bad news but the 26" wheel is dead

For the hard of understanding, it’s not the introduction of a new wheelsize that’s causing the upset, it’s the “we’re not supporting 26 inch anymore even though it’s what you all have and you’re happy with and means your whole bike will have to be ditched because you can’t get spare wheels or forks for it anymore, even if you don’t want to spend cash on a whole new bike, or, in the middle of an economic crisis, don’t even have the cash”

Yep, exactly.

Having the option of several different wheel sizes is good, it means another parameter to help create even more variety in terms of what a mountain bike can be, and ride like, and feel like.

If we’re going to end up with 3 wheel sizes, and lots of options for riders, then great. It’s the feeling that some people are getting that we’re heading for one wheel size in future, and that one wheel size isn’t either 26 or 29, which together make up what 90% of people ride, but the newest option which (coincidently?) is only on new bikes.

I for one think this is a fear that’s unfounded. You have to expect some brands to push their newest things hard, and for a year or two, most of those new things will be 650b. To a certain extend, I think journalists have also been too excited about a new wheel size coming along, and that’s probably to be expected as well.

There will be new 29ers though. And new 26ers. As well as new 650b bikes. And definitely wheels and forks for all three.

Who will lose out? I think, really, only LBS, who can’t handle the stock for three options. Bigger internet traders will gain, especially when it comes to forks and wheels… stock is already a big problem for a LBS there… a good range in multiple wheel sizes, and multiple travel options, and new versions being announced almost as soon as the shops get their stock… well, looks impossible to me… more so now 650b is here as well.

For the hard of understanding, it’s not the introduction of a new wheelsize that’s causing the upset, it’s the “we’re not supporting 26 inch anymore even though it’s what you all have and you’re happy with and means your whole bike will have to be ditched because you can’t get spare wheels or forks for it anymore, even if you don’t want to spend cash on a whole new bike, or, in the middle of an economic crisis, don’t even have the cash

I agree that the industry are forcing it down our throats, but remember here that it’s market led. If Maxxis et al won’t make a 26″ tyre anymore then someone else will, because the market – that’s you and I – demand it.

For example, Giant have decided that we need a tapered fork between 1.5″ and 1.125″ that’s unique and requires unique stems. My response to that is to not buy a Giant, if enough people don’t buy Giants then the standard will be dropped.

We can all vote with our wallets if we choose to.

Yes, incredibly strange when Specialized still have 26″ bikes in their range. Are you deliberately missing the “for a long time” bit from what I’m replying to, and the “decent quality” bit from my reply?

No, I think you’re over-reacting a tad.

There will be new 29ers though. And new 26ers. As well as new 650b bikes.

If you got a £ for every new 26″ bike launched from now on you’d not have enough to buy one 27.5″ tyre.

You’re losing your touch rocket old son that’s a patheticattempt at a troll

Just like the motorbike world, it’s the low step ‘thru end’ of the market that counts and makes money not the superbikes. What have been described here as ‘low end’ 26 tyres and parts will be around probably for ever. How many 650b bikes have been sold in India? And remember what is low end now was high end just a few years ago

You’re losing your touch rocket old son that’s a patheticattempt at a troll

Just like the motorbike world, it’s the low step ‘thru end’ of the market that counts and makes money not the superbikes. What have been described here as ‘low end’ 26 tyres and parts will be around probably for ever. How many 650b bikes have been sold in India? And remember what is low end now was high end just a few years ago

And this basically describes the issue. How many ‘low end’ serious mountain bikers are there? Im sure my mum will be able to buy 26″ tyres from Tesco or Aldi for the next few years of course.

It’s no good us all slagging off each other. Yes we are all happy with 26″ wheels, but this is a market driven change that I don’t think we can stop.

