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Oh, be a dear and answer the question would you? Yes I've read the thread, and I see nothing like what you suggest.
I suggest you read it again, properly this time.
wtf?be a dear
I would ride any of the three sizes but I will not be buying again until the current situation regularises and we know where the manufacturers are going to settle down. If I had to buy now due to breakage a rigid ss 29r would be my choice. I think 29 is probably the one size that will survive the present fiasco and someone whose riding is dominated by rolling hills it wouldnt sem to offer significant shortcomings.
I think 29r is most likely to survive due to the quantum of recent industry investment and marketing spin. If 29r dies then there is a risk of a pr backfire around the whole larger wheels are awesum message.
The most likely casualty would appear to be 26r at the minute. If i dont buy any more kit i can probably live with dumping the remnants in 3-5 years when i expect we might start to see a reduction in good tyres and riims if 650b fills the small wheel role very quickly.
So not going to answer the question then? Righto.
Probably worth pointing out that many 26' fred flintsone type relics can accommodate 650b wheels.
Elpanzer's tasty 650b Lapierre
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garage-dweller - Member
[s]I would ride any of the three sizes but[/s] [b]I will not be buying again until the current situation regularises and we know where the manufacturers are going to settle down.[/b] [s]If I had to buy now due to breakage a rigid ss 29r would be my choice. I think 29 is probably the one size that will survive the present fiasco and someone whose riding is dominated by rolling hills it wouldnt sem to offer significant shortcomings.I think 29r is most likely to survive due to the quantum of recent industry investment and marketing spin. If 29r dies then there is a risk of a pr backfire around the whole larger wheels are awesum message.
The most likely casualty would appear to be 26r at the minute. If i dont buy any more kit i can probably live with dumping the remnants in 3-5 years when i expect we might start to see a reduction in good tyres and riims if 650b fills the small wheel role very quickly.[/s]
POSTED 3 HOURS AGO #
I think this is what a lot of people will do, Its even hard to sell a second hand bike lately, it will all have a knock on effect and might even back fire on the industry!
I think this is what a lot of people will do, Its even hard to sell a second hand bike lately, it will all have a knock on effect and might even back fire on the industry!
I think you've posted this by accident with your trolling account. 😳
It makes sense.
The pussy always makes sense!
We have certainly kept an eye on this thread in our shop and there is some valid points here I must say
Still no sale of 29ers this week in one of our shops have sold a few 26 though so there is still life there I admit and the subsidence of non 29er sales shows this year .
I will go which ever way makes the industry tick over nicely in all honesty
If I'd bought an Orange Five 3 months ago I'd be peeved right now,
You buy your bike with it's resale value in mind?
I actually did something like this and I'm a bit miffed to be honest. They finally offer something to taller riders, a 22" frame, which I jumped on and bought. The next year release a whole host of far more interesting things appear.
I've genuinely never seen another 22" Five or anyone expressing the slightest interest in one. Now there's a 29er and 650b model I can't see why they would either. Curiously I'd seen it as a brand that would hold it's resale, as it's not changed in years, then it changes.
Oops.
Not that it hugely matters, its top fun anyway. It's about the one time I've splashed out though, usually get things on the cheap.
Toasty, ten years ago to the month I took possession of a brand new Sub 5. A couple of months later, the Sub 5 was dead and the 5 was born. I was gutted for a little while, however I have had ten years enjoyment out of the bike now. It's just about to be replaced by a 29er, so expect the industry to drop them in two months time 🙂 honestly enjoy your bike, everyone stop worrying about what the next big thing is. The bike you own is the one that'll give you the most pleasure.
Most of the mtb we sell are 29 but as a specialized dealer choice is a little limited
As that about all they offer above £500
Tbh the world is going road bike crazy
A mtb sales of any sort seem a novelty this year
Surely buying a Five last month is no different to buying one just before they put a kink in the top tube, or slackened the angles, or made the seatpost compatible with droppers, or went to a tapered headtube, or, or, or. The design evolves every few years, usually by a tiny amount. It never makes the older bike any worse, but hopefully makes the newer one a tiny bit better each time.
