Viewing 39 posts - 1 through 39 (of 39 total)
  • 26" bargains stopping me from 650b'ing it..am I in the wrong mindset?
  • sync
    Free Member

    Hey guys,

    It’s new bike time and I feel I should go to 650b. I am looking for a trail ht (120-150 travel) and the spanner in the works is that there are quite a few 26″ sale bargains about either as a whole bike or custom build. Guessing the new wheel sizes are surpressing the 26″ bike / components market? My budget is circa £650-£1k max (cash not ctw) and beyond that means finance.

    This decision is genuinely driving me insane as everything says get a 650b; and in budget it means the on-one 45650b, boardman team or something like the Vitus Sentier 275 (a real unknown). Possibly a stretch to the orange crush but that would mean finance.

    I should be on my new bike by now but even after trying the orange and really liking how the 650b rides, saving circa 30-50% for a same or better specced 26″ bike is making the choice tougher and prolonged.

    I need this bike to last a couple of years but not sure if the price issue is actually rational or irrational…

    Any thoughts either way welcome.

    Cheers

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    The bike market is changing the 650b push on new bikes has been faster than most would have believed. Does having 650b wheels make a bike better? Depends on the bike. It’s possible to make a crap bike with a new fangled wheel size just as it was possible to make one with 26″.

    Still from today if I was shopping for a new bike I’d be looking for the best deal for my budget.

    You can still buy decent rims for 26″ bikes, you can still buy decent tyres. If it ever looks desperate you could buy a couple of rims and a couple of extra tyres but in 2 years that isn’t that likely. The majority of bikes out there are still 26″.

    Your only big ticket risk is the fork but even if you couldn’t get spares you could easily fit a 650b fork.

    I’m aiming for another 3-4 years from my 26″ FS and I’m not that worried.

    coolhandluke
    Free Member

    Just because there’s a new wheel size in town, that doesn’t mean the old wheel size is suddenly no good,

    We all did fine on 26″ wheels, most of us still do. If the shops are now giving 26″ wheeled bikes away, I say take their stupidity as a gift and save yourself a fortune.

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    hora
    Free Member

    Get a 26’er with enough clearance for 650 too.then you only need new rims later.

    Almost all rims get dinged/knackered

    sync
    Free Member

    Is there a list somewhere of 26″ frame and forks which take 650b and work?

    aa
    Free Member

    There is such a list at 650b Palace.

    hora
    Free Member

    Why no 29’er? Stopped making them?

    roverpig
    Full Member

    It is the job of the bike industry to convince you that this year’s shiny new bike is better than last year’s model, which you can usually get for a decent discount. They have various methods for trying to do this. It is your job to decide whether the improvements are really worth the extra cost. This has always been the case, whether it is frame angles, forks or in this case the diameter of the wheels.

    Unfortunately, internet forums are not much help as we all have a vested interest. Those who have just spent a packet on a new 650b bike obviously want to believe that it is much better than all those cheaper options that they turned down. Those who are sticking with 26″ obviously want to believe that 650B makes little or no difference. I tend to side with the latter, but then I haven’t just bought a 650B bike.

    endurogangster
    Free Member

    650b is been pushed hard at the minute because bike companies realise they have a short window of opportunity to flog as any 650b bikes as possible before everyone realises it’s all bollocks and there is no reason to pick that wheel size over 26″! I’d stick with 26 and watch the market come full circle in a couple of years, 26″ components will always be available!

    fallsoffalot
    Free Member

    roverpig speaks the absalute truth.every thing else is just bullshit

    br
    Free Member

    If you’ve a cash ‘issue’ then focus on getting the best bike for your money – not whichever wheel-size is the current flavour.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    I’d get the most for your cash too, so if there’s a bargain 26er with a nice spec that would normally be out of your budget, snap it up.

    A good 26er doesn’t become a bad bike over night because there’s a fancy new wheel size in town. You’ll still be able to get tyres, rims etc fir a while and there’ll be a good second hand market for forks for a while yet.

    hora
    Free Member

    If it makes you feel better why not?

    I cant afford a new 650b bike. My next priority is a half decent roadbike. So 26 it is.

    Anyone proclaiming anything new is marginally better is a business/retailers best dream. Me walking into a bikeshop brings no real benefit to them as I cant afford/just browse.

    deanfbm
    Free Member

    Don’t worry about it, buy what you want/like most.

    A good 26″ bike is going to ride just like a good 650b bike.

    As above, what about a 29er, now there is something that is DEFINITELY different enough to be better for the right rider/style/terrain.

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    I’m still of the opinion that 650B is pointless toss sold to the gullible by shysters.

    shadowrider
    Free Member

    There is a 650b Cube in the classifieds, might be worth a look

    tenfoot
    Full Member

    Being “gullible”, I recently bought a 650B carbon hardtail. The wheel size was incidental, as I wanted a short travel carbon hardtail and the bike fitted the bill.

    I am in no hurry to replace my 26″ full suspension bike though.

    chestrockwell
    Full Member

    Just wait another few months and the 2014 650b or 26″ bikes will be in the sale as the 2015 bikes land. You can choose either then. 😀

    For those saying 650b isn’t any different to 26″…. Get a grip, of course it is, just not as much so as 29″.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    hora – Member
    Get a 26’er with enough clearance for 650 too.then you only need new rims later.

