[Closed] Cotic ~ 26" Ain't Dead, But It's A Dying Breed

Just read this myself. Very sad, an end of an era.

My rather battered Mk 1 will get some extra love.

26" will be the Vinyl of mountain-biking. You read it here first.

Phew! Good job Mrs W got her 26" Soul the other week then 😀

I am genuinely shocked at how suddenly the 26" bikes seem to be disappearing. All those horror stories about it vanishing seem to be coming true.

Although a recent convert to a 29 er, I did feel it was less nimble to the rest of the fleet , which are 26 ers, for my Swinley ride last weekend and that the C456 would have been a much better choice, although I wanted to try it out and see for myself.

I am genuinely shocked at how suddenly the 26" bikes seem to be disappearing.

Nothing sudden about it, in 2010 in the USA, 29ers were outselling 26 in the mid to up market segments. The introduction of 650B has then speeded the demise of 26". Cotic were already behind the curve when they put out that daft advert.

Yeah, I know the Americans have long had it in for 26", but over here 29" seemed much more of a niche (let's please not get into a better/worse debate here!) until very recently. I did an event a few weeks back in Surrey and was looking at wheel-sizes (as you do), unscientifically I would say that almost every bike was 26" - they do seem to predominate. I guess my point is that sadly I think that is now going to change very quickly.

(Caveat - I do confess that I own a 29er - I wanted to try one despite my heavy 29-scepticism and bought it as an ex-demo on a whim. And yes, it's a Cotic).

Cotic were already behind the curve when they put out that daft advert.

Daft?
155000 views on Vimeo
127000 view on youtube
Driving people to Cotic to see what other products they do.
Struck a chord in the UK as that was the point in time it was beginning to change.

Job done I'd say.

Not to mention that there are still more BFe26* being made... and how old is the video now?

[i]*the daft bike in the daft video[/i]

Nothing sudden about it, in 2010 in the USA, 29ers were outselling 26 in the mid to up market segments. The introduction of 650B has then speeded the demise of 26". Cotic were already behind the curve when they put out that daft advert.

Lots of things happen over there, and we don't follow suit, tbf.

Lots of things happen over there, and we don't follow suit, tbf.

Name some.

Guns 😉

baseball...well i suppose it is rounders

Name some

Bad chocolate, shooting the homeless, everyone driving V8 cars....

Lots of things happen over there, and we don't follow suit, tbf.

MTB wise?

Was going to say shite beer, but lots of their microbrewery stuff is awesome now. 😀

Change is driven by the people who actually buy things, not those who keep on using their old stuff and harping on about how good it is.

If people were still buying 26" Souls, there would be no reason to stop making them.

Okay, MTB wise. We can still buy steel hardtails?. 😀

Edit - No decent mud clearance?

simon_g - Member
Change is driven by the people who actually buy things, not those who keep on using their old stuff and harping on about how good it is

Except, of course in this case, where it was driven by the industry.

MTB Wise? All sorts that they do that we don't.

Long stems.
Being vastly more interested in climbing than descending.
Steep head angles (they have only just started catching up).
Short bikes (again, they are just starting to get it).
Lycra in the majority of circumstances.

Americans are really quite different to us in bike terms, look how long it's taken Santa Cruz and Specialized to make long, slack bikes like Orange Alpines, Commencals etc.

Cotic were already behind the curve when they put out that daft advert.
Daft?
155000 views on Vimeo
127000 view on youtube
Driving people to Cotic to see what other products they do.
Struck a chord in the UK as that was the point in time it was beginning to change.
Job done I'd say.

Yea, so popular they can't shift them according to their own website & aren't making anymore

Having said that I bought my first 26" wheel since 2009 this morning 🙂

wonder if my 2013 Soul will become a collectors item and start increasing in value 🙂

wonder if my 2013 Soul will become a collectors item and start increasing in value

to a museum maybe 😉

Shame really, a few big boys have come in with their latest thing and smaller companies have to scrap perfectly good models because people washed away with marketing and won't buy their perfectly good bikes with a perfectly good wheel size.

I'm beginning to think that the consumer is also the idiot in all this as well as the bike industry. Seems like there's a lot of suckers out there.

The (Mk1) 26" Soul is not dead until MrsMC says that:

a) it is; and

b) I can have something to replace it.

Maybe Cy could drop her an email on my behalf?

Yea, so popular they can't shift them according to their own website and aren't making anymore.