Changing the wheel size by 3% is probably one of the smaller changes really. In fact I'd wager that it's less significant than any other changes that they might have made as well (e.g. lighter shock mounts). If they've increased the chainstay length to fit in the larger wheel then that will probably have a bigger effect on the handling than the change in wheel size itself anyway.
bikeind - MemberWe have certainly kept an eye on this thread in our shop and there is some valid points here I must say
Still no sale of 29ers this week in one of our shops have sold a few 26 though so there is still life there I admit and the subsidence of non 29er sales shows this year .
I will go which ever way makes the industry tick over nicely in all honesty
It must be difficult for a dealer to second guess what's going to be in demand next season. Can you return bikes to distributors if you can't shift them ?
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Nope , sale or return is NOT how it works
if you buy a shed load of stuff at the start of the model year and it flops things get very depressing
At best you might get 30 day terms unless the wholesaler is desparate
edit
I only ever rode a cross bike and road bikes so for me a 29er felt natural and I can swop wheels between bikes. Apart from that I don't care. Wouldn't mind trying a 26er though just to be a bit niche.
I rode a 29er today. It was ace. Might do it again tomorrow.
We have 659b in stock right now which are showing great intrest
And the new spicy in 650b mode will be our flagship bike
We are plugging the 650b more at this present time
Won't there big a huge surplus of 26" bikes and parts that the industry will want to clear before going the whole hog with 29ers.
Reminds me of the television thing, LED plasma etc was slow to go untill the industry got rid of all it's 'normal' old style tellys.
oldgit - MemberWon't there big a huge surplus of 26" bikes and parts that the industry will want to clear
Manufacturers like to create an orderly market. Control excess discounting devaluing the brand. Old or excess stock sometimes gets crushed rather than let the plebs get their hands on it.
Manufacturers & distributors are getting better (i.e out of the dark ages) about forecasting so there 'shouldnt' be a massive stock dump at key season points.
Occasionally it still goes t*ts up though.
bikeind - MemberWe have 659b in stock right now which are showing great intrestAnd the new spicy in 650b mode will be our flagship bikeWe are plugging the 650b more at this present time
Where is your shop?
My LBS is full of 29ers, but then he's a Kona dealer.
Also, I see more and more 29ers about locally...
Whilst out riding I saw a horrific sight, deep in the woods; hundreds of 29ers all with skinny steel tubes and rust, thrown into shallow graves... I think it was the 650bzi's that had done this...
First they came for the singlespeeders,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a singlespeeder.
Then they came for the fatbikers,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a fatbiker.
Then they came for the 29ers,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a 29er.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.
Etc.
But 29er can backflip 🙂
bikeind - MemberWe have certainly kept an eye on this thread in our shop and there is some valid points here I must say
Still no sale of 29ers this week in one of our shops have sold a few 26 though so there is still life there I admit and the subsidence of non 29er sales shows this year .
I will go which ever way makes [s]the industry[/s] [i]the bike shop where I work[/i] tick over nicely in all honesty
Bmx's. They have small wheels and are fun to ride. Strava does not show how much of a good time you are having
As above, whatever you buy will be replaced sooner or later.
Bought my 18" Five two years ago. A month later they start offering a 17" frame which really would have been my ideal size. It didn't bother me as I enjoyed the bike I had.
Two years later I have no bikes with 26" wheels, just two great 29er's.....what next?
Just ride what you enjoy!
From my experience going from 26 hardtail to 29 was a huge improvement.
Riding my 26 suss next to my 29 suss the only real difference is the amount of grip the front wheel has. It feels like you can go into any corner as fast as you like and get away with it.
My 29 weighs a pound more than my 26 which I think is impressive given how much more the wheels weigh.
