[Closed] 26 Ain't Dead

The problem is, unless you accept that a faster bike is a better bike a lot of the arguments for the different wheel sizes go out the window.

If I could ride as well as the laddy in that vid I'd be happy 26", 27.5" or 29" wheels on my sled.

Unfortunately I was born with FA talent and have to go to work for a living. 🙂

Sparklingchains, the point? you mean that noone is ever going to buy a 26" frame/bike ever again and every COMPANY with any stock are panic selling?

because all the people who brought into the hype over 29" are going to throw them in the bin (where there old 26" went) and go buy a 650b?

Is that your point? if so, it's a s##t point....

Craig is a ridiculously talented rider, World Cup level soon without a doubt.

Just talked myself out of a soul, this video doesn't help.

passtherizla - Member
yeah looks like it was a direct cotic diss? eeek. I own 2 and think they're ace.

You got the second one built up quickly 😉

doesn't alter the fact that i own 2... 1 being in the post is irrelevant. ;P

Does anyone know where the first trail in the video is? It looks really fun, berm jump berm jump! It looks a bit like Wharnecliffe but I don't recognise it!

Good, loose, balls out riding, there are a couple of edits though where he definitley throws himself into the scenery..not surprising really.

As for 26/27.5/29 I couldn't give a monkeys. All my bikes are 26" I love them all. I will continue to love them until such time as they need replacing then I will see what takes my fancy. I have no desire (and no chance) to be the quickest out there, but if I keep fit and smile a lot in the process I'll ride anything.

I want a "twitchy as a ferret on crack" sticker for my 26" bike.

As a Bfe owner I'm just embarrassed about how bad a rider I am after watching that ! FWIW you could make the same video with a Soul in my opinion.

Great video, fun fun fun. That's all there is. Cotic can sell you a 26 or a 29. Personally I have no interest in anything other than 26, I have two bikes, a stock of tyres and other bits, a frame waiting to be built up and zero interest in anything not compatible.

It does look like fun..this ferret on crack thing.

Jambalaya, I thought it was you on the video until I saw the riders face!

[i]I want a "twitchy as a ferret on crack" sticker for my 26" bike. [/i]

Maybe Charlie the Bikemonger can oblige with his next batch 🙂

There's going to be a market for 26" frames too for quite a long time to come.

Probably because no one will want one and there'll be a stockpile?

I'll admit as a 6ft+ rider I'm intrigued by 27.5 but even though the vid is ace 26" bikes either don't fit or look daft under me
26 will not die though I'm sure

Probably because no one will want one and there'll be a stockpile?

I'll admit as a 6ft+ rider...

Not everyone is a 6ft+ rider though, ay RoCkEtDoG? IIRC the average height for a UK male is 5'9/5'10 i.e. the perfect size to dominate a 26in steed

iainc
does make you wonder how they will approach the PR of dropping 26 for 27.5 if they ever do !!

Na, it's win win really, his hand will be forced because SRAM et al drop 26 components from the range and he can cull the 26ers citing lack of components without really losing face. The rebel fighting the good fight but ultimately being over powered.

Saying he's stuck with dead stock, as mentioned previously, it's a brand new shipment of frames in new colours.

That's just a massive pleasure to watch! Really makes you want to get out there!

MTB Rob - No my point is not "S##t".

I'm not and didn't say no one is going to buy 26" frames. It's obvious that many with 26" forks and wheels want a frame to match their current parts. Nor as you say, am I saying that those with 29'ers will chuck them and buy 650b bikes.

The point is it's unlikely a small company like Cotic can redesign their entire frame range to 650b that quickly and get them shipped over at the turn of a switch. They are just getting their Rocket frames delivered to people, it'd be a tall order to expect such an overhaul.

Seeing as many of us don't think the expense of 650b is worth it but would like a new frame, Cotic I'm sure will continue to do well but soon they'll be forced to move with the times just like everyone.

26" ain't dead but it's unlikely that Cotic will be a niche company only selling 26" and 29" bikes in the future.

Diggin the Ferret on crack video.

Now want a sticker for my bike too!

66 Deg
met a guy who works for Specialized (riding a carbon enduro 29er)and he indicated that Specialized are/ have looking at and prototyping 650bs.
Just wondered if that info helped?!

Meanwhile over on facebook.........