Sorry to post this but lets all just watch this video again (you may want to skip the Giant guy)

. What have been described here as ‘low end’ 26 tyres and parts will be around probably for ever

Tesco & sports direct are rubbing their hands together at the prospect if selling you a 26″ bike, probably with the forks fitted the wrong way around

We shouldn’t ignore the effect of the internet. Somebody was concerned that you may not be able to get high end 26″ rubber at your LBS in a few years. Maybe, but I haven’t bought a tyre from my LBS for ages. I’m sure I’ll be able to buy good quality 26″ tyres online for as long as I need them. Maybe not the same bewildering array of largely similar options. Maybe we’ll even reach a consensus on the best 26″ tyre, but getting them wont be a problem.

At the end of the day, we are the market. If we keep hold of our 26″ bikes then somebody will want to sell us parts for them.

All wheel sizes for mountain bikes have one thing in common, they go round and round and round and never actually get anywhere…………..can anyone think of any paralells for this?

can anyone think of any paralells for this?

Merry-go-round.

Given enough clearance, you could in theory fit 650b to a 26er? Should I go get the calipers out?

molgrips – Member

Given enough clearance, you could in theory fit 650b to a 26er? Should I go get the calipers out?

Overheard in glentress cafe- a chap who was going to fit 650b wheels to his 26 inch bike but with skinny tyres, so he could get quote “the advantages of the bigger wheel without messing up the geometry” Congratulations sir, you just invented the 26 inch wheel, only worse.

@ Northwind – I always enjoy your posts (even the anti Camber ones 😉 ) but that just nearly make me fire my coffee all over the screen!

I thank you.

@Northwind nice one 🙂 I’m going to borrow a set and see how they go in the Blur LT… just in case. You can get a set with proper tyres in the Blur XC frame if you let the back one down to fit it….

If these new hope rims look good I might just order 8 or so. I reckon you can use 650b CSU’s if needed so that should see me through until my rubber goes off.

Overheard in glentress cafe- a chap who was going to fit 650b wheels to his 26 inch bike but with skinny tyres, so he could get quote “the advantages of the bigger wheel without messing up the geometry” Congratulations sir, you just invented the 26 inch wheel, only worse.

🙂

I’m not concerned about gaining any advantage, of course, I’m more concerned about being able to find tyres in a few years’ time. Hopefully it won’t come to it!

The bike manufacturers need to realise it’s a COMPONENT SIZE not a BIKE TYPE. All three wheel sizes should stay available a be used throughout the size range of each model.

It just makes sense to put a 26″ wheel on an xs or small frame – 27.5″ on med and large – 29″ on large and XL. Obviously more travel may push wheel size down a bit. Logical!

Giant’s approach is stupid – forcing the demise of 26 and 29 is illogical and offensive to their own customers.

Overheard in glentress cafe- a chap who was going to fit 650b wheels to his 26 inch bike but with skinny tyres, so he could get quote “the advantages of the bigger wheel without messing up the geometry” Congratulations sir, you just invented the 26 inch wheel, only worse.

Please tell me you asked the chap to stand if not already, before taking a firm grip on his waistband as you proceeded to pour his coffee into the front of his shorts whilst uttering you sir are a fool.

Then after putting a little more tension on waistband released with a thwack and then proceeded to place empty cup upside down on said gents head.

Please say you did that.

“It just makes sense to put a 26″ wheel on an xs or small frame – 27.5″ on med and large – 29″ on large and XL”

That makes no sense to me at all. Frame size is selected primarily for leg-length and reach. What has wheel size got to do with that?

So how much difference is a 26 and 27.5 bike, say for example the Nukeproof Mega in the two different versions? I have a Mega and a Titus Fireline 29er. Totally different bikes. I can tell the difference, mainly as the Fireline is lighter but it climbs better and does rail around corners. The Mega is of course better in other areas. I like the difference.

The thing is that once you get used to the difference you loose some of the advantages as your body gets lazy and compensates for the better cornering/climbing for example so you end up back to square one.

So how much difference is a 26 and 27.5 bike, say for example the Nukeproof Mega in the two different versions? I have a Mega and a Titus Fireline 29er. Totally different bikes. I can tell the difference, mainly as the Fireline is lighter but it climbs better and does rail around corners. The Mega is of course better in other areas. I like the difference.

Are you going to try a Codeine?

