What’s your thoughts on the wheel standards settling down, looking at and larger brands Spesh, Scott are dropping the 26 wheels from the ranges.

I’m a once every blue moon buyer (max) so I’m not sure if now the time to buy as If I find one I like It would be good to get spares wheels etc in two years time!!

When we’ve all bought one of each.

Being cynical it probably won’t!

29 is clearly here for a while and if I didn’t have a lot of pretty good 26r tyres to use up I would be tempted to sell all my 26r stuff (3 bikes worth) and go 29r one bike for everything. For what i ride – traditional xc and a trail centre trip a couple of times a year it really makes far more sense.

650b seems like something of nothing to me. If reminds me of how the old liberal democrats were shown in spitting image.

We are neither big wheels nor small wheels but somewhere in between…

Yeah, I’m not sure n the 650b thing really, Im of a mind set of going to 29er of sticking to 26 I’ve already got. I’m gonna demo both I hope them make my Mind up but I don’t want to end up with a good bike but with a odd standard!

I will stick with my 26’s probably unfairly I have made judgement on 29’s without even riding one.

Its a big wheel though, I don’t like my road bike, it has big wheels. I guess I’m a small wheel kinda guy. (24’s are too small though for clarification)

are DH/FR bikes going 29er?

I think wheel sizes have settled down to three sizes for “Mountain Bikes”. Take your pick based on preference, experience and intended use. To me all three sizes are good, just like having different sized frames for different sized people really.

looking at and larger brands Spesh, Scott are dropping the 26 wheels from the ranges.

Fast forward five years “new leap forward in stiffness and acceleration with specialized’s 26” wheel mountain bikes (compatible only with specializeds new 140mm rear hub and 17.5mm bolt through front schmaxle)

It won’t. Until my, patent pending, 651F comes out. That will be the new standard. Until 649G comes out.

Agreed Z11, I can remember reading MBUK as lad on how disc brakes will never go on XC bikes and 80mm of travel was extreme!!!

When the manufacturers no longer need to sell new bikes.

I don’t think you’ll see the demise of the 26″ wheel anytime soon – you have to remember that we (the sports/leisure users of the western world) are but a tiny drop in the worldwide ocean. Your average Chinese/Indian/Far Eastern cyclist isn’t looking at the same adverts as us!

Oh, and 650b has been around for 50 years or more, I believe.

Theres no real reason for them to either gravitate to one size or multiply in to dozens of sizes and standards. Theres no real reason that MTB wheels were 26″ in the first place other than there being an existing finnish knobbly snow tyre that fitted an old schwinn wheel when the bikes were first dreamt up. MTBs have just had 26″ wheels out of habit since.

Theres no reason why a DH bike should have the same radius rim as an XC bike, theres no reason why Mama Dirt should use the same radius of wheel as Ton. It would be perfectly sensible for there to be as many wheel sizes on offer as there are frame sizes, and for small medium and large versions of a bike to all have different size wheels. Or for small bikes to have large wheels and large bikes to have small ones. They’d all be bikes that would have their own merits

It would be perfectly sensible for there to be as many wheel sizes on offer as there are frame sizes

Except you don’t have to change your frame every time you get a puncture.

It’s going the way that recumbent and folding bike tyres used to be. We had:

16″ (305)
16″ (349) (that’s two sizes called 16″, almost 2″ different in size)
18″ (355)
17″ (369) (yes, 17″ tyres are bigger than 18″)
450A (390)
20″ (406)
500A (440)
20″ (451) (again 2″ bigger than the other 20″)

Quite a few bikes with the obsolete sizes are pretty much unusable – if you’ve got a lovely old Kingcycle you’re doubly stuffed as it runs 450A at the front, and an obsolete 24″ size at the back.

As a way of convincing people that their current bike is old-fashioned, while simultaneously making lots more bikes that will be obsolete in a few years, it’s a brilliant strategy.

