Ok, now in my mind if i buy a 26″ zesty or five i feel like it will be out of date soon as i keep my bikes for 3-4 years. I want a new bike this year but have no idea if i am buying something thats a fad or something thats gonna be inferior to the 2014 by a long shot.

Buy a bike, ride it more and worry less. Having said that I buy bikes and keep them for much longer than you.

No bike will ever be out of date, just the fad that brought it to us.

I quite like the idea that bikes now come with different wheel sizes, as humans come in different people sizes.

In 3-4 years it is unlikely that no more spare parts will be available for 26 inch wheels.

@Roter I don’t believe that for a second

OP buy the bike you like best, IMO there is a greater likelihood 650b/27.5 dissapears than 26. I’ll still be riding my 26 bikes in 3-4 years, in fact I have another frame to build up yet

maybe all the kids 24 inch wheel bikes will become 26er’s 🙂

Do what you want.

I want a new bike

So wait and see.

as 90% of the bikes I see are 26″ wheels and most people don’t replace bikes that often it’s a tall claim.

I just got an end of line 26″ frame couldn’t be happier. A good 26″ bike will be better than a bad 650 bike and vice versa. If you get something better for less because a new trend is coming out then go for it.

I would be reluctant to compare two bikes a a “26er” or a “650B” alone. I would base the decision upon the spec and feel of the bike for what you require it for. I.E. Enduro/AM riding would favour the 650B. However I do believe that the 650B will be a huge new development in the AM/Enduro and Trail genres.

jamabalaya & mike, read this again:

In 3-4 years it is unlikely that no more spare parts will be available for 26 inch wheels.

Double negative! “In 3-4 years it is LIKELY that spare parts will be available for 26″ wheels.” Personally I don’t think it matters either way at the moment. In five or ten years’ time, maybe one will be being phased out but maybe they’ll all still be popular.

yep too early in the morning for me, only 1 cup of tea Cheif!!

However I do believe that the 650B will be a huge new development in the AM/Enduro and Trail genres.

Why? the recent info from Nico:

“We spent time testing the wheel sizes with the team in Lets Gets, but it was more about feel and understanding how they worked, rather than just the timing,” said Nico, although – according to the clock – the 27.5in wheels are quicker than the 26in versions. On his test track, he reckons the bigger hoops are saving him roughly a second over a 2min 50sec run. A small gain but, with the Enduro World Series hotting up, every little edge becomes an advantage.

Hardly a storming advantage

With SC saying it makes bugger all difference and it practically being just a tiny change in size I don’t see the revolution coming, improvements in the bikes but not due to the wheel size may make differences.
For the top guys I see no change, for the new to it middle of the road DH based riders I see fitness training being more important.
For everyone else spending the money on skills training and some personal training would probably yield much better gains.

All seems abit crazy to me when mountain bike sales have plummetted and road bike sales have gone mental.
So you sell your 26″ for a 650B then they scrap that!!!.I love my 26″ full suss staying put 😀

I think some of you need to re-read rotor sterns comment…

I think some of you need to re-read rotor sterns comment..

Exactly what I was just thinking. He’s saying he doubts there’ll be a problem still getting 26″ spares…

Ignore wheelsize. Test bike. Go with the one that feels right.

I did that and it just happened to be a 650b. Best bike I’ve ever owned but it’s more than just wheel size. Good geo, good fit, good components.

end of line 26″ frame

Everything you need to know in one sentence

‘650b’ honestly is a marketeers fail. It sounds soo exciting.

Why not name it ‘mbr plan b’.

I went through the same thought process as the OP about a month ago when I fancied a new bike and then thought sod it, does it really matter. I bought myself a mid specced 2013 Zesty for a nice knock down sale price.

With the amount of 26″ wheeled bikes still knocking around it’s ridiculous to think that the parts will die out for them anytime soon.

Couldn’t be happier with my choice and saved myself some cash too 😀

Seriously, it’s only people on the internet who worry about stuff like this. The rest of the population just get out and ride.

