower tire.
A 29″ (ISO 622mm) wheel with a mountain bike tire will not fit on the Paratrooper, but technically an ISO 622mm (700c) wheel with a road tire would fit. Same rim, same size wheel, but tire width makes all the difference.
I purchased My Paratrooper back in 2008. Old frame 26er. I still dig the ride. So from what I gather, I can run 27.5 on the old frame given some updates to a few components? Just want to be sure before I start dropping coin. Thanks.
Hi Ed. The tire clearance recommendations here are technically based on the geometry on mountain models from 2010 to 2015 (then 2016 to present has even more). Your 2008 model might fit a 27.5″ wheel, but I can’t guarantee that at this time. I would see if you can get your hands on a rear wheel to test it before you purchase a wheelset.
Hello Sir, please let me know about your dealership in India. I am from the eastern side of India, my city name is Calcutta/Kolkata.
I am a traveller by my nature. And cycling is my passion. I am an urdent follower of your “Paratrooper “models of bikes.
Please let me know the price of Paratrooper in India.
Thanking you Sir, God bless.
Happy Earth Enterprises sells some of our bike models in India and they should be getting more in stock soon: http://happyearth.in/
would like to have a branch in Kuwait. Do you have any dealers?
Unfortunately, we do not currently have a distributor for Kuwait. Buying from one of our distributors in Europe would probably be the best option. I would check with Voss in Germany as they normally have the most inventory and sometimes ship to other countries. https://www.montaguebikes.com/global-bike-distributors/
Amazing article. There was a lot of info I have been meaning to research but never got around too. Now I don’t have to because you complied it all for me! Thanks for sharing!
How large a wheel/tire can I fit on the new paratrooper? Ideally I would like to fit a 29″x3″.
Great article! Quick clarification question: I have a 2016-17 paratrooper pro. Can I fit a 27.5 rim with road tires?
The 2016-present Paratrooper Pro frame has the same tire clearance as the Paratrooper Highline and Elite, so it can accommodate a 27.5″ wheel in the rear with up to a 2.4″ tire. The fork is made for 26″ so it has slightly less clearance. You can squeeze a 27.5″ wheel but the tire likely needs to be narrower – probably more like 2.1″ (we have not tested this).
So when is Montague going to introduce a folding carbon full-suspension bike in 27.5 or 29? 😉
May I put 27.5″ wheels on a 2016 (?) green Paratrooper?
I bought it this year and I suppose is a 2016 model, has the new folding mechanism and the RackStand.
Thank you!
Yes, that frame has the same clearance as our Highline, so you could put a 27.5″ wheelset on with up to a 2.4″ tire.