Are 26ers really dead

Are there people still riding 26 inch wheeled mtb or has everything gone to 29 now

Yes all over the place, the majority of people riding mountain bikes are on 26″ bikes – unless you see differently?
The industry looks to be pushing 650 for no other reason than they can sell new bikes with another trick tag line.

Well, like it or not, the VAST MAJORITY of mountain bikes are still 26in.

What did mountain bikers speak about before all this 26 / 29 / 650b stuff?

What did mountain bikers speak about before all this 26 / 29 / 650b stuff?

What tyres for…..

and

How nice the world is.

The reason for the question is that some people who you talk to would not go back to a 26 then others say that they hate 29 and say that 26 will never die out

I think that 26″ might not be the most fashionable thing at the moment but the shear volume of them and availability of bits means they won’t die out for a long time yet.

All in my opinion of course…

cubecomp – Member
The reason for the question is that some people who you talk to would not go back to a 26 then others say that they hate 29 and say that 26 will never die out

see the box top right with the word search in it?
or try google with
singletrackworld 26 29
once you have read them then come back if you want and re read the same stuff over and over and over again.

Trying to be polite but it’s been done to death – looks like you just popped out of the classifieds to do some market research 😉

Ahh…bless…

They’ve been dead to me for the last 5 years, still a place for them if you are short or buy your bikes from Tesco/sports direct/catalogue

kayak23 – Member
Ahh…bless…

Bless

I went into a large bike shop yesterday (which has a decent online presence) and the majority of the MTBs were 26″. Probably around 40-50 MTBs in the shop.

26″ bikes are what all the straight people ride!

went into a large bike shop yesterday (which has a decent online presence) and the majority of the MTBs were 26″. Probably around 40-50 MTBs in the shop.

Probably trying to get rid of the obsolete stock to make room for the 21st century

Thank you very much mikewsmith for your input its good to hear other people’s take on things which forums are for

If you’re a bit mincey and like riding tow paths and such; you need a 29er. Otherwise go 26 or 650b.

quite all right just trying to save you the wait, there are about 200 pages (mostly people repeating the same stuff – sometimes in the same thread) not much has changed since the last thread. As a quick prediction:
Yes 29 is the future 40%
No 26 for ever 40%
650 for the win 40%
given up will to live 80%

Sorry for the sarcasm & maths in advance

Thank you very much mikewsmith for your input its good to hear other people’s take on things which forums are for

Are you sure they’re not just for selling things? You only just seem to have realised this.

26 for me 🙂

blah blah blah …………………………………………………………………………………
look its a bike (doing well) i bet that would be fun to ride (getting better) i wonder what wheel size it is? ( point missed and it was all going so well.)

It’s a bit like the Aldi adverts……….I like my 29er,I also like my 26er….but most stuff is cheaper for the 26″ one………..
Not unlike the 9 or 10 speed marketing BS….Which is why I’ve changed back to 9 speed now my drivetrain needs replacing….I couldn’t tell the difference anyway tbh…………

I like my 26er but it’s 10 speed, oh now I’m just confused 😆

Are there people still riding 26 inch wheeled mtb , or has everything gone to 29 do people just fritter away all their time talking about it online now

🙂

My wheel size is betterer than yours! Yours smells of poo! So there!

I have 26″ and 29″ and 700c OMG!!!!!! *BOOM* Seriously though, does it matter?? Ride what you enjoy 🙂

Watch that guy’s right hand ^^ Fascinating

No they’ll be with us for some time more.

I suspect though the tide is turning and they will become more niche, less common, over time. Most new bikes bought will not be 26.

IMO mid to long travel boingers and DH will be 650b, 29ers for the rest, with a bit of overlap of course.

20″ BMX wheels still prevail despite 24″ cruisers being available for decades. And tall riders don’t tend to favour 24″ BMX wheels either,

I think one of 650B and 29 will end up like minidiscs and HD DVD’s… we are yet to see which.

The remaining one will end up the “cruiser” of the MTB world, a niche size that was slightly popular for a bit then everyone realised 26 was still the way forward.