Mark Taylor:
Are you going to make a 650b Cotic?
Like · · 27 November at 12:36 via Mobile

Cotic: At some point.We'll do some work on it as the industry seems hellbent on it.

Whatever, Cy seems a great guy, their product and customer service is A1. I hope they go from strength to strength selling whatever they believe in. The video is cool and certainly inspired me to nick a downhill KOM off some mates with full suss on my soul on last nights night ride!

I'm pretty sure the whole 26 aint dead stance is pretty tongue in cheek if you go on the evidence of their previous videos ....size matters after all.

Also, is it just me or does the Bfe look much more at home being ragged than the solaris in that video!

PS is greg minaar missing the joke?

I really should take up fishing......... 😉

Finely tuned fishing?

Boring

Who the fock is Greg Minnnar?

At the end of the day, the "26 ain't dead" thing is just an excuse to make a video. The actual content is irrelevant so long as it makes people think and talk about the brand.

Case in point, I was out in the woods this morning on my Rocket and bumped into a guy who as soon as he saw my bike started talking about the video. Wheel size didn't come into it, it was just a brand associated with cool riding.

The guys obvioulsly have fun making them (John Horscroft for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars 😀 ?). Most, bar a few miserable oiks enjoy watching them. Cy hopefully sells more frames on the back of it, and he plows a fair amount of that money and influence back into the local riding scene. Happy days all round, we all benefit.

Oh, and loving the Minaar comment! 😆 😆

ot everyone is a 6ft+ rider though, ay RoCkEtDoG? IIRC the average height for a UK male is 5'9/5'10 i.e. the perfect size to dominate a 26in steed

Woohoo! 1st time I've been called above average 🙂

Nice video, and good rider, shame about the last bit of trails looking very much serp style tracks though, would have looked better down something a lot more technical and proved more a point than riding trail centre serp tracks. I hope cotic do well as they ain't being sheep and following the rest, instead they're going with what they know makes sense, no silly Jay boy 29r wheels or no bs 650 wheels, although like someone says above that unfortunately they're sooner or later gonna be forced into 650 but much much respect to them for sticking with 26 8)

no silly Jay boy 29r wheels

Er, which rock have you been hiding under pussy? They've been doing 29ers for a while now..

What is 'serp'?

Pussywillow hides under bridges, not rocks

"sparkingchains - Member
Finely tuned fishing?"

LOL very good. 😀

matt_outandabout - Member 
What is 'serp'?

POSTED 39 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Great question! 😀

A serp is basically short for serpentine and comes from the term serp rider which derives from the smooth serpentine trail in France which every new comer to the sport has been mislead and thinks it's a typical downhill track and so wear there full body armour, neck braces to fit in with the rest of the serps while riding down it on there brand new hardly used carbon fibre 650b full on dh bike which has been recommended to them by all the magazine's and marketing out there, the thing is, the serpentine track is more like a gravity fed pump track which gets very boring and predictable after the first berm and would be far more interesting riding down it on a shopping trolley.. I hope this has answered your question Matt. 😆

Pussy.

PUSSYWILLOW'S BACK! W000000!

PUSSYWILLOW'S BACK!

Cotic need to make a fat bike

cogitoergosum - Member
Whatever your wheel size preference, I doubt he'd have been able to chuck a steel 29er around on some of those trails with similar panache. A lot of the steep, serpentine trails in Northern England just ride better under a 26. 29ers feel like oil tankers where a tug would be more than sufficient.

Ha, tug.

PW is the second to mention the legendary Serp trails, these 2 must be riding in the same places 😉

Brill vid from Cotic as usual, just makes you want to get out and hoon down some trails but the only trouble i foresee with that notion is if i tried to ride like that i'd have at least a 4 month layoff with multiple fractures and possibly an expensive dental bill so instead i may tool up for the shite weather later t'day and go for a pleasant but very wet n' windy bimble instead....I'd love to "hoon" like i did 8 years ago but "bimble" is more my scene these days unfortunately...christ, i now own a bike with a rack...panniers and mudguards, who'd have thought that possible? - all i need now is a ctc subscription and a roadie style cap.

And as for Greg "Rad" Minaar?, Pfft!.....yada...yada....shut yer yank claptrap.

PS : I'm gonna see my local vinyl printers t'morn to enquire about some "twitchier than a ferret on crack" stickers, i'll adopt that saying into my life from now on.