If anything the fact more BFe26 are being made but not more Soul26 suggests that daft video might have lengthened the life of the BFe26 due to extra interest sent Cotic's way. Still seems weird that you have to point out to people with a daft video that a 26 bike might be fun/useful/relevant, but then I suppose there's a constant drip drip of marketing and drivel from people on the forums to have to counteract.

p20 looks like we have to get the Souls out and my 26 ain't dead tshirt for a memorial ride at the weekend!

This is what happens when most consumers out there are suckers! A bit of flashy marketing and they lap up a new pointless standard that provides nothing more than the opportunity to empty their wallet on new wheels, frames, forks and tyres!

Unfortunately this then has a negative impact on the people who aren't complete mugs as companies have flogged enough crap, they can withdraw the older standard to try and force everyone into buying new gear!

This was not lead by consumers, it was because the big companies stopped making 26ers. Even if you opted for the smaller brands you were worried about future upgrade compatibility.

A bit of flashy marketing and they lap up a new pointless standard that provides nothing more than the opportunity to empty their wallet on new wheels, frames, forks and tyres!

It's not that we're lapping it up due to marketing - we're not being given the choice. People are buying 27.5 because it's in the shops, not because they prefer it.

Time will tell how long 26 remains supporetd by tyre, rim and fork manufacturers.

[i]Time will tell how long 26 remains supporetd by tyre, rim and fork manufacturers.[/i]

It'll probably completely disappear like 8 speed and v-brakes...

Time will tell how long 26 remains supporetd by tyre, rim and fork manufacturers.

Not for long I expect. A fair few people that I know, including myself, who have 26in bikes are now hoarding parts for the expected future famine. Forks especially, getting your hands on a new pair of 26in 1,1/8th forks is already becoming a pain. In any case I can't get rid of my 26in bikes as I've got a garage full of barely used tyres left to wear out.

I'm going to be in trouble then. I bought 3 expensive MTBs with insurance money in 2007. That's going to cost a fair bit to modernise.

There's a chance I could get 27.5 into my race bike.

Who's going to be the first company to make a "retro" 26?

i like 26" bikes,and find it sad that they are being discontinued by the industry.

an not tall,so 26" is ideal for me.

You can still buy 650a tyres, and 27". Along with rims. It'll be fine.

It's a question of choice though. Can I still get the tyres/forks I actually want in my size?

Most of the guys I ride with are still on 26'ers and 29'ers - none of them have even considered 27.5 as far as I know! I still see a lot of 26'ers but also when when the weather is good and the whole world descends on Surrey Hills I see a lot of 27.5'ers, difficult to tell if one is wining over the other.

I agree though there seems to have been a big push from some companies wrt 27.5, almost like we better get on the bandwagon or get left behind and it's nice to see some companies still maintain a 26' fleet.

the latest article on PB does not make life any easier for 26'ers either
and just seems like more guff for us to buy into

[url= http://www.pinkbike.com/news/fox-announces-2016-float-34-for-275.html ]27.5plus forks![/url]

Got three fit for purpose 26ers, if it get to the point I can no longer maintain them I might just call it a day.

If I'm forced into buying big wheels it'll be second hand, one thing I know for sure is I will never buy new again.

26" will be the Vinyl of mountain-biking. You read it here first.

^this.

However, if riding with [i]slightly[/i] smaller wheels than the norm suddenly becomes hipster chic, then I'm oot.

Tried several 29ers which were awful! Surprising as they are basically fatter cross bikes. Haven't tried 650 yet, but can't see me changing my 26ers anytime soon

Instead of buying into a new bike/wheel size to make them a better rider i'd hazard a guess that the vast majority of folk (85%*) who ride an mtb would benefit far more with keeping their existing 26" bike and booking a genuine skills session with someone who can read a persons position on the bike and interpret that into how they could make improvements.

* - totally made up figure.

I bought/built myself a new 26" wheeled bike a few years ago so i'm not changing, then again i do have the skills to ride it. 😉

Tried several 29ers which were awful! Surprising as they are basically fatter cross bikes.

Oh dear 🙄

A skills session won't help you as the advantages of bigger wheels is a better ability to roll over rough stuff and better traction. Why not get a 29er and a skills session and absolutely destroy 26ers 😉

Instead of buying into a new bike/wheel size to make them a better rider

I cant say I've ever bought a bike in the belief it will make me a better rider, I doubt most people do.

It's not all marketing though. I had a very lovely Kitsuma Ti about six years ago. I tried a cheap 29er with an open mind and the Kitsuma was sold on soon after.
Then I bought a very, very expensive and lovely 29er and tried a fatbike with an open mind. Now the 29er i languishing 😕

Which fat bike, bedmaker?

I don't want to change my bike(s) as long as they make rims and tyres I reckon I'll be good for years...if needs be I can fit a 27.5 fork onto my 26er if they're no longer avalible if/when my forks pack in.

