26" Wheeled bike are a thing of the past

[REKIBorter]

apparently? That's what the bike industry says. Better start stocking up on 26" wheels, tyres and tubes before they disappear.

Is it a load of marketing tripe? I have just picked up a very tidy 26" full sus XC bike with range topping kit for a ridiculous price, £2,000 of the retail price!

 

[poweredbypies]

meh never happen, 29'er have been a bit of a damp squib. 27.5 may take off but i doubt we will see the loss of 26" there's to much investment set in all the molds and such for tyres and such.

 

[REKIBorter]

They say ...
29er for short travel XC hardtails and very tall riders.
27.5er for longer travel enduro style bikes / short travel XC for medium / short riders.
26er for downhill / slopestyle / trials / budget bikes.

 

[jimo746]

Re:

26" will make a resurgence, the new Trek Session is keeping its 26" hoops, so there is still demand for some disciplines where 26" wheels are preferred.
29'ers might become the hard to find retro bikes of the future, I know a few people who have chopped in their 29'er frames for 27.5.

 

[T'boo Ted]

well 2 years ago everyone was saying 26 is dead and 29ers are the way of the futures... now seems 29ers are on the way out and 650b is the way of the future...

If i buy a new bike in the near future it'll be 650b, but only because getting something nice in the 4-5inch XC range is nigh on impossible for a 26er... and I'll ride my roadie down the trails before I buy a 29er.

 

[ti_pin_man]

nah a bike is a bike. I was looking for a new one last year and rode 12 bikes, some 26 and some 29. I rode many back to back and can honestly say, yes they were different but also amazingly the same.

 

[widowmaker]

Re:

They said that about 27" wheel

Hang on - they are a thing of the past

 

[superstu]

Re: Re:

26" will make a resurgence, the new Trek Session is keeping its 26" hoops

I think downhill rigs are going to be sticking to 26, but i think they will be pushed to 650b if the manufacturers can make the pros use them.

It pains me to say it but choices for 26 are getting harder and harder, so 650b will become the new standard. Still be plenty to keep the likes of us on here going forever, but if you want something modern all the development is into the newer wheels sizes (including 29r) and therefore by default 26 will phase out.

Its not going to be overnight. I've experienced recent similar issues with forks. Was trying to get a cheap (but reasonable) straight 1.125 steerer fork with 9mm quick release...impossible* to find. Things move on.

I'm in no way endorsing 650b - I have never ridden one and cant think for a second that they make any difference, but i obsess about bikes enough to see good ol' 26 hoops disappearing from everything I read and see. 2015 bikes being released show even more universal movement to this new wheel size, as those who stuck to 26 dont want to be left behind (Cotic, On-One, Giant, Specialized to name just a few)


*techinically not impossible, but much less choice and you pay a premium for your old-school ways

 

[Ceefax]

Re:

Yeah, all the big brands have stopped selling 26" wheel bikes - or are in the process of phasing them out.
And people can't buy bikes that don't exist.

So 26 is already a thing of the past, from that point of view.

I not sure many people would go out and spend money on a new 26" today anyway.
Because, rightly or wrongly, they would think it an inferior, or out of date product - compared to the new sizes. And that 26" is soon to be obsolete, so why spend good money on it at this point.

I'm more worried about running out of parts for my favourite 26" bike, which I still ride all the time.
Because demand for 26" specific components, like rims and tyres will decline.
And companies will reduce the variety of 26" options, or stop making them altogether, due to lack of sales.

I can imagine visiting some tyre companies website in the future, and all their latest and greatest stuff will be 27.5" and 29".
And they will have just one or two 26" tyres left in the range - which weigh a ton, and are not the width you like.

 

[Osella]

Re: Re:

Yeah, all the big brands have stopped selling 26" wheel bikes - or are in the process of phasing them out.
And people can't buy bikes that don't exist.

So 26 is already a thing of the past, from that point of view.

I'm more worried about running out of parts for my favourite 26" bike, which I still ride all the time.
Because demand for 26" specific components, like rims and tyres will decline.
And companies will reduce the variety of 26" options, or stop making them altogether, due to lack of sales.

Yep, this..
And of course, the 'new' bikes are outselling 26" sizes 10-1, QED no need for 26" bikes, as people obviously don't want them.. which of course is a self-fulfilling marketing prophecy as of course people aren't buying them - that's because the manufacturers stopped making them!..

Think about Square Taper BB's and cranks - can't buy many new quality ones (some bottom-end ones still kicking about, UN26, etc).
A variety of Canti-pads? Not so much..
Quality rim-brake wheels? Good luck!..

I've been stocking up on 26"-specific parts for a while, but have discovered that for disc-frames a lot of 650b wheels fit a lot of ' 26" ' bikes, being as there's very little difference in the real-world sizing - so don't despair just yet!

I have no plans to change from 26" now - as I can buy entire bikes' worth of kit for very little money indeed! Every cloud & all that..