Is 26” dead?

ratracer

So, now that the forum is here, I’ve loads of questions about MTB that I haven’t asked before.
For a start: should I stick with my current Focus FatBoy 26” or, if I upgrade, should I go for a 27.5 or 29”? Will hope to do mostly single trail stuff for now, haven’t much experience of jumps, DH etc atm...

steamsey

Ok - fair play, you're straight into it. 27.5 all the way.

steamsey

But seriously, if you are racing then yes. If not racing, then probably still yes but maybe no.

bogmanfan

At the moment I think 29" is the future. When they first came out they were too big of a leap from 26" and 27.5 was developed as a compromise. Now with even downhillers starting to adopt 29" wheels I can't see 27.5" winning out long-term. I am biased though, I have a 29er on order!

Lemming

26" ain't dead; it's very popular with DJ/Free riders, and you'll still find people using older bikes using 26". Not just retro bikes either; bear in mind it's only been within the last three/four years that 27.5" has become so prevalant, never mind 29".

I saw a comment on pinkbike the other day; can't remember what the related article was about now, but it's so true

SomeCommentOnPinkbike wrote:

Pick a wheel-size and then be a d1ck about it.

Icyseanfitz

Having tried all wheel sizes I can see it coming down to your own height. At 6foot I find 26" feels too small, 27.5 feels great and 29er feels like pick a direction and roll over anything

asteroids over berlin

26 is too slow/energy sapping compared ot the rest unless you got a very good setup/components - i ran 26 with fulcrum red metal 0's and xtr, it rolled great, however for me 27.5 is ideal, faster and climbs well, only because 29 can be harder to control for any sharp actions or turns, this could of course be down to how i ride. 29's are beasts for climbing though, huge difference.

BazzyB

Current bike which is from 2006 is still on 26"..Tried a rental 29" hardtail at ballyhoura one day and was blown away by the momentum..next bike i get will definitely be 29" im 6' 6" so it definitely feels better suited to my scale

mollser

I'm still going on a 26" trail bike, getting faster all the time and can outpace a heck of a lot of riders on their 29"ers.

Its the rider, not the machine

CramCycle

I prefer the feel of a 29er, no notion is it faster but the old 26er feels not as right as it should be after having a 29er for awhile. No idea about the 27.5.

steamsey

I'm inclined to agree - the rider matters more than the bike. Moved to a 27.5 a year ago (was loving the 26 bike I had) and I certainly didn't feel that the 26 was holding me back - it was fitness, balls, skill that were (are) the issue. With that said, when it was time to move on from the 26, it only makes sense to get the new standard (27.5, boost) for resale at least.

Interestingly, for those that watch the UCI Downhill, they couldn't shut themselves up last year talking about which rider is on a 29, who is "still" on a 27.5....and now this year, not a single mention of wheel size in the commentary. I wonder if they felt it was divisive and at the end of the day, pointless.

Icyseanfitz

I do find going up in the wheel sizes lets you stop worrying about going over the bar on a lot of stuff that would nearly catch you out on a 26"

I've moved to 27.5 after years on a 26" and the combination of bigger wheels and slacker and longer geometry has really changed the speed at which im hitting stuff. Scare the crap out of myself a lot of the times

Lemming

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

I do find going up in the wheel sizes lets you stop worrying about going over the bar on a lot of stuff that would nearly catch you out on a 26"

I've moved to 27.5 after years on a 26" and the combination of bigger wheels and slacker and longer geometry has really changed the speed at which im hitting stuff. Scare the crap out of myself a lot of the times

It's the slacker, longer geometry providing more stability and consequently more confidence over the rough stuff that makes the difference.

I have two old-school 26" bikes, and one 27.5" full-suspension beastie; it's like night and day between them. I've tried a few 29" bikes too, including nukeproof megas (so same design to rule out differences in frame/suspension linkage) and never got on with the 29" bikes despite being 6'3. I felt that the smaller wheels were more nimble and handled corners better than the 29" wheels. But horses for courses; what works for one person doesn't for the next.

Plastik

I've been looking to replace my aging 26 XC bike with a longer and slacker hardtail, something like the DiamondBack Heist or the Nukeproof Scout 275. I thought I'd be able to find loads of these available second hand given the price point and from lads using BTW vouchers given their availability through Halfords and ChainReaction. Is no-one buying hardtails anymore or am I looking in the wrong place - adverts, donedeal, the odd MTB forum?

steamsey

I see a fair few hardtails about and at races. The Enduros have a hardtail category now too.

Also check facebook and pinkbike for second hand bikes

Lemming

Plastik wrote: »

I've been looking to replace my aging 26 XC bike with a longer and slacker hardtail, something like the DiamondBack Heist or the Nukeproof Scout 275. I thought I'd be able to find loads of these available second hand given the price point and from lads using BTW vouchers given their availability through Halfords and ChainReaction. Is no-one buying hardtails anymore or am I looking in the wrong place - adverts, donedeal, the odd MTB forum?

