So who made the first

[tintin40]

So is the 26er dead? As the many aggressive 29er owners say so! And the manufacturers seem to think so. And yet my favourite maker Extralite has just stopped making 27.5 wheel. And still sells 26er & 29er. Perhaps they are unusual?

didnt you ask that question before you bought you 26" bike recently? :xmas-wink:

No, of course they are'nt, just not the focus of the companies at moment. Im sure when everyone has bought larger wheeled bikes and its considered the norm, someone will re-discover the 26" wheel, and so it starts all over again. Full circle :xmas-big-grin:

The only wheel they wont bring back anytime soon is the square one! :xmas-cool:

mark

Maybe? Can't remember. I remember asking Trimble in 2005 what is a 29er back when i joined this site. Din't a 26er win the women's race in the London Olympics ?

 

[viengsavanh]

Re: MTB ENGINEER ON 29ERS

Been seen here before i think,but still worth a watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj0uBQ7j5c4

 

[Woz]

Personally, think there is a lot of bull with it all.

For a tall rider a 29er kind of makes sense'; put's everything in proportion. Seems to me that 27.5" was
to put the size down a notch for Mr. Average size.

On a bike park in Norfolk they deliberately made pot holes / ruts exactly the diameter of a 26" wheel and a
typical MTB wheelbase; of course with a 29er it would be smoothed out somewhat. This is the annoying thing,
there has always been an arms race between those supplying the bikes and those making "rad and gnarly" bike
parks. Both are there to sell the "experience".

I'm staying with 26" for mountain biking I do, more than happy - gives a snappy ride.

 

[mk one]

For a tall rider a 29er kind of makes sense'; put's everything in proportion. Seems to me that 27.5" was
to put the size down a notch for Mr. Average size.

Never really put much thought into taller riders, but i notice more and more these days the need for larger bikes, most members on here seem to be tall

I think the latest 27.5 bikes are to balance the benefits of the two other size wheels more than the size of the rider though.

 

[drcarlos]

I have 2 modern mtbs, an xc race hardtail which is a 29er and a trail fs in 26 flavour. They are both great at what they do and definitely not so great at the use they were not intended for. I see a 650b as a one size fits none, a do it all for the people who only own 1 bike.
The 29 has been laid up for a few weeks and I must say that I’ve missed it as it suits the majority of my riding and I’m told I’m much faster on it too. Not surprised as the 26 nearly kills me keeping up.

Carl

 

[ishaw]

Re:

I'm a retro kind a guy, but have to admit that my go to bike is a 29er. It's not a modern one, at least 4 years old, so not up to date with whatever the current trend is for geometry or drive train. However, for the riding I've done with it, it's been great. It's light (carbon helps), nimble (ive not really noticed the larger wheels), but it does look wrong.

To be honest though, I've not really ridden a 26er on the same routes to give an objective comparison, as my rides are with people with modern gear and I feared being looked down on, riding an old bike, plus I covet my retro steeds and don't want to break them.

Trying to build a 27.5 at the moment to see what they are like, but in all honesty it does feel like marketing and sales are the real driving force behind the multitude of wheel sizes right now.

7 speed seems to be making waves in dh, linkage forks are being revisited too. 1x drive trains cost as much or more than triple??? I remember when 1x7 was considered bso territory.

What next I wonder, thumbies making a comeback? Neon and annodising?

The invention of the wheel was a game changer of course, but one size fits all simply doesn't sell anymore.