That makes no sense to me at all. Frame size is selected primarily for leg-length and reach. What has wheel size got to do with that?

Because you, like many, are thinking the way the industry wants you to – that wheel size = bike type.

Think about it, if you were designing a a machine that interfaced with a human, EVERY aspect would scale up to fit people of different sizes. Any bike design will testify that it’s easier to get the geometry of a 29er working on a bigger frame – and vice versa.

There are some right drama queens on here. 😆

Giant, Specialized, etc might decide to only make bikes with a certain size wheel but why should Mavic, Stans, Maxxis, Conti, etc care? They don’t make bikes, they want to sell you wheels and tyres. Since 99% of the bikes they make wheels/tyres for are 26″ they will still make you fancy pants tyres. Even in 5 years or more their market will be over 50% 26″ I’d guess so they will still make you and me tyres/wheels.

Put it another way, why would your lbs stop stocking 26″ wheels/tyres when I bet they out sell 29er at least 10 to one and 650b even more then that?

Also, don’t mention forks as it was pointed out buy the Cotic chap I think that 650b forks should work fine on a 26″ frame.

Honestly, I don’t know how some of you cope in real life if some thing like this gets you so outraged.

Put it another way, why would your lbs stop stocking 26″ wheels/tyres when I bet they out sell 29er at least 10 to one and 650b even more then that?

As my mate with a LBS pointed out, the high end wheel builds in 26″ were getting flogged off cheap last year, there are less available to him to buy.

He is amazed as a LBS owner at the speed at which 26″ has been dropped by the main manufacturers to the point where he can’t get many decent 26″ bikes in stock. It’s the speed of the turnaround that has taken many by surprise.
I expect to get rubber for a while, high end rims not so much in the XC/trail end of things.

I’ll accept you can probably get away with 650b forks if you correct for it.

if you watch that video, you’ll see the small innovative companies are saying the same as me – only giant (with their marketing dept making decisions) are selling wheel sizes as bike sizes and killing 2/3 of them off!

Also, the R&D is spent now, the tyre moulds are made, etc. Keeping the choice there is best for consumers

My hard tail currently has 140 revs with straight steerer in 44mm head tube using internal headset.

To use tapered forks (the current standard) I would have to fit external bottom cup and sacrifice 10mm travel to keep roughly the same angles.
Then if I have to then buy 650b forks I would then have to sacrifice another 10mm of travel.
So I will mention forks, if that’s alright with you.

Are you going to try a Codeine?

No more new bikes for a while now. I have the Fireline for fast and long distance stuff and the Mega for DH trails and a Dialled Alpine for keeping my pump track and jumping skills sharp.

For most people I cannot really see the point of 650b as they would probably be better off just getting a 29er. You could write that as “for most people I cannot see the point of 26er” but that’s what I have got, I assume 26ers are a bit more robust/stronger, can be chucked around more and are a bit more manoeuvrable (That is what it feels like when I compare 26ers and 29ers).

Think about it, if you were designing a a machine that interfaced with a human, EVERY aspect would scale up to fit people of different sizes.

I see little logic in scaling wheels to fit rider heights. Wheels affect how the bike feels or helps to bias its use, it’s not an ergonomic consideration unless you’re at the far ends of the height bell-curve. imo that is.

A 19″ frame on a 27.5 feels bigger than a 19″ frame on a 26. A man in Halfords told me so.

As my mate with a LBS pointed out, the high end wheel builds in 26″ were getting flogged off cheap last year, there are less available to him to buy.

He is amazed as a LBS owner at the speed at which 26″ has been dropped by the main manufacturers to the point where he can’t get many decent 26″ bikes in stock. It’s the speed of the turnaround that has taken many by surprise.
I expect to get rubber for a while, high end rims not so much in the XC/trail end of things.

Agree that he’ll struggle to get 26″ bikes but stand by my point that wheel and tyre makes will support any size that sells.

I am guessing it would feel some what bigger, longer chain stays, longer wheelbase.
Wether it feels taller, may do, despite maybe not being so.

So I will mention forks, if that’s alright with you.

