In an attempt to get myself back into riding my MTB more often I’m thinking of throwing money at the problem and buying some new bits for my bike. It’s a Dartmoor hornet which currently has my 26″ stuff but is also designed for 650b.

I want a new fork anyway as it’s a 170mm Lyrik which is far too much for a hardtail, so I might as well go up to 650b in the process. I don’t really ride anything gnar at the minute, just want a decent 150mm-ish “trail” fork that’ll fit 20mm hubs and can take a bit of a beating if necessary. I’ll be selling my Lyrik to fund it so budget isn’t huge, under £300 used.

Wheel wise, I have Hope Pro 2 hubs which have never let me down and still going strong. Am I best off getting these re-built with some decent 650b rims, rather than buying a new wheelset?

Tyre wise I’ve used Specialized Clutch SX tyres forever and want something similar, maybe a bit faster rolling

You may be able to lower the travel on your fork with an air shaft change in which case you may not need to change wheels unless you’re desperate to. They cost about £40 and it’s easy enough to do yourself if you have the tools.

E.g.
Rockshox Debonair 2019 Air Spring Upgrade

If you rebuild the pro2 with 650b, you can swap the end caps on the pro2 to 15mm which will make finding a trail fork simpler over finding a 20mm fork

I’m not sure how many up to date 650b forks take a 20mm axle. I think those are wider than the usual 15×100 non boost standard.

My first query would be to hope to see whether you can get different axles for that hub (ie can it be made to fit a 15×100 or 15×110 fork). If not and that limited you fork choice I’d have a look at Supertar and Planet X for a 650b wheel deal. I think Superstar in particular were doing some great wheel build deals on their new v6 hubs.

In terms of trail forks I’d probably be looking for a Pike or Fox 34 unless you want extra stiffness in which case a Lyrik or 36. The Manitou Mattoc Pro 2 (I think) often gets good reviews too, as does the X Fusion Sweep. For £377 brand new Planet X have the Sweep – you’d just need to internally adjust it from 160mm down to 150mm.

That said I recently picked up a Pike second hand for £270 and it’s great on my hardtail – and easy to work on.

I’m not actually sure how much difference you’ll see moving from 26” to 650b – maybe a bit more rollover through bumps but it’s not a huge increase in wheel size. You might find just reducing the Lyrik travel down to 150mm whilst servicing and maybe just sprucing things up with some new tyres might do the job.

Hmm yes I actually think the “lowering the lyrik” idea was what I settled on last time I looked into this. Didn’t realise there were more new hub standards etc, I’m way out of the loop. Thinking I’d be better off spending the money that would have gone on wheels sending it off to J-Tech for lowering and a good once over.

What’s the verdict on “26 ain’t dead” these days – still alive and well or slowly but surely a dying breed?

Forget what you know and get an EMTB

I’ll have a 150 Pike for sale soon, for £200. As said, just swap the 20mm caps on your front wheel to 15mm.

If you’re on a budget just adjust your fork then run it till it dies.