Anyone else stuck in the 26" and obsolete standards 'rut'?

Starting to realise that having a 26″ framed, full suss bike that only takes a straight steerer sucks. It’s a Commencal Meta 55 and is a great bike.

It does have issues though, the first is weight. It’s great going down but can be a bit slog climbing. I’d like a slacker head angle too for steeper stuff. The rear suspension is super plush but completely lifeless. I’ve not been able to find a balance between smoothing out the bumps and keeping the rear poppy enough….. plus am I not allowed to want something new? 🙂

The problem is that everything has come to the end of the line. To move on the wheels, forks and frame* all have to be ditched.

Which points to the next problem, how do I stop myself ending up in this situation again? Boost 29″ seems the safest bet.

*A short term fix could be to switch frame but finding a second hand frame in 26″ I’d be happy spending money on might be tricky, i.e. most are going to be well ridden/used by now. Might go for something like an Orange 5 that’s fairly bombproof

You can stick 26″ wheels in a 650B frame without dying. I’ve done it with my Flare although I just swapped everything over including the 26″ straight steerer forks so only had to buy a new (tapered-to-straight) headset. It’s ‘future proof’ insofar as it can take 650B wheels if I really need it to but I’ve got loads of good 26″ spares so hopefully won’t have to cos, well, I love small wheels.

The 142×12 rear is probably quite safe although I wouldn’t bet the house on it 😆

It is ok to want a new bike though!

edit- I don’t see it so much of a rut as a (stubborn?) choice to stick with stuff that still works and I enjoy.

26 isn’t dead.
Get a new shock.

Or a >2016 Banshee Spitfire/Rune (if you can’t convert your current hubs, you can get QR dropouts). Seen plenty ’13-’14 Spitfire frames for around £650.

It is an advantage for wheels. You can pick up some great bargains, often for less than the price of the hubs. Just a bit tricky to get wider rims. Still plenty of good frames out there for cheap albeit with older geometry. It is harder to get good forks though. Not dead by a long way

Yup. Being behind the curve means much cheapness in secondhand parts. Other folks upgraditis means my bagainacious spares supply.

A Banshee Spitfire is an option I’ve previously considered, might look at those again…. Hubs are Hope Pro 2 Evo (135mm rear?) I think the rear might be convertible to 142mm.

I had a straighter steerer Nicolai with 26″ wheels. Likewise decided wanted something slacker. I picked up a second hand Spitfire from here, and a set of 27.5″ Pikes (when buying stuff from Europe was cheap!) and transferred the rest over (including Hope Pro 2s – would have to check what size – the OH does the technical stuff!). Went with the larger fork so it was future proof should 26″ wheels come hard to find, but in the meantime all our bikes run 26″ so it seemed daft to not have the spares etc. Just means I have decent mud clearance and can make the whole thing 27.5″ as an when, if I need.

Also, it rides like a ***** – absolutely love that bike!

whatever size wheels you have they all move forwards and they will all see you to the bottom of the drop with a great big grin. Take the cheapest option.

whatever size wheels you have they all move forwards

Yes true. Wheel size is actually the least of my concerns, it’s much more the obsoletion of everything else caused, directly or indirectly, by the change in wheel size.

I have a Five that has all the ‘old standards’ but is still a superb bike. Rather than flap about a new one, I got a cheap Boardman FS Pro that is my workhorse which will mean the death (due to lack of straight steerer forks) on the Five will be delayed….

My old 26er susser had a straight steerer, 135mm QR rear axle etc. Ended up getting a used frame (still a 26er, but a relatively modern one) and everything apart from the shock (different stroke) was moved over: Hope hubs meant I just had to switch endcaps to go 142×12, the fork could be travel extended, and a crown reducer meant I could put the straight steerer fork into a tapered headset. Very happpy, and I’m now on the prowl for some cheap Arch Ex 26er rims to give the bike some on-trend wide rims…

the only real problem is a lack of decent straight steerer forks
Wont be “advancing” to 650 b as i dont believe it make a jot of difference
I suggest of you swapped everyone wheels over to 26 ers none of the owners would notice and you can achieve the same wheel size with a massive tyre anyway

If I did mile munching rides – i do but use my road bike or the CX bike- i would probably have a 29 er hardtail
Not getting rid of my 26 ers till I cannot buy forks

Yes it’s the forks that have driven the change; nowt wrong with 26″…..

Thanks, cheered me up a bit!

I think I have a plan forward, a Banshee Spitfire in 26″ mode. Then when it comes to replace or upgrade the fork* I’ll go to 27.5″, but only then….. unless there are some super cheap 26″ fork deals about!