My 50 pence.

What did mountain bikers speak about before all this 26 / 29 / 650b stuff?

Are fully rigid really dead?

Are Cantis really dead?

Are V brakes really dead?

Are rigid forks really dead?

Are 7 speed really dead?

Are 8 speed really dead?

Are 9 speed really dead?

Are 10 speed really dead?

Are 1.9 tyres really dead?

Are tubes really dead?

Are lycra shorts really dead?

Are bar ends really dead?

Are flatbars really dead?

Went from 29er to 26. For no other reason than the 29er was stolen and the 26er was such a good buy. The alfine hub and front suspension are a bigger change than the wheel size. They are just bikes, some ride better than others because they have better geometry not bigger or smaller wheels.

I think 26ers will have their place in mtb forever to be honest. They seem to be the bike of choice for technical trails and downhill stuff. At the end if the day though it comes down to personal preference. I have just gone from 26 to 29 for my trail bike and its changed my riding. strava times are quicker up and down, I get less tired and I have a hell of of a lot of fun shredding the trails. That’s what it’s all about! I do find all this debate quite funny really. We all ride to have fun and I think 26 or 29 or in-between, that’s what we all do so what’s the problem? Ride what you have fun on. Meanwhile the industry will keep developing new standards to sell bikes, but I think any development for our sport Is great- even if it takes people a while to come around to the idea.

Also agree with the above. Have ridden brilliant and rubbish 26ers and brilliant and rubbish 29ers! There are a lot of other factors to consider not just and extra few inches on the wheels!

Only to people who worry about what other people think.

can this be in a sub forum as really bored of reading these 29 vs 26 vs 27.5 posts.

Ride what you want/have.

My bike died on the last ride, and it’s a 26er. Chain snapped. Possibly damaged rear mech too. And it made the chain breaker tool break too, to stop me fixing it.

Must be because the wheel size is now obsolete and illegal to ride.

mikewsmith – Member
see the box top right with the word search in it?
or try google with
singletrackworld 26 29
once you have read them then come back if you want and re read the same stuff over and over and over again.

Trying to be polite but it’s been done to death – looks like you just popped out of the classifieds to do some market research

I love this type of condescending remark. It assumes everyone should spend every spare moment they have trolling the site to gain a full knowledge of the history of subjects covered to prevent repetition.
Sometimes you just think of a question and want to ask it,
If you’re the type of person who becomes irritated by someone who wants to cover a subject you think has already been done. P**s off back to your hole and take your misery with you. There are plenty on here happy to repeat themselves for the benefit of those who aren’t quite as brilliant as you.
It’s a perfectly valid question which has answers that are constantly evolving as the industry and market continue to change attitude toward this subject.

I love this type of condescending remark. It assumes everyone should spend every spare moment they have trolling the site to gain a full knowledge of the history of subjects covered to prevent repetition.
Sometimes you just think of a question and want to ask it,
If you’re the type of person who becomes irritated by someone who wants to cover a subject you think has already been done. P**s off back to your hole and take your misery with you. There are plenty on here happy to repeat themselves for the benefit of those who aren’t quite as brilliant as you.
It’s a perfectly valid question which has answers that are constantly evolving as the industry and market continue to change attitude toward this subject.

Where’s the like button?

So don’t start any threads about;
wheel size
tyres
brakes
drivetrain
h/bars or grips
saddles
pedals
or anything else bike related,as they’ve probably already been discussed a million times……

So that leaves us with………The weather…….Been having a lot of it lately haven’t we………..

The long haired chief of staff would throat punch me if I even thought of getting rid of my 26″ bike, the price of bikes I couldn’t justify an extra 3 inch’s, should would rather that 3 inch’s was added elsewhere :-).

I would like to get a 29er for a long distance bike packing ride though as riding my mates I noticed it smoothed out the small bump chatter and the extra ground you gain with the same peddle revolutions is something else which makes me think the 2 wheel sizes shouldn’t be in the same competitions, but I guess you have a choice