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I'm having trouble with the argument that bigger wheels somehow offer too much control or stability, coming from a team that spends such a significant amount of effort suspension testing with a dedicated telemetry bike in practice, with the goal of achieving better stability and control. And what if the bigger wheels are faster? It's not like they ride themselves down the track. That extra speed will still need to be controlled in addition to the steep price to pay for mistakes that scrub momentum as the bigger wheels do not accelerate as quickly. I'm not sure I'd agree that...

I disagree with the comments about the tracks changing the bikes. The new bikes will still be faster on the old tighter tracks just like in F1 where the new cars are faster around Monaco even though it is the epitome of old school. If we really want instability, let's mandate steep angles, short wheel bases and no more than 4" of travel. That will make the riders get really loose. At the end of the day WCDH is a show and marketing tool. The faster the bikes go the more entertaining the show. You can't stop progression through regulation...

You sound hypocritical Loic. You're OK with the suspension constantly improving, OK with carbon prototype everything, OK with an increase from 26 to 27.5, OK with the heaps of technology that keep air inside your tires despite what you do to them, but this is a bridge too far? You get to feel however you want, and you get to race whatever you want. You just don't elucidate good rationale for your decisions.

This honestly kind of scares me. Loic is one hell of a competitor, and it would suck to have someone as passionate as him walk away from the sport. I know he has been outspoken on this 29er vs. 27.5 argument, and I have to imagine there are other competitors that feel the same way. It seems that pressure from the mountain bike market that seems to reliant on constant change to drive profits is trickling over into the competitive side of the sport as well. One of the things that I love about downhill racing is that everyone is...

So, his bike isn't ready and he doesn't like the tracks. And he wants race day schedule changes for potential weather events.

One of the best things about MTB racing (XC and DH) is the lack of regulations on the bikes from the UCI. The lack of regulations is what makes MTB racing what it is, and has allowed this sport to evolve with different types of bikes, suspension used in XC races, have different wheel sizes and suspension and materials raced against each other. I don't remember any XC racers whining about 650b tubulars on a hardtail racing against 29er suspension bikes. The athlete who wins had right equipment, training and luck to take the day. Its part of racing. Whether...

Is it not already? Did this change with the move to 275? How can we be certain it suddenly will with 29 then? DH racing has regulations, that they are not the same as unrelated spots or different cycling disciplines isn't really cause for comparison. I can pick any number of regs in the sports you mentioned that are not present in DH that you wouldn't care for. Weight, tire tread, tire width, seat length, longevity of key components, etc. As I wrote above, if we are going to compare why not start at the most relevant: other forms of...

I'll take a Large order of Freedom Fries with my 29er. That discussion should've ended with "my Specialized Demo 29er is not ready yet". It will be interesting to see how FSR is made compatible with long travel 29

I try to avoid the F1 comparisons to DH as they really have little in common aside from both involving vehicles rolling on tires filled with air. That said, a significant number of the F1 regulations and restrictions being bent to fit the anti-29 argument are in place to keep a teams relative advantage in check, discourage cheating, and keep the racing close and competitive. No one wants to watch one driver 20 seconds ahead or the whole field strung out with zero passing. The regs are there with the goal of keeping mass start racing close, competitive, and entertaining...