Apologies kids, my choice of the word "serpentine" was ridiculous! I think I just meant steep, techy, and zig-zag(gy). Though I'm a few Black Sheep to the wind right now so who knows.

Is pussywillow an ex pinkbike grom? Chats like it

I don't get how PW didn't learn owt after tge last time he told that story. I just don't geddit.

And as for Greg "Rad" Minaar?, Pfft!.....yada...yada....shut yer yank claptrap

er..
[img] [/img]

Pussy.

'nuf said...

And as for Greg "Rad" Minaar?, Pfft!.....yada...yada....shut yer yank claptrap

mega lol

I think I stand in the third camp; not fusssed. I will buy whatever is ridiculously cheap or on sale. A bike companies nightmare.

If you showed me a £400 half decent 29'er hardtail rigid 2ndhand bike I would buy/ride it and not be fussed. Its all good, just different.

Rocketdog : I admit my mega fail and hereby deserve all STW ridicule 😕

I will buy whatever is ridiculously [s]cheap[/s] small

I'm going to buy a 650B just to annoy pussywillow...

I'll ride my 456C until they stop making 26" components, then I'll simply wack some 650b on her as if nothing happened.

Of course we all know this won't happen any time soon, so until then I'll just enjoy riding a bike.

I wonder - how about running 26 rear/27.5 front?

27.5 rear 29" front would make the trails immortal not just come alive

OK so i have re watched the vid following the handle bars all the way down to see how bad the drug addled ferret is and apart from one split second incident it all looked very good to me.
But i'll still buy the sticker if i'ts made!

Just marketing BS to push an out dated standard.

eBay will be flooded with Vintage NOS 2011 26" rims by Christmas.

[i]Just marketing BS to push an out dated standard[/i]

*s****s*

cogitoergosum - Member 
Apologies kids, my choice of the word "serpentine" was ridiculous! I think I just meant steep, techy, and zig-zag(gy). Though I'm a few Black Sheep to the wind right now so who knows.

Is pussywillow an ex pinkbike grom? Chats like it

POSTED 9 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

Aye up buddie, you need to look above for what the word serp rider is, you've got it wrong there mate, a serp track is the opposite of techy I keep telling you! 😆

Given that I can ride most of local trails on my cross bike, mtb wheelsize doesn't really matter; the joys of East Anglia!!

I also own a Cotic Soda and will stick with 26 until they stop making good tyres for the 26 size or the frame is damaged!

Cy - are you gonna start selling the t-shirts?

Want one 🙂

To be honest if he'd ridden that on a 29er, then due to the superior grip and traction, he'd most certainly have been as fast, but not so out of control.

No, he'd have flown out of the first berm!

Hora, instead of your 26 rear/650 front thought.. why not try 650 both ends? I tried dropping the hints earlier in this thread but the debate went on.. for no reason!

The reason that the world famous "American" 😀 mountain biker Greg Minaar is having a go at 26" is because he is about ready to retire from DH and join the rest of the former DH stars on the Enduro circuit. The bike Santa Cruz will pay him to ride and promote will be the Bronson a re-packaged Blur LT with 27.5 wheels.

Don't worry, the greedy con merchants that seem to run most big bike companies will re-package their bikes as 26" the new standard in a few years.

Minaar's comment's typical of his whining this season...... Getting as bad as Lopes for moaning and b*tching like a schoolgirl. Remember seeing Tracey Moseley schooling him and Lopes on Twitter earlier this year. Not a cool way for a pro athlete to behave.

Back on topic though, I love that video - he's properly ragging that BFE, and I know several very fast hardtail riders who have that kind of aggro, loose style - something like a BFE or a Slackline lends itself well. I think we'll see things becoming more sensible soon as riders select the wheelsize that suits their size, build and riding style best, rather than on the back of what they're told is the best.

Here here! Minaar is well known for his super smooth style but that's on a 10" travel V10. I think Gregory is selling that rider short with his comments. He looks out of shape at points because that's what it looks like when a really good rider rides a bit beyond what the bike is capable of. Lot's more body English required on a hardtail.

You can actually buy bikes that aren't 26" ???? They kept that quiet !!!! 🙁

RAD Video. Its mega donga. they need to make more and release it on DVD, its got potential to be the 200X's DIRT classic but better.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/preview-konas-2015-lineup.html

no carbon process, but looking at the dent in my process swingarma after a week in the alps, maybe thats a good thing!