I owned a mark 1 and a mark 2 and they were great, but amongst all the weeping, wailing and nashing of teeth here, aren't there any folks who love the 27.5 Soul? I've not ridden a 650b but it looks like it has the makings of a great bike and Cotic have kept the frame weight pretty low - nearly the same as the 26er.

Why are people who buy 650b suckers and falling for marketing hype? Surely they're just getting the current trend when buying a new bike? When all we had were 26" did you all insist on buying a bike classed as old tech or did you just get the current 'best buy'?

The suckers are those buying new 26".

Glad to see all those who froth at the mouth about change are back though. You've been missed.

For the record all my working bikes are 26".

Tried several 29ers which were awful!

Well my inbred853 has finally been retired, however I've just bought a second hand Salsa A La Carte from the bay, well chuffed, as I've been after one for years.
Wheels size, meh, got 14", 20", 24", 26" & 29" in the inbred hoosehold and apparently the Salsa can run 650b/ 27.5" if required.
When are the 32ers oot?

I bought a 26" BFe in December. Why? It was a frame swap, all the bits I swapped over were 26".
No doubt i will struggle to find bits in the future, but I am not bothered. I am sure tyres will still be availableand until then I wil just ride my bike.

Which fat bike, bedmaker?

Salsa Mukluk, then OO Fatty, currently custom Shand

My full sus is still 26 inch but can take 650b by swapping the drop outs. The hardtail is 650b, not because I wanted bigger wheels but there wasn't that much choice to stick with 26 inch. I've already had a BFe and didn't like it and needed something bigger than my Slackline 853.

To be honest, it's a great bike but I think that's more down to it being a good bike rather than the wheels.

Parts shouldn't really be an issue...look at some of the really, really old stuff that is kept going and used on Retro Bike.

I've just fitted new Rebas and a Reverb to my Mk3 Soul 26". Ive only had it a few weeks, but I'm really impressed with it.

Read the hype believe the hype buy the hype Penny farthings good for fire roads going up hill possible some cross country.

26 " aint will never be never will die period.

People are buying 27.5 because it's in the shops, not because they prefer it.

This for me. I bought a new bike last year - a Bird - and 650b is the only wheel size it comes in. I also looked at the Trek Stache and the Soul, 29" and 26" respectively. It was the spec, reviews and good vibe from the company that decided it for me. And because I'd read so many times there was no noticeable difference between 650 and 26", I wasn't really too worried about it 🙂

26 " aint will never be never will die period

Er...did you read cotic's press release? They've finally emptied the shed of obsolete frames they were pushing desperately& they aren't buying in anymore because they don't want to be stuck with them. a bit of back pedalling I grant you but it's all down to economics really.

Time will tell how long 26 remains supporetd by tyre, rim and fork manufacturers.

It'll probably completely disappear like 8 speed and v-brakes...

I have 4 mtbs; All with 26" wheels, 1 1/8 steerers and threaded BBs. Two have 8 speed and v brakes (on canti frames), two with 9 speed and discs.

Given that you can still buy 27" rims and tyres, for bikes phased out 40+ years ago, the only issue will be finding brand new forks and brakes in the medium to long term future. Obsolescence brings discounts, I'm set for life!

Er...did you read cotic's press release? They've finally emptied the shed of obsolete frames they were pushing desperately& they aren't buying in anymore because they don't want to be stuck with them. a bit of back pedalling I grant you but it's all down to economics really.

> sigh <

More BFe26 on the way and still Soul26 in stock (for now), so you can buy either if you want. If you don't want to buy either, you don't have to, but you're welcome to bang on about it. And there wasn't a press release. And the shed isn't empty.

I don't care
Iv got my 26er fleet just how I want it - including a lovely mk1 soda which I just upgraded.
Managed to get some nice fox forks and Thomson dropper despite my old fashioned 1,1/8 and 27.2 dimensions. It's these standards I'm most worried about so better look after these new bits. I reckon I will always be able to get semi descent 26er rims

still Soul26 in stock (for now),

Hope this latest advert gets rid of them for you, I'm sure I read somewhere that soul26" isn't economically viable anymore, can't think where I read it...

Oh yes, here http://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/26-aint-dead-but-its-dying-slowly/ looks like there's a quote from cotic's website too, if that's not a release to the media I think you might be a little confused by how a website works & should contact STW to stop them publishing it on their site?

I still ride a 26 and avoid companies that only stock 27.5 (cough Giant) and and certainly not bullied by any bike company - how sad would that be???

