Hi all,

I’m a road cyclist and cycle tourist traditionally. I’ve decided to get into off-road stuff.

After realising that £1000 on the cycle scheme would get me nowhere I’ve decided to build a 26″ ti hardtail (my road is a lynskey ti so I got the 2009 On*one ti 456 built by lynskey – Bikeradar *****).

Only trouble is I had no idea that 26″ people get laughed at as if it were a commadore 64. Also it’s a 1 1/8″ head tube so a decent fork costs twice that of it’s tapered equivalent.

I found a Float 32 120mm for a couple of hundred, and the rest is still to come.

Is a 120mm fork long enough for a hardtail (7 years ago it was the bees knees!)? I read up and everyone says 26 ” can’t roll over rough stuff, but unanimously people say its the most agile, responsive and fun wheel size. As a newbie I’m not looking for ultimate speed, just something to cut my teeth on. Any tips, comments? Feel free to point and laugh at the new kid.

Is my 26″ hardtail defunkt?

Yes. Bin it and get a 29er. No other option really.

If you’re a decent road cyclist just kick the arse of anyone who laughs at you…
PS I’ve never been laughed at yet for riding a 26″ bike 🙂

Yes it’s defunct now, I’ll give you £50 for the frame

Absolutely defunct. After all, you just cannot have any fun at all on a 26″ wheel. £55 for the frame. You’ll thank me for it.

Not the most helpful replies for a new member so far*.

Like any other bike, it’s far more about the quality of the rider. The 456 is a frame well loved by many and a 120mm fork should suit it spot on. 26 inch wheels were the dogs for 25 years, they didn’t get less capable when someone put bigger wheels in new frames. Don’t believe all the bollocks written on the internet!

*hopefully you realised they were pulling your leg.

Jeez, the grumps are in tonight. What’s the matter, hot weather making you all grouchy?

Just ride your bike. Enjoy being out in the countryside. And never, ever start to take yourself too seriously……

26″ is fine, but if things continue you’ll find that if you want to up grade wheels/forks it’ll become more difficult to find high end new stuff, especially with a straight steerer, 2nd hand market should be boyant though as lots of people jump ship to bigger wheels

Yes, 29er wheels have some benefits but they also have some shortcomings.

There’s absolutely no way 26 inch wheels are defunct.

Now, on to the fork question. 120mm travel is my personal ‘sweet spot’ for a hardtail, and will be more than adequate for most riding.

I’d recommend going for a Rockshox Reba over the Fox 32 thought. Cheaper, easy to find in 120mm 26 inch / straight steerer, easier to service. You could probably find a cheap second hand set for around £100-150. The newer ones (I think 2013+) are lighter but only come in solo air variety. Some prefer the old dual air ones as you get a little bit more tuneability. Personally I’ve had no problems with my solo air ones for the riding I do (twisty forest singletrack trail / XC). Great forks.

Well I love my 26″ ti frame and I’ll be **** if I’m parting with it anytime soon. 26″ was good enough for me starting out in 92′ and is still as good now. Build it, ride it, love it.

cheers guys, harsh but helpful. Still can’t look past the consensus that 29 is smooth but unresponsive and dull, while 650b is a bit of a fence sitter with just a set of compromises and ultimately mediocre.

I’ll give it a couple of months on this and make the call. Frame was £400. Ouch :'(

And another thing. Road wheels… 700c, campy or Sram/shimano hub. No fuss.

**** mtb wheels – don’t get me started. Y U so compricated! &(

I am willing to go to £101.57p for the frame as dannyh and dvatcmark are treating you like an idiot.
Do you accept bitcoin ?

Thanks again fellas

Just have fun as ‘some’ have already stated.
Buy second hand or make sure you get a very good deal on new stuff. 27.5/650b and 29ers are the new wheel sizes and unfortunately 26 seems to have had its day but it will be around for a good few years yet. Same goes for straight headtubes.

26″ wheels can roll over anything if you’re a good enough rider.

My 26″ HT is nowhere near defunct AFAIC & I have no intention whatsoever of replacing it, so neither is yours.
But there again, I have never & never will be, a dedicated follower of fashion.
Been riding a 26er for 24 years, do you think I’m gonna convert just like that? Nahh.

I am willing to go to £101.57p for the frame as dannyh and dvatcmark are treating you like an idiot.
Do you accept bitcoin ?

Have you got zimbabwe dollars? 😉

I’ll take

ZW $ 1,000,000,000,000,000,000

and if its cheque, allow for 1/56 of the 1 000 000% hyper inflation and add that on please

No way, as long as you can get out and get muddy on it, its fine.

I don’t think one wheel is better overall anyway. They all have plus and minus points, except for 27.5 which is actually 27 and not a big enough difference from 26 to warrant the cost of the upgrade (IMHO anyway).

All I’d say is 29er may suit a road rider better. They don’t get up to speed quite like a 26, but they roll and hold speed with less effort than a 26 (more like a road bike).

Also it’s a 1 1/8″ head tube so a decent fork costs twice that of it’s tapered equivalent.

Eh?

http://www.merlincycles.com/rockshox-revelation-rl-forks-58513.html

I’ve these on mine, perfect.

Still riding mine 6 years on, 2-3 times per week for everything from XC racing through to (falling down) EWS stages.