You’ll still be able to get forks that will work, calm down. You can still get forks with a 1 1/8th if you look.

Some people are determind to find problems to fit their arguement and will continue to do so regardless of what’s an actual fact.

what matters is OEM sales, how many people change the wheels, very few, how many change the forks, again very few.

Tyres do get changed so making them for a bit longer makes sense.

Rock Shox, AFAIK, work on 3 years for spares. IF your fork is still, or close enough to not matter a current product you will still be able to get spares, older forks less chance. If the new market demands 650 then that is what will be made, the cheap forks you see are usually oem and last years models. So the cheap good forks will be the first thing to disappear. Wheels, well as not many get changed, no point making them either. So they will, at least the higher quality ones, disappear quickly as well.

With no demand for decent wheels, the demand of high quality tyres will dry up, why build race quality tyres if no one is going to use them? so the tyres will be the cheap ones.

I don’t know the average time to replacement for MTBs at the higher end of the market but this again will come into play.

Give it 4 years and see what is left in 26″, new and aftermarket. I suspect very little above BSO level.

Did the road bike forums do this when annoying metric 700c replaced 27in?

Yes but not the forks of my choice, but instead make do, or buy a replacement frame That would take tapered forks.

I have a 2010 5 also ,with 1-1/8 headtube, and started looking for the newer 26″ frame with tapered headtube,
But then thought better of it as I would not be surprised if the steerer standard changed again.
And decided instead to carry on with what I have and worry about when the time came, which is basically what you are saying.

I have no problem with other standards but the quick and deliberate killing off of recent standards just to force the market.

That numptie from giant saying they had an endgame in mind for 29ers sums it up, they will try to kill it before it has run its natural course.

And when all the 29er riding people here start bleating that the industry is trying to kill the standard they enjoy I will laugh, probably not actually, knowing my luck I would have bought one the day before.

its just how the bike industry rolls

I had to ditch my rapid rise and go 10 speed to get a clutch mech 🙁

Brant, did it though? 27 was British/Imperial/American/etc size 700c French/Metric, where was the money to be made, where were the markets. Made sense to rationalize to one size. you can still get the wheels if you look, just don’t expect top of the range.

Which to be honest I can see happening with 650b, How much stock can the average LBS carry? do they really want to hold three sets of tyres, inner tubes, rims, do distributors want to be holding three sets of forks? wheels etc.

Lots of stock means lots of capital tied up, makes the cash flow more difficult. More risk of being stuck with stock at the end of the year, more chance of having to right off stock. all down sides to carrying lots of variants.

You can still get forks with a 1 1/8th if you look

26″ 2014 model year?

You can still get forks with a 1 1/8th if you look

26″ 2014 model year?

2 mins searching

I see little logic in scaling wheels to fit rider heights. Wheels affect how the bike feels or helps to bias its use, it’s not an ergonomic consideration unless you’re at the far ends of the height bell-curve. imo that is.

Think of it this way, a 6’6″ rider on an xl bike with 26″ wheels has a centre go gravity much higher than that of a short person. When the front wheel hits a square edge, this CoG has a great affect on whether the wheel will roll over – compounded by the big guy’s weight pushing down.

So the big guy goes over the bars while the shorty rolls over.

So weight and CoG will have way more affect than angle of attack / wheel characteristics.

But again, the industry simplifies things to comments like ’29ers roll over stuff’ etc

So we’re back to every part of a bike fitting the rider. In other words a big rider will get more out of a big wheels characteristics – A small, less powerful rider may be better off saving weight and riding a 26″.

2014 pikes tapered only, after this year revs will be tapered only.
Sektors are a more lower/mid level capable am fork that are currently being heavily discounted everywhere at the moment for what ever reason.

I bought the revs this year despite not really being currently economically flush because I wanted to get them while I still can.

I have sektor DPCs on the five because they were all I could afford when building the bike and will look into having them upgraded if I can soon.

You can google for two minutes and find a suspension fork no problem, look at an on line retailers entire range of forks and see how few are 26″ straight steerer, and the choice Is only getting smaller.