Is there any future at all for the 26 wheel?

[legrandefromage]

Looking at what Facebook considers suitable adverts for my profile, adventure bikes, gravel bikes and road bikes (all with disc brakes!) are dominating everywhere.

Is there anywhere left to go with 26?

 

[tintin40]

Is there anywhere left to go with 26?

Sadly no. It's the best wheel. Strong, stiff and light. Can't improve on that. The ad men can't think of any new ways to sell it. So kill it and sell some thing else.

 

[fearfactoryüberalles]

Yeah, why not, sod the marketing b'stards! I think 26" bikes require less material to be made anyway (Greta-factor, mind!) and the used 26" bikes could be a good base for bikerecycling for the Greta Army also. As it's still better to refurbish them than to make/buy some new alloy/plastic abomination however big wheels it may contains :twisted:

 

[Double-E F]

Who cares about what FB says..?!

 

[legrandefromage]

Who cares about what FB says..?!

I dont, but unfortunately theres a lot that do and what they do influences the rest as to what appears in the market. If they all wore plastic bags for clothing, there will be adverts for the latest plastic bag outerwear, kippers for hats, cats and dogs, living together

etc etc

 

[longun]

Re:

The future is what one makes it, I've just bought a 26er downhill bike.........says the fat old lad from the flat lands haha

 

[The History Man]

I think I have just bought another 26” bike. I’m going further back rather than forward these days as I’ve done 29 etc and like 26 for convenience and swapping plus it’s what I know. I do like 29 if you can build a light one. Half the pleasure is the retro ness isn’t it?

 

[legrandefromage]

For every 29'er and 27.5 there will be thousands upon thousands of 26 wheeled bicycles. But if you only believed what the cycling press says, 26 bikes simply dont exist and anyone riding them is a dinosaur on a dinosaurs' bike.

Personally, I have found big modern tyres are great on 26 wheels but the 29/ 700c sized wheels are just too big for me - but then you'll have 'experts' telling me I'm wrong or have been riding the wrong bicycles or that I am the wrong person (again).

I've yet to try any sort of 27.5/ 650b and look forward to it but no budget means it wont happen for a while.

 

[madjh]

For me is the best wheel size, the most balance and the most fun. I´m not too tall so I don´t like 29", I only own a 27.5" and 5 26" the newest is a 26". My last built is a declaration: I don´t care about 27.5 or 29".

Recently I have built some custom wheels (CK hubs+ Alpine rims+ CX ray) because no one have a decent wheel in 26" the best for XC you can find is a Cross ride. Why should someone expend lot of money in some good wheels if he think 26" is death.

But not all is XC, for free ride spank still sells 26" wheels and I think hope do the same. And for street trial 24" or 26".

And except in mtb clubs, people still rides 26". There are lot of 26" bicycles and even Decatlhon sell one model or two in 26". Magazines and shops what you to buy the last crap they have invent, it is your choice. But after lot of years in MTB you will feel tired about the last, the best what ever. It is always the same: your bicycle is a crap because it is not the last bicycle ...

 

[mk one]

Like you said, its all marketing for the consumable world we live in.

One just assumes that everyone is on the latest version of a product, because of all the constant images and reviews, when in reality most cant afford them and settle for secondhand. 29" bikes will make up a very small percent of actual bikes sold over the world.

Pop music for example, a lot of people assume that they are the biggest stars in the world, they always top the charts, they are always shown on tv/radio etc so its only natural. Country and western artists sell many times more records than any pop artist, they are just not thrust down our necks all the time, wether thats a good thing or not, i will let you decide

As for your original question, when i finish building my Teleporter i wont need any type of wheel