bad news but the 26" wheel is dead

Just fitted a new set of 26″ to my Soul…what a waste of time effort and money. Why couldn’t you have posted sooner and make me realise the error of ny ways?!

Went to a bike shop in the week and out of 40 ish bikes not one 26″ wheel on display …..gobsmacked to say the least

So which wheel size is more fun? I have never heard anyone justify 650b or 29″ wheels by them being more fun.

I know, I’ll make a tricycle, and have one wheel of each size. That way I can be right, or wrong, with my wheel size choice wherever, and however I ride.

Do we really still need to worry about this?

Love the idea of a tricycle. 😆

Wheels are for losers….

Wheels are for losers….

Nah, they are for winners Imperial Postal Scouts. 8)

Dead bikes you say? I know just the guy to take them off your hands

I came across a thread on a US site recently where someone was raging about the lack of choice in 170-190mm 650b’s and holding the opinion that any company not making a very good one in a year, two at the outside was out of business.

Sadly, this is the sort of ranty BS that feeds the beast.

Gotta suck to be a shop expected to keep stock of all this stuff. Once a full range of everything IS available in all wheelsizes, they are basically going to need to compromise their stock availability or carry a shedload more bits…

In the meantime I’ll just keep up my necrophilliac habits with my nice 26″ bikes!

Sorry OP behind the curve, 29 is dead just ask Giant,

and for the niche-mungers now that fat bikes are mainstream there is only one choice

Went to a bike shop in the week and out of 40 ish bikes not one 26″ wheel on display …..gobsmacked to say the least

So the op is right, or he will be when all the 26″ parts eventually just fade away 🙁

The o.p. has gone all quiet.

I’m dreading the day when 26″ brakes and drivetrains are phased out.

Plus imagine no longer being able to buy a 26″ compatible saddle, seat post and grips!!!!

Maybe we should be stockpiling??

The o.p. has gone all quiet.

sadly he’s done his job. Shill/troll comments like that are just one more thread that create doubt in the minds of the easily-led… best thing we can do with threads like this is to ignore them. (Yes I know there’s irony in that comment!)

It’s the same trick the Daily Mail plays – manipulating social media by putting out a story which they know will poke reasonable people into a reaction, which then creates a debate and we do their publicity for them, which is ironically the very thing the commenters are arguing against…

Sorry OP behind the curve, 29 is dead

[btw to Chips etc at the mag, all this crap is why I haven’t renewed my subs]

Gotta be size 12’s for Cannock……

Jesus Christ. **** troll party this week?

Back to Pinkbike comments for you, OP

I wish people could have a serious conversation about this. I’ll soon be getting a new frame and just need to know if I would be stupid getting a 26er. I don’t care about wheel size but care if I won’t be able to get new forks or wheels in the few years as at the moment im still thinking of the 45650b rather than 456. Can anyone in the bike industry enlighten me?

It’s obvious the big wigs of the mtb industry clubbed together and built a massive wheel size calculating super computer.
Then asked it to calculate the perfect wheelsize. It then used satellites to scan the entire surface of the earth and using this data calculated every earthly possibility before reaching the conclusion that 650b was the answer, as irony would have it turns out the earths surface is absolutely littered with 26″ incompatible ruts, who’d of thunk it.

If you don’t believe me, email Steven hawking.
He will tell you the same.

Well we’ve seen what happened to the 29er revolution…it didnt quite happen so assume it will take some time if at all for 650 (although I have started stockpiling tyres just in case!)

I wish people could have a serious conversation about this. I’ll soon be getting a new frame and just need to know if I would be stupid getting a 26er. I don’t care about wheel size but care if I won’t be able to get new forks or wheels in the few years as at the moment im still thinking of the 45650b rather than 456. Can anyone in the bike industry enlighten me?

I don’t think anyone can for sure. If the manufactures do stop making 26″ bikes and frames yes they will eventually die out. But maybe next year or in a couple of years 26″ will be the next “new” thing.
If you want a new bike just buy what’s available now and enjoy it, whatever size wheels its got.

Well we’ve seen what happened to the 29er revolution…it didnt quite happen

So why does the industry think the 650B ‘revolution’ will happen? Seems a bit naive/desperate to believe it will tbh

They ‘think’ it will happen because they aint giving us a choice with most manufacturers developing and producing them now (whilst paying mags to say they are all amazing). I have no issue with 650…but not at the expense of 26″.

I’m dreading the day when 26″ brakes and drivetrains are phased out.