The one I especially love is the manufacturers who take a frame built for 26″ wheels, and shoehorn in 650B wheels with thinner tyres. The outside diameter is the same (it has to be, for clearances)…

but without all those weirdy beard wheels Ben – you wouldn’t have a shop 🙂

True 🙂 It’s a lot simpler now it’s mostly settled down to 406 for almost all recumbents and most folders, with 349 for Bromptons – the 355 for Birdys is still a bit annoying. Only 6mm different…

…and I just got a fatbike demonstrator for the shop, so I’m just as guilty at promoting funny MTB tyre sizes as anyone.

When the manufacturers no longer need to sell new bikes.

pah – fat is yesterdays news – its all about half-tracks now

^^WANT!^^

That is brilliant! And proper riding attire too…

^^WANT!^^

surely you’ve already got a pair of plus fours flashy?

20″ (406)
…
20″ (451) (again 2″ bigger than the other 20″)

Just to throw in another standard, I have a tyre labelled 20″ here which fits on a 387 rim 😉

Oh yes, forgot them – but I can’t think of any recumbents that used that size…

maccruiskeen,I would sooner slam my love spuds in a kitchen drawer than play golf!

but I can’t think of any recumbents that used that size…

You must be able to have a guess what that’s used on though?

Oh, and I almost forgot my 26″ (571) wheels, which makes the complete collection of tyre sizes in my garage:
254
305
387
406
559
571
622

will probably add a 787 next.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX5HcB4cCzU[/video]

not sure which of these moves is “the love spuds”

edit: think its at 1.14

I think Bencooper hits it on the head really.

Happy to go for what I like the feel of after a demo it’s the future proofing, two years ago I doubt we would have though Spesh would drop 26 on all but the DH FR bikes.

I’m hoping to get some 80% off enve 26 rims as they are obsolete……… 😆

“650b seems like something of nothing to me. If reminds me of how the old liberal democrats were shown in spitting image.”

Apparently this size has been introduced as you cant get enough fork travel on the 29″

You must be able to have a guess what that’s used on though?

Something from Raleigh? They were awful about making up their own sizes for things.

I’m kind of disappointed Ben, given you own “one” and I gave an extra clue in the wheel size I plan to add next!

I do? Nope, can’t think of anyone I own with a tyre that size 🙂

http://brimages.bikeboardmedia.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/20120919-162901.jpg

http://brimages.bikeboardmedia.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/20120919-1617091.jpg

They wont there will always be TheNextBigThing(tm) coming along to try and part people away from their money

when we stop buying them

The next big thing…

Ben Cooper is such a geek it makes me feel funny inside 😀

I think Sheldon Brown sums it up best “29 Inch 622mm ISO This is a marketing term for wide (700c) tires”

So enjoy your road bikes off road lads 😆

I’m kind of disappointed Ben, given you own “one” and I gave an extra clue in the wheel size I plan to add next!

Don’t worry, I got it, even without knowing what size wheel they use!

It’ll ‘settle down’, but I can’t see that meaning that one, or even two ‘standards’ proliferate, I reckon all 3 are here to stay.

I can’t understand why companies are putting their eggs all in one basket with one size or another it’s crazy surely you’d provide what the customer wants not try and force them to buy what you think is the best.

I cannot work out whether it’s worth getting next years norco range working at evens I get really good deals on norcos but it only comes in 650b. Surpose I could jus chuch my 26 on it but again if 650b dissappears in a year or 2 when I’m looking to sell I could be stuck with a bike that’s worthless

Don’t worry, I got it, even without knowing what size wheel they use!

Are we talking cars here? No, of course not – they’re measured by radius not diameter.

I have tried out a 29er (about 18 months ago), which TBH did surprise me somewhat, only 100mm travel (full sus), but did feel more capable than slightly longer travel 26ers

But…. it wasn’t enough to make me want to ditch my 26″ wheels. For me 29ers seem to make most sense for taller riders, as I’m average height I’ll pass on this one.

I’m certainly in no rush to go 650b either. Until there is a good range of tyres/rims at a reasonable price for 650b then there is little point.

At no point have I been out riding & thought ‘this would be so much more fun if my wheels were slightly bigger’ – I own 3 26″ wheeled bikes & I’m more than happy with that 😀