• This topic has 149 replies, 63 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by accu.
Viewing 30 posts - 121 through 150 (of 150 total)
  • New Heckler. You'll never guess what's happened to the wheels.
  • mattjg
    Free Member

    The best manufacturers are giving their customers the option to choose their wheel size for each model rather than forcing the latest scam to recoup their R&D outlay on us.

    A scam is when a vendor tricks a buyer into buying something they think is something else.

    There is no scam here.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    nickc – Member

    MTB bike sales have exploded

    Have they though?

    nickc – Member

    Have you been to a bike shop recently? try finding a 26″ bike amongst all the shiny 29ers.

    I don’t think I’ve ever been in a bike shop where 29ers were the majority. I imagine my local Specialized dealers will have drunk the kool-aid and swapped over but that’s all. And 650s are still a downright oddity. (and kit almost unseen- was in an Alpine today and a feller was trying to buy a 29er tube, “no demand for it mate, the roadie place in town will have some”)

    nickc
    Full Member

    Northwind, come south where all the money is. 😆 LL in Dav is a bun fest most weekends, and Evans in Milton Keynes, you cant move for 29ers.

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    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    With these offers you are spoiling us!! Daventry & MK the heart of UK Mountain Biking…. There are other things you can’t move for in Dav & MK…

    nickc
    Full Member

    🙂

    It’s always amazed me that LL Daventry is as clearly successful as it very obviously is. Go in on a Saturday, and you literally get crushed in the rush of people buying top end bikes . Odd

    MTB mecca, doncha know..? 😆

    Paceman
    Free Member

    wrecker – Member
    This isn’t about 29ers. It’s about 650b. 29ers are sufficiently different to co exist with 26. 650b isn’t.

    Completely agree.

    Sadly, 650b/27.1″ might end up making both 26″ and 29″ hard to find in the future 🙁

    honourablegeorge
    Full Member

    If SC had discontinued the Heckler, I doubt many people would have batted an eye. Moving it to 650b seems to have upset more people.

    wrecker
    Free Member

    Sadly, 650b/27.1″ might end up making both 26″ and 29″ hard to find in the future

    I reckon 29 is here to stay. It clearly has advantages for the XC end of the spectrum, and with mega corporations like spesh pushing it so hard I can’t see it going away.

    mattjg
    Free Member

    (nah, on reflection best to stay out of it)

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    I saw my first 650b bike in the flesh at the weekt when I went to pick up my new frame…a SC Bronson which I’ve got to say was lovely. But, but, against a 26inch Banshee with chunky tyres there was hardly and difference in overall wheels size. Will it actually role noticeably better than a 26er? I personally doubt it. The difference looks so small that I doubt your average Joe plodding about on it will find it a revelation.

    I think the writing could be on the wall for the smallest wheels size if people like Fox stop making higher end products. If the industry pushes it, it could happen sooner than you think because I’m sure that form upgradesaaren’t that common these days given how expensive they are. SC seem to be pushing complete builds more and more too, Spesh have all but abandoned offering frames. Will there be enough of a market for Fox and co to offer higher end after market products soon?

    chestrockwell
    Full Member

    Why are you all getting so over excited? I keep hearing about how we won’t be able to buy parts for our 26″ bikes but how many parts are actually affected?

    The general opinion seems to be that you can run some 26″ forks with some 650 wheels and vice versa so forks are not a problem.
    What are we left with then? Tyres, spokes and rims…… Do you really think Mavic, DT, Maxxis etc are going to stop making 26″ gear any time soon?

    Northwind
    Full Member

    chestrockwell – Member

    What are we left with then? Tyres, spokes and rims

    Frames! It’s a barrier to change, if you’ve got 26er forks and wheels you can change 26er frames easily but changing to 650b is much more expensive. So if options of frames reduces, that’s obviously not good.

    roverpig
    Full Member

    Can you not just stick your 26″ wheels and forks on a 650B frame though? I keep hearing that the difference is so small that nobody would notice, so surely the frame will handle just fine with 26″ kit.

    chestrockwell
    Full Member

    What frames are we talking about though? Opinion seems to be that anything below top end will live on in 26″. Want top end, go custom.

    Things change, people get outraged, then everyone forgets and it becomes the norm. It’s not that I don’t think it’s naughty if this really is just an excuse to force us to buy new kit but some of you lot must have far too much time on your hands if 650 makes you so upset.

    Back to the original point about frames. I’d point to the limited amount of stuff you’d have to change if you’re forced on to a 650 frame. It’s rims and spokes really, isn’t it? Not perfect but also not the end of the world.

    I’ll believe this 650 take over when I see it anyway.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    The new Fox forks that have the redesigned brace can’t run a 650b wheel, so if you had an older frame with newish forks on it, then you may be forced to change. I guess it’s jot an issue on older forks.

    Persogetting het up I about it but it, but I do think it’s annoying. I’ll stick with my 26inch wheels for as long as I can or at leasr until I can no longer get good spares for them. My only concern is that this middle sized wheel has gathered pace very quickly.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    chestrockwell – Member

    Opinion seems to be that anything below top end will live on in 26″.

    ORLY? So we’ll still be able to buy a new 26er Heckler?

    roverpig – Member

    Can you not just stick your 26″ wheels and forks on a 650B frame though?