They may ride well but the look crap who wants a crap looking bike !
orangeboy - Member
Most of the mtb we sell are 29 but as a specialized dealer choice is a little limited
As that about all they offer above £500
Very true, but that has meant my wife and daughter got upgraded bikes which were relative bargains from our local Spesh stockist purely as the bikes were 26ers!
Another thing that gets me about the press coverage is that it seems to be focused on how 650b bring many of the benefits of big wheels without the negatives. If that's the case, why only talk of killing off 26ers? Why not say it's killing both by being best of both worlds / all rounder.
^ not trolling, genuine question that came to my mind when reading one of the mtb mags.
Against all my in-built prejudices, I recently bought an ex-demo 29er by accident. I was expecting to not like it, but actually my feelings are very mixed.
It seems to cover ground more quickly - hard to compare with the same variables of course, but consistently I ride at a higher average speed. It corners way better than I thought it would, and is handy on roots, rough stuff etc.
On the downsides, it slides hopelessly in muddy conditons (probably tyre choice), I could do with a wider gear ratio and worst of all it makes my 26" bikes feel really weird for the first half an hour or so. But after that it makes me realise just how much fun they are.
So in all honesty, the jury's out, to my surprise. Extrapolate that (as if I am the only rider in the world!), and you should have 26" bikes surviving, if it's a true consumer-driven market.
First they came for the singlespeeders,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a singlespeeder.Then they came for the fatbikers,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a fatbiker.Then they came for the 29ers,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a 29er.
That's me buggered on a singlespeed Surly Krampus then 😉
TBH, 29ers were niche for a few years, and then became mainstream.
They won't die as they have too many adherents, they just might become a bit more niche again.
27.5 is a great marketing and sales exercise for the bike industry, as like any industry their sales feed off the 'next big thing' and people needing/wanting to upgrade.
If one day at Swinley was anything to go by, sales of 29ers must be pretty good, saw maybe 10-15 in 4 hours there.
I may or may not be representative of what's going on right now in the "aftermarket".
I have a 2010 Mk2 Cotic Soul as my MTB and a 2012 Cotic X as my roadie / workhorse.
Three months ago, I needed some new forks for my Soul. I surveyed the market and found that most forks were available only with a taper steerer. I found that the Mk3 Soul had now gained a taper steerer tube and wider seatpost. The cost of new forks, Soul Mk3 and seatpost was well over a grand; for a bike with little discernable differences to my current Mk2 Soul.
This prompted me to look into a Solaris, which would require new forks, seatpost and wheels in addition to the frame itself. While this option would at least give me something "different", the cost of this little lot would have been over £1.5k for my preferred spec... before I even started thinking about different tyres, bars, chainset and cassette setups.
Both options were clearly an alarming pecuniary prospect - and then there was the uncertainty of 650b on the horizon.
I then took another look at what was available for my current Soul... Okay, so the Mk2 Soul doesn't allow for taper steerers, but there's nothing else really to write home about that's better on the Mk3.
I then found some totally bargainous Fox 32 120 RLC QR15 forks *with straight steerer* to plug into my existing Soul. The beauty of Fox forks is that the steerer can be changed to a taper if I want to in due course. I also committed myself to a respray of the Soul once the summer season is over. Hey presto - a fully modernised classic is re-born.
I didn't get around to answering the 29 / 27.5 / 26 dilemma, but I did at least sidestep the question for the time being.
The net result is that the bike industry has missed out on at least some of my spending for the time being. I'm probably also a better person. 😉
I don't actually seem to be able to find very many 650b bikes for sale at the moment, of the major online bike stores, some list none, others 1 or 2, some more, but very few about in general - suppose that will all change next year, but there are also less decent hardtails on the market I think.......
GT's most expensive 26" wheeled bike is going to be £500 next year I'm told.
I think for a 26" hardtail you're going to be seeing mostly steel for new bikes, they will be the new niche
...hardtail
....steel
new niche
You're kidding, right??
in 26" wheel variety......