I have a 29 and a 26, and I much prefer to ride the 26, particularly in technical, narrow trails where maneuverability is important.
I've benchmarked myself on trails between both bikes and actually ended up faster on the 26" over many trials, with the biggest difference in performance coming from swapping heavy downhill tires & heavy duty butyl inner tubes, to tubeless tires race king tires. I've also traded rides with friends using a 27.5+ (after adjusting shock pressures) with negligible speed differences.
Personally, it's a feeling a sitting on top of a bike or sitting between the wheels. I'd suggest renting a few bikes from local shops and you might be surprised on which you'll end up favoring.
I've benchmarked myself on trails between both bikes and actually ended up faster on the 26" over many trials, with the biggest difference in performance coming from swapping heavy downhill tires & heavy duty butyl inner tubes, to tubeless tires race king tires. I've also traded rides with friends using a 27.5+ (after adjusting shock pressures) with negligible speed differences.
Personally, it's a feeling a sitting on top of a bike or sitting between the wheels. I'd suggest renting a few bikes from local shops and you might be surprised on which you'll end up favoring.