    Or simply buy the fatter Surly Dirt Wizard or Knard tyres and you end up with the same diameter as 650B without changing rims.

    sync
    Free Member

    Thanks for all the responses.

    I had considered a 29er but want to take care of my longer travel trail ht first which seems to mean 26″ or 650b.

    Having tried a few 29ers I deffo like them and looking to get one end of season. Not a priority at this stage though.

    I have to get my act together and order soon otherwise I will be bikeless for the Easter holiday weekend.

    Cheers again for all the help.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    For those saying 650b isn’t any different to 26″…. Get a grip, of course it is, just not as much so as 29″.

    Yep, tried it, got a grip but not of the kool aid, 650b is just something to spend money on to make yourself feel an inch longer. Not saying 2014 bikes are better due to 650b, just better due to evolution.

    alan-sierracycling
    Free Member

    We all did fine on 26″ wheels, most of us still do. If the shops are now giving 26″ wheeled bikes away, I say take their stupidity as a gift and save yourself a fortune.

    +1

    chestrockwell
    Full Member

    Yep, tried it, got a grip but not of the kool aid, 650b is just something to spend money on to make yourself feel an inch longer. Not saying 2014 bikes are better due to 650b, just better due to evolution.

    I’m not saying 650b will be better or any kind of improvement but a 650b bike will ride differently to a 26″ bike, just as a 29er does. It might not be significant but the difference will be there.

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    yeah tried a couple and if you can tell the difference then good luck, such a small difference it’s hard to attribute the change to wheel size.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    I like all wheel sizes.

    Got 16″, 20″, 26″ in several flavours (559, 584, 590, 597, and there’s more), 700c, 27″, 28″, and 29er (actually 700c).

    They’re all bikes.

    Wheelbase, geometry, and rider position also need to be considered along with wheel size rather than just any one factor.

    I’d sooner do a 1,000 miles road ride on an old rubber suspension Moulton with its 16″ wheels and long wheelbase, than on a short wheelbase big wheeled bike.

    So don’t worry about 26″ wheels becoming obsolete unless you’re trying to get good quality rims for a 26×1¼” 🙂

    sync
    Free Member

    Right will stick with a 26er and go for a high volume tyre for now.

    glasgowdan
    Free Member

    26 inch parts are going to be on the market for many, many years to come so don’t fret about it.

    dobiejessmo
    Free Member

    I think as said above 26″ will come back and 650B will be shelved in a few years.Why would you sell your 26″ for a 650B!!!!!!!!!!!.

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    I think as said above 26″ will come back and 650B will be shelved in a few years.

    That is exactly what will happen. The manufacturers will make 27.5″ bikes only available to their DH & enduro race teams (because they’re fractionally quicker in most scenarios and thus good for winning races) and only make 26″ bikes for selling to the public as the latest emperor’s new clothes trick to replace the 27.5″ bikes they’ve been buying for a few years. Yes, everyone will definitely fall for that!

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    chiefgrooveguru – Member
    Yes, everyone will definitely fall for that!

    Well, there seems to be no shortage of people on here who’ve fallen for 650b. 🙂

    However, I’m sure they’ll all change back if the magazines and the industry tell them to.

    chestrockwell
    Full Member

    Don’t think it’s a case of falling for 650b, it’s simply people buying what’s available. Might even get one myself one day.

    sync
    Free Member

    Well, after making no progress due to the bike I was going for going out of stock in my size I have decided to go for an on one 45650b.

    Pawsy_Bear
    Free Member

    The answers easy, buy the bike that you like riding. Anything else is a compromise. Don’t end up saving x amount £ but hate the ride.

    You did try before you buy ofc

    monkeychild
    Free Member

    26 – 29 yup noticed a difference. 26 – 650b didn’t notice any difference. I’d buy whatever you want.

    duckers
    Free Member

    I went out to buy a carbon 29er last week and had to seriously hold myself back from buying a 26er with £1500 off the rrp!!!

    26 still feels so agile but 29 does feel faster, I am thinking 29er but just get a second hand top end or new chinese carbon to try out, if I dont get on with flog it on and lose a daft couple of quid, not such a major hit. Anyone in Teesside area got a medium chinese carbon hardtail l can try?

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Prices’ll drop but there’ll still be a bunch of people like me hoovering up 26 inch parts so they won’t drop as far as some folks seem to think

    Alex
    Full Member

    Rode a 650B version of my 29er Pyga. Felt like a 26. Really want to love it, but did nothing for me at all. Bought a 26inch Nukeproof Mega frame in the CRC sale for about £750. Which is a hoot to ride. It doesn’t carry speed like a 29er but who cares. Most of the time any speed issues are about my inability to deal with the fact it doesn’t ever really needs to slow down.

    I’d be inclined to go with the ‘ride now, worrying later’ train of thought. If that means you get a sorted 26inch bike for peanuts, then why the hell not.

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    “IF” I was about to buy a new bike, the only thing I’d spec would be a frame with 1.5″ head tube and tapered forks. I personally think 1 1/8″ forks will be the hardest to find aftermarket in a few years. Still plenty about, but choice is starting to get limited across the full price range.

    26″ will be here for the foreseeable future, and probably longer.

Viewing 39 posts - 1 through 39 (of 39 total)

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