I bought the 29" mtb meme, got a good discount on old stock.

>>964843
A decent wheelset is expensive, and youd need to buy some new tools or pay someone to swap everything over.
BB height would go to shit too.
Ifthe bike is too big its because you bought the wrong size, not because of the wheels. I ride 29s with my paltry 5'7"

>>964845

I bought a Large frame Cannondale Scalpel (OP related)

Perhaps the frame is just too big? Once I get going I crank on it but its a lumbering monster at low speeds

>>964848
I had the same issue, what really fixed it for me was swapping my stem for a shorter one. Went from a 100mm to a 60mm, and it handles better than my old 26" now.

>>964843
Some 29er frames can take 27.5+ wheels but that wouldn't gain you anything since the overall diameter would be basically the same. Just throwing 27.5 wheels on it would make everything whacko. The wheels don't make the bike too big or make you look like a doofus. You just have to get used to them if you are coming from a 26er, they feel funky at first. At 5'11" you should probably be on a large.

>>964843
I had that same bike OP. The bike just never felt right until I took off all the heaset spacers and put a negative degree stem. You have to keep in mind that this is an XC 29er that will never handle like a 26er whippet but you can have a lot of fun on that thing on long, fast, flowy trails. Enjoy the new bike.

There's absolutely nothing prevent you from changing the wheels but it won't change the bike significantly. The BB height will be a bit lower (nowhere near too low), it could end up being a bit lighter, and if you keep the same cassette the gearing will be a tad lower (combined with less weight it will accelerate and climb a bit better).

It won't however make a significant difference to how it handles and it make it suitable for what you want, that's simply down to the geometry as a whole and the type of bike it is and if you want to change that you basically need a new bike. If you can't get a refund on it then you'll just have to get used to riding the wrong type of bike until it's time to get a new one.

>>964843
29s are great, you just have to work it a bit harder to get decent clearance on your bunnies. feels like you're trying to flop down into a chair when you drop back to manual and then the forward pump to pop it up in the air is much like the coup de grace of a hatefuck session with the seat.

Why would you convert to the slower wheelsize?

>>965067

>slower wheelsize

You're an idiot.