*It’s Fox and the short service intervals are frustrating… time to learn to do it myself

I’ve been recently hankering after a mountain bike again after a few years off. There’s my 575 in bits which I’d like to build up 1x and some modern rims but I’m unlikely to get my head around the various permutations of what will and won’t fit, and it’ll cost a fair bit just to replace the rear suspension bearings, service the forks and shock – so the old 3×9 stuff looks a lot more likely at this point!

You need to try to find some of the last-gen Solo Air Lyriks with a straight steerer and add a Charger Damper.

I run my Spitfire 26″, with 26″ drop outs and a 27.5″ Pike up front. It hasn’t killed me. Yet.

I replaced my old ghost last year with a transition suppressor frame because I couldn’t afford to go 27.5 (wheels and fork plus frame) swapped everything over which was nice. I did buy a stealth reverb though. They may even have a couple of medium’s at the importer. I also considered the spitfire and rune before I got the suppressor.

Suntour Epicon (32mm XC/trail sort of stuff) or Durolux (35mm, bit heavier duty) are both still available in 26″ straight steerer. X-Fusion do a couple as well I think.

My DH bike is still 26″. No reason to change for the foreseeable. Been the best bike I’ve ever owned by far.

I’ve bought a Capra and have just bought a secondhand Shan frame to stick all my obsolete bits on

The last 12 months have seen me throw my all in with 26 inch, still running 9 speed.

Firstly a brand new Stanton frame which in the end only cost £280 – how much are they now!

Then came a £100 9 year old Epic frame which I built into a lovely summer 25lb xc machine with existing parts.

And finally spend £230 sticking the new lyrik charger damper in my 2014 air lyriks. All this is on top of a 2013 Meta AM frame

not exactly what you would spec on a new bike though are they

Essentially the industry wants us to replace whole bikes rather than upgrade parts

If we dont play along we will return to standards rather than always have moving standards as all they actually care about is profit

seconded teethgrinder – i run my Spitty 26 with 27.5 pikes on. my wheels are also new, i just don’t like the new size..

As with any old bike you have to decide if you are comfortable with spending cash to keep it alive knowing that it could be money to a newer and better bike. Some point you may want to make the jump. Newer bikes will be much better than what you have. Bikes have certainly come on a lot (controversial view on this forum) since your bike was new!

I wouldn’t waste money on anything substantial like frames/forks anyway unless its second hand and far better than what you have.

I think it’s straight steerer head tubes and straight steerer forks that have become difficult to source.

At the moment if your 26 inch frame takes a tapered fork there are plenty 2nd hand available and they’re still serviceable and in the expensive category Pike and Fox 36s are available for 2017 for 26 inch tapered. It’s just will many folk actually fork out for one of them on their 26er now? Sadly I expect not but it’s great to know that they can be bought brand new still and I hope they’re still available new for 2018/9.

I wouldn’t want to be on a non boost 650B frame right now either – I’d be massively hacked off. I don’t think there will be many non boost new 650B forks in a year or two so you may need a new hub on your front wheel if you did break your non boost fork. There’s a lot more non boost 29er year models so that wouldn’t be so bad but I suspect boost 29er forks will be the future soon.

It’d been nice if they’d moved to 650B and boost hubs at the same time.

I think when they make a big change like wheels lots of people hold back with new purchases and watch to see if they’ll change things again and so hold on for longer with what they’ve got. Once you see a settling down of standards it’s worth investing. I am hoping boost hubs is that settlement for wheels for a few years now.

My bikes are 2013 and 2014 model year 26ers. Both tapered head tubes. Both ride superbly.

I’m trying not to upgrade anything that can’t be moved to the next bike now but I’ve more or less decided to keep going for another year on them because they’re great bikes. I’d have switched them out a lot sooner had the route out been a bit less spendy. At least I’ll have had my money’s worth out of them.

I think safe bets are boost 29ers right now.
I’d like to hope boost 650b was a safe bet too but I expect not.

Junkyard- Dunno, there’s nowt wrong with the Suntours other than they’re not badge enough to match Audis/T5s in the car park.

my current bike is a 09 Giant Reign X2.
170mm travel with offset bushes so the front end is a very slack 64.5 degrees. it weighs about 35lb with the tubeless AM wheels but more with the DH wheels

climbing can be a bit of a slog especially on really steep stuff where the front end really does wander but going downhill on it is a hoot.

however its time for a new bike and if things go to plan i will have a new Reign by the end of tomorrow.
i’m still keeping the old one though…i’ve spent too much on it to want to sell it for a massive loss…what i’ll do though is get a lighter hardtail frame and transfer all the parts to it and give it to my son.

