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My newest bike is a 26er.
I was thinking of sticking an angleset and a 180mm pike on my 2015 Giant Reign along along with some 26 inch wheels to go with my beard.....then I'd be cool.
Both my bikes are 26 too. One is a 2014 model and just a year old now, the other is 2013 bought 2nd hand as a winter sacrifice. Early 650B switchers are in the same position as us 26ers with the Boost Hub 110 fork and 148 rear situation... I feel for the ones who were hoping they were buying into the future (at least a few years worth anyway) only to be told there's a new boost wheel build to do on their new rims and new hubs to buy and to make it all match up a whole new fork for their next frame so I don't think we're any worse off at the moment.
In fact there may be a shortage of non boost 650B stuff before 26 supplies run dry as there's a lot more 26 folk out there than the now defunct first-gen 650B. Resale values will be worse on those bits than ours.
I wouldn't buy anything non boost now I know about it. The two things should have happened together - 650B and Boost. It's so frustrating for everyone.
Now if that's not an opinionated can of worms I've opened I don't know what is?!!
I love my 26 inch bikes. They're brilliant fun. I hope to get this next season out of them at least. I may have new-bike envy by next November anyway and hopefully the whole standards issue will have sorted itself out by then. Or it won't and I'll try to eek out another season. I will be more inclined to keep my perfectly good 26 inch frames going as long as possible if they don't settle things down for the smaller wheel sized bikes.
Kona just announced a new 26 inch DH bike so they must have confidence in 26 inch being around long enough to service their bikes. Maybe it's the start of a comeback for 26 inch?
gelert - MemberI wouldn't buy anything non boost now I know about it. The two things should have happened together - 650B and Boost.
That'd have completely defeated the purpose of boost tbh.
i don't see the point of boost to be honest. certainly not something that i wish my 650b bike had been specced with. Plenty of 650b non boost bikes available
Why is 148 rear even an issue, you can still buy 135mm hubs for christ sake....anyway whats so hard about sticking 26 inch wheels on a 650b bike if you love 26....all it does is drop the bb by half an inch. You can make that up with an external headset cup or longer forks.
It's just my opinion. I bought a brand new 26 inch bike when 650B was already around for a little while so my own future analysis isn't exactly fantastic, is it, or was it? It worked for me though and that's all that counts. I got the bikes at a discount and I'm happy that I'm not likely to get a lot for them when I sell them and I'm also trying to get maximum value and fun out of them.
If non boost 650B works for you who am I to disagree?
You're not likely to wish your 650B had been specced with boost if you've already bought one (it's like the emperors new clothes) but if you're looking at buying one why buy into a small fragment of the market that's being made obsolete already?
Proper boost hubs make larger wheels stiffer with better spoke angles and help run wider rims better (not + size, just 26-30mm internal width).
I think to sell the benefit of 650B and Boost and a new Frame that is properly different at the same time would have helped everyone. The wheel would have felt stiffer and possibly rolled more noticeably faster too. 26 inch wheels wouldn't fit the frame either so you'd know where you stood and not be tempted to fit them or re-lace them. It would feel like it'd been thought through as a new whole bike concept with added real world performance benefits a bit better.
It just makes more sense to me that way anyway. In my opinion it's a better whole change package that way.
I'd have been happier to let go of the 26 inch stuff if it had been sold that way anyway.
Happy trails. Have a fun Christmas whatever you're riding.
I'm on 27.5 these days, not because I wanted bigger wheels but because I liked the geometry of the frame (Switchback). I can't say that I notice a huge amount of difference over 26inch bikes but I like the way it rides.
At the end of the day, there are good and bad bikes in all wheel sizes.
The boost thing does stink, happening so soon after 27.5 seems to have gained a strong foothold in the market.
Pretty sure boost was developed by Trek to give 29" wheels the same stiffness as 650b wheels, other manufacturers seem to have taken it on board for 650b! 650 Remedy still has a 142mm back end.
im loving my saracen 14x and 16x frames. 26 deffo aint dead for me
They were/are great bikes....nearly cried when my 142 was stolen....nearly, probably dust in my eye or something.
Cotic have a short video on Instagram featuring a rocket 275 but with 26" wheels. An update to follow they say.
really interesting..
i guess that the update says that the rocket275 with 26" wheels is even better than the original 26" rocket...long and low and all that... 😉
and..
I´m still wondering that 6 months ago there was a thread about the Bfe 275...
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/come-on-cotic-anyone-else-waiting-for-the-delivery-of-bfe-275s
and nobody answered to it...