    Would you run a frame with the wrong sized fork or shock in it? Some frames’ll be fine run 26er I’m sure but others won’t. Why would you accept such a compromise though?

    chestrockwell
    Full Member

    ORLY? So we’ll still be able to buy a new 26er Heckler?

    I should qualify that by saying ‘opinions I’ve read on here’. I wouldn’t really call a Heckler mid range when it costs what it does but get your point.

    If you’re in the market for a complete Heckler just buy 650 as “it doesn’t make any difference”. If you want to buy just a frame and then use your old kit buy some new rims and get them built up on your current hubs. Not ideal but not silly money compared to the amount you’re dropping on a frame (Heckler).

    I’m not a 650 or 29er convert, all my bikes are 26″ but I also don’t see why some people are getting so over excited tbh. I’m not worried in the slightest about spares for my bikes.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    If you want to buy just a frame and then use your old kit buy some new rims and get them built up on your current hubs.

    why even bother?
    the wheelbase is the same and the size difference is next to nothing so why even bother?
    Whihc shows how pointless it is

    Would love to do some double blind tests swapping over the wheels I bet no one could tell tbh that is how much difference it makes NONE

    roverpig
    Full Member

    Would you run a frame with the wrong sized fork or shock in it?

    It depends if it would make any difference I guess. I keep reading that 650B is just marketing bollox and that the difference between 650B and 26″ is so small that you can’t really tell. Well, if that’s the case then surely you can just run 26″ wheels and forks in a frame designed for 650B. Either there is a detectable difference between the two wheel sizes, in which case maybe 650B is better, or there isn’t, in which case you can just keep your 26″ stuff and stick it on the new frame.

    chestrockwell
    Full Member

    Junkyard + Roverpig, exactly. No need to get so upset, the world will keep turning.

    If you don’t want a 650 bike, don’t buy one. Your 26″ bike will be fine.

    mattjg
    Free Member

    I’m a happy 29er HT rider and buy that the best wheel for the job is the biggest wheel that can do the job.

    If bike designers think a 650b makes a better FS than 26 inch because it brings some ‘big wheel benefits’, but also a better FS than 29 inch because the frame can be more compact, hence agile, I can see how that could work. I’d certainly like to try one, perhaps I’d buy one – but I’m pretty sure I’ll never again buy a 26 inch bike, getting the damn things to go along and up is just too painful.

    Bike companies stay in business by making the best bikes they can and pleasing as many customers as they can.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    roverpig – Member

    I keep reading that 650B is just marketing bollox and that the difference between 650B and 26″ is so small that you can’t really tell.

    To be fair, one place you hear that from is Santa Cruz, currently pushing 650B as hard as it can be pushed.

    Personally I say there’ll be a handling difference, and it’ll be small, so why take on all the infrastructure change for something that at most will be a small benefit, but more likely will be a case of some small benefits and some small drawbacks. If I’m going to spend £2500 to switch bikes (frame + wheels + forks) I’d want something more than small changes…

    mattjg
    Free Member

    If I’m going to spend £2500 to switch bikes (frame + wheels + forks) I’d want something more than small changes…

    Fair dos, but it’s not about you.

    Once someone’s in the market for a new bike, and doesn’t have 26″ baggage (like, for instance, me … and most people buying bikes), they want the best for their money. If it looks like some of those are choosing 650b and it’s getting some traction, then manufacturers need to pile in.

    I’ve no idea myself if 650b is ‘better’, I’ve never ridden one, but the case for it, for a certain kind of bike and most riders, against both 26 and 29, does seem plausible to me.

    slackalice
    Free Member

    Fair dos, but it’s not about you.

    Thanks for the chuckle 😀

    accu
    Free Member

    some days old but..
    the spokemagazin article in this thread explains it all…

    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-the-f-the-wheel-decision-isnt-our-choice

    Northwind
    Full Member

    mattjg – Member

    Fair dos, but it’s not about you.

    It’s not, but I long since grew out of thinking I’m a beautiful and unique snowflake…

    Still, if you really want to spend a packet for a tiny difference- and that’s difference, not upgrade- then be my guest.

    mattjg
    Free Member

    Yeah but if I (or a new customer) bought a 650b now, it costs no more than a new 26 of equivalent spec. It makes no difference to anyone not bringing 26 inch baggage to the deal.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    That goes without saying… But that’s just another expensive way to get a new bike.

    Even then, most current bike owners will still have kit they can’t use any more, even if it’s just tyres it’s still adding to the cost but lots of people transfer parts from old bikes onto new- especially wheels since full-build wheels are so often a spec low point.

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    crazy that so many people are getting upset that 26er stuff will be obsolete and unavailable by next monday or something. 650b stuff is only *just* making it in to the stores. most bike mfrs are only just sneaking in 1 token 650b model for 2014, and half have only just had a 29er for a year or 2. and afaict everybody’s favourite Flow EX Hope Hoop isn’t even available (certainly not listed at any of my usual stores).

    looks to me more like 650b stuff isn’t available, rather than 26er stuff being hard to find.

    still have no plans to buy 650b. will wait 5 years and add to the self-fullfilling prophecies. I was in the market for a 26er FS. Now I can wait.

    accu
    Free Member

    looks to me more like 650b stuff isn’t available, rather than 26er stuff being hard to find.

    ..but you won`t be able anymore to buy a new 26″ orange five frame or a new 26″ SC heckler frame next months…..

Viewing 30 posts - 121 through 150 (of 150 total)

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