kimbers - Member
why is that wheelsize in particular has upset everyone so much?Because it has a bigger effect than any of those. In fact probably a bigger effect than all of those combined. See your bike? Obsolete. You want to replace it? Ah sorry, it's worth half what it was yesterday Oh you want a new part for your existing bike? We stopped making it in that size. That new cool fork? We'll never make it for you. Serves you right for choosing the wheel size absolutely everyone uses eh.
it's like vhs, except your vhs player cost £4000 and actually worked pretty much identically to the new format which has tapes which are 0.000001% bigger.
If wheel size has more effect, that's MORE reason to keep more sizes to suit the type of bike (and bike size) being designed.
pjbarton - MemberIf wheel size has more effect, that's MORE reason to keep more sizes to suit the type of bike (and bike size) being designed.
Which isn't what's happening, what we're actually going to end up with is a narrower choice- 2 mainstream sizes which are closer together, and a remnant 3rd size.
Im not so bothered I suppose
My bike was at the end of its life cycle as well -2008 bike
frame, forks and wheels, meh I bought them all second hand anyway and they cost less than an XX1 groupset!
Id trashed the wheels
Id realised I wanted a different frame, plus bearings and shock needed servicing
Forks were OK though
I was still running 9speed and wanted a clutch mech
Initially I was going to get a new frame and swap bits over but realised I could get a shiny new bike, that was 650brilliant for not masses more than I was going to have to spend anyway.
So I sold the old stuff, only kept the brakes for my new bikes, bits and bobs will go onto my other bikes
Im getting my old hubs built onto some maybe carbon? new rims when I can afford it
I tend to keep bikes for a good 5 years so it didnt really work out so bad
Ive still got a 26inch hardtail and dh bikes Im more than happy with
and if in 5 years time the new standard is 31.25 inch wheels Ill probably by a new bike then
Ill just have to suck it up, MTB components only have a finite lifespan stuff needs replacing, deal with it 😉
kimbers - MemberMTB components only have a finite lifespan stuff needs replacing, deal with it
That's kind of the thing though isn't it? If existing parts lasted forever it wouldn't matter if you can't buy them any more 😉
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Because it has a bigger effect than any of those. In fact probably a bigger effect than all of those combined. See your bike? Obsolete. You want to replace it? Ah sorry, it's worth half what it was yesterday Oh you want a new part for your existing bike? We stopped making it in that size. That new cool fork? We'll never make it for you. Serves you right for choosing the wheel size absolutely everyone uses eh.
But does it? My hardtail has a 1 1/8" headtube - this means it won't accept most of the nice new forks on the market. It would happily run a 27.5 fork and I'd like the extra mud clearance to be honest. Its old style dropouts won't accept my 12x142 rear wheel on my full-sus. Rims are dead easy to make and there's a vast choice of tyres out there - tapered forks seem a more significant backwards compatibility and longterm support problem than 27.5 wheels are.
One other thought - can the average rider feel the upside of 27.5 vs 26 wheels more obviously than the upside of tapered vs 1 1/8 forks?
Does this mean Specialized will continue with both 26 and 29 as well as the new 650B Stumpjumper? Or does the 650b replace the 26 and 29? And will the 2015 Enduro be 650B?
The Pinkbike Antur Stiniog BDS video highlighted a few 650B wheeled bikes for Danny Hart - Giant, Gee Atherton - GT and Manon Carpenter - Saracen. There may have been others...
650b is replacing 26 end of story.
I think you will see 650 DH predominate most of the bigger teams bikes for the 2014, even the STW much hallowed Cotic Soul has gone 650.
For me going from same model 26 to 650b despite still recovering from a prolapsed intervertebral disc, my Strava postings ( for what they are worth) are all improved, given the muscle bulk loss and reduced fitness, please explain how this can be?. However I feel some of it is the geometry of the 650 bike rather than the wheel size per se!