I hope not, loddrik, but I take your point. I only built my latest 26″ Ti hardtail last year and expect to enjoy it for many years to come. I think modern manufacturing systems are flexible enough to cater for lots of size variations, and why would manufacturers ignore a massive worldwide market for components anyway?

As it’s only 1.5 inches or 37mm difference or approximately the depth of 2 packs of playing cards does anyone actually believe the marketing bullshit? Of course you can be one of the cool kids by owning the latest shiniest things you see in the magazines.
Manufacturers come on here claiming 650b is the new messiah. Mainly because they have saturated the 26 inch market and need to sell their far eastern made 27.5 frames.
I salute Cotic who will stick to 26 inch on their Rocket and build it on these shores.
27.5 is here now but for how long? A few years ago there was the Specialized Big Hit with 26 inch front and 24 inch rear. Then, not so long ago we had the 29 inch, still in production but for how long?
26 inch has been around since before I started mountain biking and that’s the mid 80’s.
This begs the question if it ain fixed why try and fix it?

why would manufacturers ignore a massive worldwide market for components anyway?

This is where people underestimate the value of capitalism – the profit motive – where there’s cash to be made from meeting needs, someone, somewhere will deliver…

So if enough people like Cy at Cotic call bullshine on the way the industry has forced 650B on consumers, and supply us with the kit we need to keep our installed base of 26 alive, then we’ll happily keep what we have and won’t buy new bikes… and 650B will fade away…

It wouldn’t be the first time that nimble small players have blown apart the apparent market power of the incumbents.

Market saturation – spot on IMO

it’s only 1.5 inches or 37mm difference

actually its not even as much as this – the “27.5” is a sort of name – it does not give the true size of a 650B wheel

I own both a 26er and 29er and appreciate them both but comments like brooess made make me want to go and buy a Cotic!

taxi25 did scribe

If you want a new bike just buy what’s available now and enjoy it, whatever size wheels its got.

That’s my belief.
If you like a bike the wheel size is irrelevant. You are buying it for you.
Buy it, ride it until it’s worth not-a-lot and get another.
Forget about residual values and remember the fun.
I can’t see shortage of components for an out-of-favour ‘standard’ being an issue until the bike would be skip fodder anyway.

and why would manufacturers ignore a massive worldwide market for components anyway?

This is where people underestimate the value of capitalism – the profit motive – where there’s cash to be made from meeting needs, someone, somewhere will deliver…

So if enough people like Cy at Cotic call bullshine on the way the industry has forced 650B on consumers, and supply us with the kit we need to keep our installed base of 26 alive, then we’ll happily keep what we have and won’t buy new bikes… and 650B will fade away…

It wouldn’t be the first time that nimble small players have blown apart the apparent market power of the incumbents.

Thanks for expanding on my comment, brooess. I didn’t know that about Cotic, BTW. All power to them!

Having just read that specialized are now moving to 650b I do think the grave is being dug for 26. As said before im happy riding whatever..as long as I can get parts for it. Think we are getting forced into this and theres no stopping it.

And respect to commencal for their smashing new release.

.as long as I can get parts for it. Think we are getting forced into this and theres no stopping it.

This is my point – if we can get parts for 26 then why would we buy a whole new 650B bike? By and large we don’t want 650B in the first place and no demand = no market. Simple…

I’ve been buying each new innovation (front suss, v-brakes, full-suss, disc brakes etc) for 20 years of mountain biking as they offered something that was clearly an improvement but I’ve not seen the industry forcing a new standard like this before and creating so much resentment… that speaks volumes about whether the demand is really there…

Said it on here a year ago and everyone was saying 26″ will never die blah blah.

650b was a reaction by companies who missed, didn’t have 29″ bikes or didn’t have a suspension design that was fashionable (short rear centres) with larger wheels.

It’s the marketing size and it’s killed off a perfectly good wheelsize.

I think it would have been great to have good 26″ and 29″ bikes. I’d have had both for sure. Now we’ll have a load of bikes that don’t quite do what the other two sizes do.

I can’t remember STW doing an article about all this dirty business. Would love them to interview as many manufacturers as possible and ask them their stance. If they all say 27.5 is the future then thats it isn’t it?

I am sure in the future the 26er will be back, marketed as the new standard quoting better acceleration and chuckability.

But by then they will all have 2″ steerers and seat tubes stopping people from running to their shrines and ripping the old frames from the wall in a bid to resurrect their old 26ers.

@ darrenspink – have a look in Switchback mag.

Based on the OP’s logic gears are most definitely dead. I passed people climbing at Afan yesterday as if they were pulling boat anchors 😆 . Some of them even had wheels bigger than mine.

29+