I refurbished / repainted my Cotic Soul last year, when I took a look at the (after)market for build-it-yourself trail hardtails – and decided to sit out the wheel size conundrum for the time being.

Look closely and you’ll see that it’s a Mk2 Soul frame, complete with straight steerer. The forks are 2010 models with 2013 stickers; and the rims are 2008 DT 4.2 with post-2012 XR400 decals. 😉

I’d like to replace some more parts now, but I notice that the momentum appears to be gathering strongly behind 27 and 29er options.

I always upgrade bikes incrementally, but (for example) my options for straight steerer 26er forks are definitely on the wane now.

I could find stuff to take me through another year or two of use, but all the main 26er parts look like they’re being discounted as stock clearance.

Is now the time to bite the bullet and jump to another wheel size?

I am in exactly this dilemma. MyFS frame has snapped and I need another but can’t find a new 26″ frame to replace it. I could buy second hand but should I change wheel size now? Which wheel size is of course the next question. There already seem less 29ers about than a few years ago, everything seems 27.5. I do rather resent having to make these choices when not long ago I could have simply bought a new frame and of course it would have been 26″.

Nah. Although you sound like you’re talking yourself into it! Still plenty of wheels to be had, and you could find a fork with a bit of searching.

Do youself a favour and take the stickers/decals off, it’ll make the bike feel ageless 😉

Not many skinny tubed throughout, 27.2mm, 2x bottle boss frames out there now. You might regret it later.

I really don’t understand what the problem is – how can you meaningfully upgrade the forks,there are no problems with handbuilt wheels and the rest is non size specific.

By all means get a 27.5/29 but parts isn’t really the justification.

all the main 26er parts look like they’re being discounted as stock clearance.

Sounds like an ideal time to buy a few 26″ specific parts then 🙂

Surely the time to upgrade is when you can’t find a part that you want to replace, not when those parts are still available and cheaper than ever. But then I’ve always assumed that people who upgrade because of concerns about future availability of spares are just desperately looking for an excuse.

IMHO, 26″ is no problem. There will be options for ages.

Non-taper steerer is slightly more of an issue. There’s still plenty of options but some of the latest-and-greatest are out of the picture (ie. Pikes). If you’ve got upgrade-itis then there’s still lots of options fork-wise without even changing them (eg. PUSH tuning, Avalanche damper, Kashima to match your nice new decals).

My Bandit got nicked at the weekend and I’ve taken that as an omen to abandon 26ers. Looking around I couldn’t find an available frame that really took my fancy so seeing as I needed wheels and forks I went for a 29er.

Yeah, I fear I’ve had chronic upgraditis since about 1994. 🙁

I’ve looked into 29ers before (see recent thread) and I especially like the idea of having interchangeability across both my MTB and “freeroad” drop bar bike – but I’m not sure that the wheel size is right for my riding.

The 650b movement is primarily driven by the OEM players, but it looks to be creating a lack of investment in new 26er format stuff in the after-market.

Nice bike. Nah just keep running it and enjoy the cheaper parts.

I could find stuff to take me through another year or two of use, but all the main 26er parts look like they’re being discounted as stock clearance.

Buy the cheap bits and keep riding = part of the solution.
Give in to fashion and marketing = part of the problem.

🙂

Worth trying a 29er if you’re a hardtail fan, I reckon.

I’ve found mine a lot better almost everywhere than my previous LT HTs.

chakaping – Member
Worth trying a 29er if you’re a hardtail fan, I reckon.

I’ve found mine a lot better almost everywhere than my previous LT HTs.

Please qualify? – I raced my 26er last night and was bettering 29ers in specific areas, so how could is that sweeping generalisation the case?

I could find stuff to take me through another year or two of use…

Then just do that.

In theory two years from today the whole 650b thing will have settled down a bit more, and we should start to see the odd bargain about in in new standard wheels and forks, plus there will hopefully be some more equivalent options to your Soul frame: what will you be after? Steel, 44mm head tube, 650b geometry, larger dia’ seat tube for a dropper? there’s a couple already, but why not give it some more time so there’s a few more choices when you do switch?

Rather than jump on the bandwagon this close to the start, and pay close to top whack when you’ve already got a pretty sweet ride for the next 24 months or so, fight the Upgradeitis and enjoy the bike you’ve got for a while…

Is this the moment to swap from my 26er to another wheel size…?