Me and my bro have just built our bikes onto second hand frames I’ve got a superlight 29er with a tapered head tube, he’s got a Titus motolight 26 with straight forks. His bike is quicker and more fun (Bast*rd!), and neither of us can tell what advantage the big steerer gives in my bike from riding them back to back…

Enjoy your new lines of research!! 😉

If you want to reduce complications, go SS 😉 Although you’ll still have to deal with the wheel minefield… Just wait for the tyres!! 😆

Presumably, you’ll be riding XC, with very little gnarr, drops, jumps n ting? In which case, hubs can be either Hope with cartridge bearings, or Shimano with cup and cone – your choice/preference. Rims can be anything really, as you know, light wheels are better. Im 10.5st ish and use Stans Crests with Hope hubs in both 32hole and 36hole and both sets cope really well with everything from South Downs stuff to Alps. Mavic rims work, Ive had some X317’s and X717’s in the past and again, both worked well and stayed true. Ive no idea if they’re available new, but two more products for you to research up on and you’ll find plenty second hand for sale.

There are many other wonderful hubs, Chris King, DT Swiss etc. You pays yer money, yadda yadda.

To start your off road experience with a Ti HT is a very nice way to start and you’ll get lots of feedback and responsiveness from that frame, money well spent. 8)

Thanks that’s helpful. Not a cheap game, this. Anyone want to buy my other kydney? 😀

I have a 2008 26″ wheeled full-susser.
Maybe mine should go in the skip too 🙄

Not gonna happen.
To replace it with a newer equivalent (full XT (old school 27 spd of course) Rockshox Revs, DT Swiss, Thompson) for another 3” of rubber or 1.5″ if you’re ultra-cool will cost me north of £3k and it won’t make me any better…that’ll be a ‘no’ then 😉

Thanks that’s helpful. Not a cheap game, this. Anyone want to buy my other kydney?

Does it have a pressfit catheter or is it threaded?

What size is the renal vein?

Is it a tapered medulla or straight?

And will it make the liver come alive?

I read up and everyone says 26 ” can’t roll over rough stuff

its good that you read the facts from intelligent sources.

I have a 26″ wheeled full sus and a 650b hardtail. The latter is currently being used with a 26″ inner tube on the rear. That’s how close the sizes are, so pay no attention to people who tell you 26″ tyres won’t roll over obstructions as well as 650b.

I hope not…I’ve spent a few weeks rebuilding my Pure 7 hardtail. It’s been recoated (thanks binners), refitted with repainted old skool Pike forks and I love it.

26″ wheels, triple crankset and nine speeds are where it’s at for me.

My 26″ hardtail feels like a lot of things, but defunct isn’t one of them lmow20. A 27.5″ full suss is more comfortable over rough stuff, but there are even descents I still do faster on the HT.

If you end up riding with any group that laughs at you over wheel size, sack them off, they’re w****rs.

I’ve got 3 bikes, a 26″ rigid hardtail, 26″ 100mm hardtail & a 26″ full susser. Came close to buying a 650b full susser earlier this year but decided that the spec was crap compared to what I could get on a 26″ bike so didn’t bother.

Can’t see me changing any of them to 650b as its such a minimal difference but I wouldn’t mind trying a 29er hardtail out.

The thing about hardtails, is that all of the best hardtails ever made are 26 inch, and most of them have straight steerers to boot.

Agreed Northwind. Although the Kinesis Sync seems to get a lot of love.

Unless the OP’s post was a joke, people really are falling for all the marketing BS aren’t they.

I have a 26″ hardtail with 120mm forks. And straight steerer.

I’m working on the principle that, like lovers of dungarees and skiffle, eventually I’ll be back on trend. Actually, I couldn’t give a shit, I like it.

Honestly though, who laughs at someone because they have marginally smaller wheels on a bloody nice bike? Has this actually happened to anyone?

Honestly though, who laughs at someone because they have marginally smaller wheels on a bloody nice bike? Has this actually happened to anyone?

No, but when one of our guys bought an early 650B wheeled bike. While we all noticed his new bike and commented on it, until he told us none of us realised that it wasn’t a 26.

I think you’ll find that 26 in wheeled bikes are still ridden by the vast majority of riders everywhere, and by all of those who haven’t been drawn in by the marketing crap of the companies desperate to sell you something new!

After realising that £1000 on the cycle scheme would get me nowhere

Are you completely dribbling insane!? 1000 quid on the cycle scheme would get you a Voodoo Bajingo and 400 quid in change, or a Boardman full susser and 1p in change.

So send those nonsense “I’m gonna build a bike” purchases back, get on the cycle scheme, pick one of these two fantastic bikes, and get out and ride.

And as for 29ers and laughing at 26ers: 29ers are big in cross country racing and internet forums, out on the trails they’re rare as hell – though a few more amazing deals like that voodoo could change that.

OP – of course you can buy a decent hardtail for £1,000

As for wheel size I am only interested in 26, just in the process of building up a 3rd bike in that wheel size. 29 has already died at certain manufacturers and the industry is too embarrassed to go back to 26 so went for 27.5

jambalaya – Member

29 has already died at certain manufacturers

Who?

You have a decent frame and forks, and they’ll be good and fun. The different characteristics between wheelsizes are far more subtle than people make out, and your fitness and bike handling skills will always be the biggest factor. Enjoy it and don’t worry about wheel size…

I’ve just built two lovely 26″ hardtails for my wife and daughter with bits from the classifieds, eBay and the odd online bargain. Lovely bikes, lots of fun and a fraction of what equivalent 650b or 29ers would have cost. They’re both fairly short too, and neither are racers, so would get very little benefit from bigger wheels IMO. My approach has been to cash in quickly while others are bailing out. Go for it with your 456 while the market is on your side.

To illustrate Faustus’ point, I was out on my Sync last night and had my legs ripped off by a bloke on a cross bike on technical trails. It’s all about skill and fitness at the end of the day.