Just wondering, has anyone won a World Champs medal of any kind on a 26″ bike after 4 June last year?

I don’t recall seeing many 26″ at the XC world cups but don’t really follow DH/Enduro etc. Anyone who does know the answer?

Cheers

Not 100% sure who won world champs DH on 26 but you’re looking at around 2013.

Last person win a World Cup on 26 was Rat Boy

No definitive answer but no.

Josh Bryceland won the last race on 26″ in DH which was probably 3-4 years back

As for XC no chance

Jack Carthy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCI_Trials_World_Championships_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_trials,_26_inch

Maybe in 4X? Most of those guys probably running 26″ on dirt jump style frames. Not exactly a representing a big part of the bike buying public though…

Perhaps you need to be asking whether anyone actually still rides 26″ in DH?

Plenty of 26ers in here:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/the-bikes-of-darkfest-2017.html

Medals all round for being bonkers, but not exactly what you’re asking for…

Jack Carthy

Wasn’t aware of him, some interesting videos of him on YT. Here’s one of him on MTB:

Perhaps you need to be asking whether anyone actually still rides 26″ in DH?

Or how many production 26″ bikes there are

There isn’t really an option to ride 26 even if they wanted to. The big teams have the latest bikes, which are 27.5 or 29.

There might be a few privateers left that still race 26.

I think chestercopperpot summed it up and I think even a lot of privateers are sponsored by local bike shops etc.

Thanks guys, a bit to work with there. I hadn’t even thought of trials! Think I might confine this to ‘races’ though rather than ‘competitions’

4X was a good shout Steezysix. Results of last year’s world champs, which were in August, so after 4 June, are here http://www.valdisolebikeland.com/en/uci-mountain-bike-world-cup-2017/official-results-world-cup-finals-2017-xco-dhi-4x Trying to figue out what the medaalists were riding but really struggling, my googling is letting me down, was expecting sponsors to have spec lists up somewhere, surely they want people to know their stuff is winning?

Picture of Felix Beckeman with his bike here https://www.instagram.com/p/BjVKUXSh1w3/?hl=en&taken-by=felixbeckeman but I can’t tell if that’s 26 or 650, the rims are available in 26/650/29 so not a lot of help, can’t read anything on the tyre. Next to nothing about second place, Giovanni Pozzoni was third, can see even less of his bike https://images2.gazzettaobjects.it/methode_image/2017/08/28/Ciclismo/Foto%20Ciclismo%20-%20Trattate/FOUR%20CROSS%20%20foto%20Daniele%20Mosna00004-kfnH-U220161807905q7C-620×349@Gazzetta-Web_articolo.jpg?v=201708281929 and that’s the best pic!

Caroline Buchannan manages to fill a whole wbsite of her own without mentioning what she rides! http://www.carolinebuchanan.com/ Helene Valerie Fruhwirth is also very quiet about her bike http://www.helenefruhwirth.com/ and Romana Labounkova appears to be pretty annonymous full stop,

So, it looks like 4X is the most likely discipline where a 26 has had a medal in the last year, does anyone out there know what they were riding? Or just as better Google-Fu than I do?

Chestercopperpot is probably right, certainly for XC/DH/Enduro, so the numbers are likely to be very small, if any.

Cheers

Well. Caroline was racing bmx most of the time except at crankworx

Any reason for the interest?

Caroline Buchanan rides Airborne mountain bikes / DK BMX
Airbourne now only do one bike in 26″. Their DJ bike. She may have used this for 4X/Pumptrack racing

Caroline Buchanan rides Airborne mountain bikes / DK BMX
Airbourne now only do one bike in 26″. Their DJ bike. She may have used this for 4X/Pumptrack racing

Interesting. Some footage of the race here, and another video with some side-on shots of the bike at the bottom, but still can’t tell for definite. Anyone know better than me?

Any reason for the interest?

Was talking to someone a few days ago and they asked me if I was the last person to win a WC medal on 26, I thought that would be a good claim to fame but wasn’t sure. June 3/4 last year, hence the dates in the OP, 24hr World Champs, singlespeed category, bronze (go niche enough and it gets easier to win stuff) If Geex is right then the answer is no, Caroline Buchannan has stolen my thunder. Bugger.

Belated congratulations either way.

Ps. #264LYF bro

ie. there’s always next year too 😉

Thanks 🙂 Was trying to avoid willy-waving but since someone asked…

Not next year (or next time, this year now) as I’ve now joined the cool gang and got a 29. It was the hardest thing I have ever done and so the chances of doing it again are quit slim anyway, I might have to let Caroline keep this one. ( if indeed she was on a 26, anyone managed to identify her bike for definite?) Unless one of the girls in 2nd or 3rd was on a 26? They were of course after her…

It doesn’t take much of an excuse to get me to geek out at 26″ 4X bikes and pour over pics of Barry & Caroline 😉

Her and Barry both look to be riding 26″ Airbournes at VDS in 2017

Both their 2017 4X/pump track bikes (which look to be the same bikes) are featured in this pinkbike article:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/10-pumptrack-bikes-from-crankworx-rotorua-2017.html

Pike DJ fork gives away that Barry’s is 26″ and the clearance at the rear shows 27.5 won’t fit in that frame.

Caroline is using the same frame, smaller tyres.

You may be the last Male to a medal at a worlds on 26″

So .. is there another discipline waiting to be (re)born?

Is there an argument for a specific DH type course/series where ultrashort wheels bases would win over bigger wheels???