Due to a worry about getting parts.. Nope.
The time to change is when you test one and realise it’s better than your current bike. That said there’s loads of 650/29er’s with differing geometry/rides, so even if you try one you don’t like, it’s not a the reason not to try another..

cookeaa +1

I bought a new Soul just over a year ago in the knowledge that it will likely be my last 26’er, but happy that it should give me 3 yrs of fun riding (it’s my only MTB now). Yes, if I was buying new today I’d be getting the 27.5 version, but that’s not the point. If you can keep the 26 one going until you cant get the parts you want then that’s the time to change IMO

edit – and from reading about the Soul, for example, there is chuff all difference in the ride between the 26 and the 27.5 one

Buying with an eye to futureproofing makes sense. But replacing things today, purely to futureproof, makes none- you’re just bringing the replacement date forward.

I’d be tempted to put nicer wheels in that, which you should be able to find cheaply. Nothing wrong with anything else.

Sage advice chaps.

Northwind – I don’t think I’d get much better than my current Hope Pro2 / DT rims, but the tyres are definitely on the way out.

Yeah “futureproofing” with bicycles is a bit of a flawed concept IMO, and simply serves to keep people constantly out of pocket, there will always be something new and awesome that’s just come out, why worry about it?

The basic laws of physics won’t change during the time you own this bike. the enjoyment and sensation of riding won’t be significantly dented by the knowledge that your axles could be 12mm higher if you’d chopped this one in and spent an extra £1k…

Its only when your off the bike browsing the Interweb and Magazine guff that thoughts of having a bang “Up to date” bike start niggling at you… Read less, ride more, quietly scoff at fools riding expensive new bikes…

The OP’s is a great bike, its waaay better than mine, I’d happily ride it for several more years and try to wring every last bit of £-per-mile-per-smile Value out of it that I could….

Now is not the time to “upgrade”, now is the time to Enjoy your bike and save, having some cash available to throw at the next bike is your “futureproofing”…

I’ve found mine a lot better almost everywhere than my previous LT HTs.

Please qualify? – I raced my 26er last night and was bettering 29ers in specific areas, so how could is that sweeping generalisation the case?

Erm, note I made a personal observation not a sweeping generalisation. And advised the OP to “try” a 29er, not buy one blind.

But in a nutshell…

– Much better at keeping momentum on the flat, far outweighing small extra effort to get up to speed.
– Great climbing traction
– Skims over cobbles, rocks, roots and other small or mid-sized obstacles which would slow a 26er far more
– Rollover ability adds confidence on steep tech, decreasing chance of front wheel stalling. Wheelbase also helpful here.

The drawbacks which people attribute to 29ers are probably true to a greater or lesser extent – but all much less significant than I had expected.

HTH

🙂

29er hardtails are good fun, but getting the right geometry is crucial, mine has a very steep head angle so really is a cross country mile muncher rather than a fast chuck anywhere fun machine. (always learns the leason the hard way)

my 650b full sus is great but my smile is always wiped off my face at the complete lack of discounted 650b components. keep with 26″ for a few years and you’ll have saved enough to buy a 650b out right as a second bike!

To be fair, I’m doing quite well on the VFM front with this bike:

– Frame: 4.5 years old, repainted with custom decals & head badge in 2013
– Forks: 2 years old, new decals
– Wheelset: Hope Pro 2 (F) and Pro 2 Evo (R), at least 5 years old
– Finishing: Thomson stuff >6 years old
– Gears: XTR 3 years old

🙂

New contact points and tyres make most bikes look fresh.

29er hardtails are good fun, but getting the right geometry is crucial,

Yeah, I was lucky to get it right first time. Trek Stache suits me down to the ground.

chakaping – Member
I’ve found mine a lot better almost everywhere than my previous LT HTs.
Please qualify? – I raced my 26er last night and was bettering 29ers in specific areas, so how could is that sweeping generalisation the case?

Erm, note I made a personal observation not a sweeping generalisation. And advised the OP to “try” a 29er, not buy one blind.

chakaping – Member
Yeah, I was lucky to get it right first time. Trek Stache suits me down to the ground.

I think its important for the OP to realise your points are also orientated toward you having the right bike right geometry that suits you.

You / and he could bike the “wrong” bike of any wheel size and it’d feel like a bag of nails.

I have a Titus fireline 29er that I was smashing my Strava times on. Took out my 6 year old 26er cannondale prophet today and smashed my Strava times both up and down even more. Was suprised. The biggest differences to what speed I go are conditions on the ground and how I am feeling but you can change a lot on your bike with smaller changes like wider bars/shorter stem and different tyres.

Well, to conclude matters today, I just bought some new tyres – so the Soul lives on.

Vive le 26er. 🙂