26″ isnt quite dead yet

All my bikes are still 26″ – no desire to change them any time soon

I’ve got three fully built and one in bits

In fact I’ve just pretty much finished building up a new (to me) 2013 Transition Covert 😀

@kayla1

How are you finding that Flare on 26″ bits? BB ridiculously low? I really want one, but with the price of the frame would really need to swap all my bits over and ‘upgrade’ to 650b over time.

Demo booked up at FoD on Sunday……

I bought a 2013 used once round the car park Granite Chief last year for peanuts and rebuilt it with all my blue parts, should do me till all this nonsense blows over…
Bought a Dune too but that’s 26″.

All 6 mtb’s in our household are 26″, but did invest in tapered headtube frames for the most recent purchases, will be servicing the forks frequently & running them to the death, to be honest a 29er hardtail would make sense but can’t be arsed to change now

I run four 26 inch MTBs. A rigid scandal, old Marin for commuting, a 456 for Winter duties and bikepacking. I also built up a new prophet after the BB thread stripped on my old one. Its got bolt through forks, a dropper post, its 1×10, i have a large frame so its long with a short stem and wide bars. I can’t see any reason to change, it can go down anything i’m prepared to go down, it does have the advantage of having a 1.5 headtube so can take tapered forks.

The bikes all work for their intended purpose, I reckon I can keep them going for a long while yet. I’ve got a spare set of Revs for the 456 which would probably be the hardest part to replace.

I have this problem with my Patriot. However I mentioned it to Mojo, and they said that if/when my 66s finally die beyond repair to speak to them. They thought they could knock something up with a straight steerer.

So give them a bell if you get stuck. And can afford new Fox forks…

@core- it’s fine, really. I’ve got my (26″) forks at 150mm to make up for the difference in fork length and the Flare can go to 140mm on 650Bs. Nowt’s a bother. The BB drop’s only 13.5mm with 130mm 650B forks according to the Cotic website. Cotic should advertise the Flare and Rocket as 26 or 650B though, not just 650B I reckon, what with the whole ’26” ain’t dead’ thing.

It’s handy knowing that if we do eventually run out of 26″ wheel spares I can fit 650B if I absolutely have to but I’m in no rush at all to move to bigger wheels, and when my lovely straight steerer forks finally shuffle off I’ll be able to swan off and buy some tapered steerer jobbies to replace them. It’s the switch to tapered that’s buggered most people up.

Fattie and HT both 26″ Happy 😀

It’s the wheels and tyres thing that bothers me. I’ve got 2 or 3 pairs of Hope/Flow wheels and a good selection of quality tyres.

I’d have to go 140mm 26″ fork in a Flare, which would drop BB more than yours kayla, but then I’d only run 130mm in 650b mode I think……

The thing that gets me is boost, it just isn’t necessary for non-plus I don’t think, such marginal gains, which most people won’t feel. I’d be mighty pee’d off if I got new 650b wheels and forks now in 15×100 and 12×142 then when I need another fork it’s only available in boost, so necessitates a new front wheel, again.

Better to stick to all the soon to be obsolete standards
on 26″ I reckon, wait for things to settle down then go 650b/boost all in one go.

Manufacturers must find it a ballache, from 5 years ago basically just making different travel/spec. forks in 26″ with perhaps 2 axle options to now having to potentially do that in 3 wheel sizes, with 2 different hub widths as well, though besides DH everyone seems to have settled on 15mm axles up front now.

But perhaps everyone constantly ‘upgrading’ is making it worthwhile?

…boost, it just isn’t necessary for non-plus I don’t think, such marginal gains, which most people won’t feel…

A boost rear hub is 6mm wider than a ‘standard’ 135/142.

If increasing the flange spacing by 6mm doesn’t do much, then reducing the flange spacing by 5mm would do even less.

130mm roadie dropouts anyone? Think of the heal clearance!

boost, it just isn’t necessary for non-plus

There’s an argument to be made that Boost isn’t actually necessary for plus tyres either…

Ultimately all the re-baselined standards shenanigans will have two probable effects, for serial bike changers it will probably push up the decision to buy a new dandyhorse, for many others it’s going to put them off buying a bike for a bit longer, in the hope that it all settles down a bit…

Bikes are (for the most part) depreciating assets anyway, but yep tweener wheels and a hundred possible axle/BB/headtube combinations have made buying a new MTB a trying experience…

Three bikes in the house – all 26″, straight steerer, threaded BB, QR rear, two are 20mm front, the last is QR. Been holding off doing anything til things looked like settling down a bit – now got a Boost 650b, tapered frame on order. Still got a threaded BB though!