I’m pretty sure there will be 27.5 bikes on sale too once 2014 models get released.
Remember there are lots of 650b bike for the 2013 model year! So wheel size might not factor hugely in picking up a sale priced later in the year

I’m pretty sure there will be 27.5 bikes on sale too once 2014 models get released. everybody realises it was just a silly fad

650b may be faster but will the extra size and weight make it as fun to ride? I’d probably just take advantage of a cheap 26″ in the sales when everyone is selling their stuff off to make way for bigger wheels 🙂

I’ve only just got used to 26″ after years on a BMX….can’t go any bigger!!!!

in all honesty if you wait until next spring there will be lots of dusty 26″ bikes left in show rooms that shops will be discounting in order to get rid of them, so if you want 26″ it miight be better to wait

a bikes a bike afterall

If 650s die a death you can still bung some 26ers in your frame.
Nice bit of added mud clearance.

Get a nice 26″ bike at a discounted price and throw some big fat tires on it and enjoy.

Don’t get either. There’ll be be a new, betterer wheel size along soon….

@dan I buy into bigger wheels, I have a couple of 29er HTs that I really enjoy riding. I had a 29er FS but found it a bit cumbersome so it’s gone, but I can see how 650b might make a lot of sense for longer travel FS. I’m sitting and watching 650b, I won’t be buying another 26″.

That said, I’m not you.

While you’re pondering, go ride some 29ers and 650bs, that will help you make up your mind I think! If you don’t like them then snap up a 26″.

Are we not forgetting that even if you buy a 650B next year there will be an entirely new completley more awesomer totally rad model of said bike that will be totally incompatible with your frame and make it obselete anyway?

As for parts, manh of us are still using 1 or 7 gears there are still parts 😀

I can still get spares for my 26″ wheel frame from 2005. Don’t give in to fashion and buy what puts a smile on your face.

Some said slacker bikes were just a fad too. Mainly riders of steeper bikes who didn’t want or see the need to change or didn’t want to feel like they were on old-hat bikes.
After 650B there will be a new thing to say is a load of BS. MTB is a techy sport-fashion industry, it’s just how it is. I had as much fun on my bike in the 80s as I do now, bike tech hasn’t added more fun, just the ability to keep up with others who embrace the tech. Ride what ya like )

So how do we reconcile two common bits of STW advice…

1. Go and demo the bikes, that’s the only way to find what suits you…

2. A bikes just a bike after all….

FWIW, I really did notice the difference between a 26 and a 29 and between different styles of bikes when testing on exactly the same trails. So I prefer 1 above to 2

If 650s die a death you can still bung some 26ers in your frame.
Nice bit of added mud clearance.

And a 12 inch bottom bracket. Great! 🙄

Nico saves himself a second?

Jesus wept. That means **** all to 100% of STW’er in the real world.

I test rode a Bronson today and have to say that I was pretty blown away with it.
I ride a Blur LTc and really didn’t expect it to be much different but I found that it really does roll better over rough stuff and just the generally handling and climbing was great.
I know what I would do!!

How easy do you want to make it?

Quite fancy trying a Bronson, have a similar thoughts on 26 or 650b something liberating about ditching all the 26″ spares, but that nagging feeling whether 650b is a phase or a new dawn.

Once I am healed will be testing both and see which I prefer as that’s what matters,

And a 12 inch bottom bracket. Great!

There’s a 1″ diameter difference between 26″ (559) and 650b (584). So you’d lower the BB by only 0.5″ – that’s the same difference as going from a 140mm fork to 100mm fork on a hardtail (sagged).

Looked at a handful of frames a while back. The 26er ones all had about 5mm BB rise, the 650b ones a 17mm BB drop. In my money, that’s about 22mm difference, which is closer to an inch than half an inch, although tbf I guess you can’t really compare across frames that are not a direct evolution.

So… in the event that 650b goes out of fashion in 2015… is 17mm BB drop and 26in wheels acceptable for a 140mm FS trail bike?