But neither are cotic buyers. Cy's comments says it all

At the current level of sales compared to the 27.5 Soul and 29 Solaris we can't justify another batch of Soul26. We need to be able to move at least a batch per year, and over the last 12 months it has dipped below this point, whereas Soul275 sales have rocketed right from the moment we introduced it.

So the choice was there and the consumers not the suppliers made it. Simple market forces. What is the problem?

We've always said we are all about building Modern Steel Hardtails. If that doesn't include 26" wheels anymore, then so be it.

Quite

So, if you want an awesome 26" wheel, light weight, zippy trail hardtail, this is your last chance. Once they're gone, they're gone. You can order yours here:

There you go, free choice....

26 " aint will never be never will die period.

Then...

Er...did you read cotic's press release?

Did [b]you[/b] read what he wrote? It's almost an anagram of a sentence and reminded me of "I would like to spend an evening with Nicholas Parsons because...never, ever, ever, bloody anything ever"?

Just so it's clear, 26 was never alive and therefore can't be dead. Something like 'Some previously available 26 inch wheeled bicycles will no longer be produced for sale' although a little less catchy, would be better and less likely to cause this wheelsize hysteria.

[img] [/img]

R.I.P.

[img] [/img]

o7

Always find it amusing to see how defensive the Cotic fans get over any perceived criticism of the brand. Any one got their new Rocket yet or has a robot dinosaur eaten them just as they were about to land?

I'm assuming Cotic still rank higher then Bird? Could someone put a PSA up when this is no longer the case.

Isn't this the same as the Yeti SB66? Everyone says it's a great bike, but no-one's buying because of the wheel size, so it's no longer worth manufacturing.

Did you read what he wrote?

Yes & I also remember the threads where I was criticized for saying Cotic where only promoting 26" because they missed the memo about 27.5, ordered too many 26" & were trying to shift them with the promise of future support. It seems that stock is now almost gone & it's time to about face. I'm glad it was a successful strategy & they haven't lost out financially for the mistake it's just a bit galling they are now being defensive about it.

Just unloaded the last few parts of my final 26" bike. My first 29er is on the stand and almost finished 🙂

Don't forget the sugar in the bad news medicine…

There are MORE BFe26 frames on the way!
How many other bike companies are still making a 26" wheeled bike to meet demand?

Edit: Actually, I've just thought of 5 others without even trying, so perhaps I should shut up.

There are MORE BFe26 frames on the way!

I bet someone is regretting ordering those

How many other bike companies are still making a 26" wheeled bike to meet demand?

I bet someone is regretting ordering those

Or alternatively, company in sees a gap in the market that other's aren't filling for which there are customers shocker. I think given the fuss people made at the time of the switch to 650B having a push that said "hey, if you still want a 26" frame we have them" made a lot of sense. It's now clear that for some types of bike it doesn't make sense so you stop doing it.

I'm really not sure why it's something to get irked about.

that strategy worked the first time, might as well rehash it Again

The strategy of making 26" wheel frames for people who want them? Why not?

Rocketdog, your logic is brilliant. "Cotic are only pushing 26 because they have loads in stock to sell." "Dude, they ordered more" "Yeah? Well that just mumble mumble" Demonstrably they weren't just trying to clear out old stock.

Whether it turns out to have been a mistake to order more Bfes is a different question, but the 2 things you think they deserve criticism for are mutually exclusive

Arent the BFe frames a lot cheaper than the Soul? Surely that is why they have been selling well?

There is 3 types of Bfe buyers,
1 they buy with in a budget, so Bfe is cheaper than Soul
2 got a load of good 26" kit about but 2nd hand parts are going for not alot so they keep and build up a play/winter/pib/N+1 bike
3 they what a HARD hitting hard tail that can take up to 160mm forks for 4x/jumps/DH Oh and guess what a 26" is prob the best wheels size for that type of riding, so there still market for it.

2 got a load of good 26" kit about but 2nd hand parts are going for not alot so they keep and build up a play/winter/pib/N+1 bike

Yep, I think there's quite a market for people upgrading their full-sus but instead of just buying a new 26" frame and transferring wheels and forks they're scared to spend a load of money on a 26" frame so go 27.5". That leaves them with a load of unused 26" kit and what better place for it than an awesome hardtail?

I can't see any reason to replace my 26" Soul until it breaks irreparably (I'm assuming it'll weld back together for quite some time after the first crack eventually appears!) A great (mostly wintertime) alternative to my 27.5" full-sus.

The strategy of making 26" wheel frames for people who want them? Why not?

😆 not again, oh well...
"At the current level of sales compared to the 27.5 Soul and 29 Solaris we can’t justify another batch of Soul26"