Maybe take a look on pinkbike. I've set the linked results list to search Europe. Seems to be quite a few in the UK, which fits with what I've seen regards the Nukeproof Scout being a popular bike for dirt jumps, slalom, and generally @rsing around.

Could also have a look at the Vitus Sentier or the Marin San Quentin if you are looking for something similar to the Scout.

ratracer

Some interesting thoughts here already folks, thanks for the replies.

I have no doubt that I would still be riding well within the capbilities of my current bike, it’s probably the skills, handling, and balls that need to be developed first and foremost.

Most of my cycling is on the road, however, I’d like to get off-road a lot more this winter.

Good to see discussion and contribution on this forum thus far, long may it last

Tenzor07

I've had them all, 26er, 27.5, and currently have 2 x 29er's

There's really no going back down in wheel sizes, 29er's are so good these days..

Maybe i'd buy a 26er for old times sake..

JonDoe

26ers for air time, it's to do with the wheel rotation while in the air, the rotational weight can change your flight, if you need to experience this just launch off a ramp and mid air pull the back brake and watch your nose dive. Larger the wheel size the more rotational weight at play so DH and DJ 26ers will live on.
I ride 29ers a lot, technical climbing, the larger contact patch on the rear will get you up a lot more than a 26er, the front of a 29er has a much greater attack angle on rocks and obstacles, a 26er might just stop and send you flying while a 29er will just roll over the same. Yes there's a greater rotational weight penalty on the climbs but rotational acceleration coasting down hill is a joy. 29ers are a lot cheaper today than 6-9 years ago. Single Speed is a joy with this wheel size.
27.5, 27.5+ and 29er+ I've no experience of.
Fatbikes are a joy too if you just want to go off the beaten path. You can't spend too much time on one as the BB width of 100mm will affect your gait if you spend a few 100km days in a row on one. Think grass covered 30m dune complexes, that's the place or off camber mud try keeping the front wheel pointing you where you want to go

Macy0161

Icyseanfitz wrote:

I do find going up in the wheel sizes lets you stop worrying about going over the bar on a lot of stuff that would nearly catch you out on a 26"

I've moved to 27.5 after years on a 26" and the combination of bigger wheels and slacker and longer geometry has really changed the speed at which im hitting stuff. Scare the crap out of myself a lot of the times

I kinda had the same experience. Actually gave up mtb as I lost my nerve. No idea whether the driver is wheel size or geometry though, and I also went full suss which i guess is another factor.

As an only occasional mtber, generally on built trails, I'm finding it somewhat point and shoot*.

*I do plan to work on the skills over the winter.

rizzodun

First bike was a 29er Hardtail XC bike.
Then I bought a 27.5 120mm full suss trail bike.
Now I have a 27.5 160mm full suss enduro bike.

What I can say is 29 is the future, but geometry beats wheel size hands down every single time.

xxyyzz

rizzodun wrote: »

First bike was a 29er Hardtail XC bike.
Then I bought a 27.5 120mm full suss trail bike.
Now I have a 27.5 160mm full suss enduro bike.

What I can say is 29 is the future, but geometry beats wheel size hands down every single time.

I would say for hardtails, particularly aggressive hardtails that plus size tyres 27.5 tyres are the way to go. A lot of the best reviewed bikes like the scout, orange crush and whyte 905 are running 2.6/2.8" tyres

muckwarrior

Whatever about which wheel size is actually better, I definitely wouldn't buy a new 26er bike because parts will be much more difficult to find. Take a look at new forks or wheelsets on websites and see just how few are 26"!

steamsey

muckwarrior wrote: »

Whatever about which wheel size is actually better, I definitely wouldn't buy a new 26er bike because parts will be much more difficult to find. Take a look at new forks or wheelsets on websites and see just how few are 26"!

It's a good point, was expecting savage bargains on all things 26 related, but it never happened. Good enough reason to move on to 27.5 and beyond.

boomdocker

I think if you are a newcomer to the sport there's no way you would choose to start out on a 26er over a 27.5 or 29er

I have a fairly new 29er trail bike, but also have my older 26er. Rode it at the weekend for the first time in a while. A lot different to the 29er, obviously, but there are places where it's better ie tight technical xc type stuff, just gets through corners quicker
29er is my go-to bike though, just a better all-rounder

emeraldmtb

26" isn't dead per se, but it seems to be living on as a jump and slopestyle bike. For trails 27.5 and 29 have taken over.

Which of those two you'd prefer comes down to preference really. But as a rule of thumb, if you're doing trail centre stuff mostly, I'd recommend the faster-rolling 29er. If you're going for more technical stuff then I'd personally choose 27.5. Although I know plenty of people that would choose the total opposite. Its a bit of a hot topic and prone to causing disagreements :P

None of that is to say that you couldn't ride a 26" wheeled bike on any of the trails of course. It did most of perfectly fine until not very long ago.