26, 650b or 29er in the long run?

clamps81

Best get some test rides booked I'd say - I know Skyline do 'em for a few brands and there are bound to be other places round here as well (EC maybe?). Someone, somewhere will have a 650B to try so you may as well give it a go to see if it suits.

jndb72

EC in Nelson have an Intense Tracer 275 in the shop. You can only demo it in the car park though. I took it for a quick spin last week, but it's a medium and I need a large. Nice bike though.

Cheers

junglist_matty

I've got a headache reading this thread.... If I hear "contact patch" one more time!

rockmonkeysc

Having three different standards can only be a bad thing for riders. Producing three different versions of each model of tyre, tube and wheel is going to cost more than producing one of each.

lawman

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Having three different standards can only be a bad thing for riders. Producing three different versions of each model of tyre, tube and wheel is going to cost more than producing one of each.

I'd say there will be benefits in certain areas that will help riders, trying to make 29" wheels, forks and frames as stiff as 26ers will push design forward, techniques learnt can be then be used to make small wheelsize components strong, lighter and stiffer. It also gives people a choice as to what suits them and their needs. At the end of the day whether a bike has 26", 650b or 29" wheels, its still a mountain bike, and just like deciding whether you need a 100mm travel xc bike or a DH bike, you have to consider what wheelsize is best for you. The wheelsize doesn't make the bike, the package as a whole does, so you have to find the package that suits you best. I still can't really get my head round why people are always so opposed to change, open your minds to something different and new and you might be surprised. After a demo day at cannock last month, I have no doubt if I wanted to go fast as I could I'd buy a 29er. The Yeti SB95 I rode, and timed on strava was and felt quicker than the SB66. The SB66 was more fun and I value fun more than out-right speed, so I'd have that. You just have to weigh up what/where you ride and what you value most just like you would if you were picking solely from 26" bikes. Wheelsize is just a part of the overall bike, not a defining factor.

ddraver

Conti believe in 650b...

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/c ... 013-37125/

(I'm in a similar place to kev too, hence my interest)

welshkev

aaron gwin won sea otter on a 29er too :?

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Aaron-Gwin ... -2013.html

so some dh bikes will come in 29er?

Torres

I'd just try a few bikes you like the look of Kev, irrespective of wheel size, and pick the one that you get on with the.

I'm thinking about it like this; there's been heavy investment in tooling over the past few years to produce 29er and 650b wheels, so I think it'll be a few years before they pull either of those. There's still thousands of 26" wheel bikes about, so parts will keep being produced for those; however we may start to see a reduction in production of top of the range parts in this size.

dhooper7

benpinnick wrote:

I think 650b will have replaced 26 for new bikes within 3 years.

Agree

benpinnick

Im not sure thats really down to too many wheel sizes. More likely profitability, stock or maybe even that your mate might have been better off on a 29er. Scott were one of the first to ditch 26ers, expect many more to fall by next year.

Thewaylander

welshkev wrote:

aaron gwin won sea otter on a 29er too :?

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Aaron-Gwin ... -2013.html

so some dh bikes will come in 29er?

Yeh but most people ride short travel bikes on that trail, it was described pretty much as a BMX track so i wouldnt worry about 29ers coming into Dh particularly.

Tiggerboy

Kev, take a look at this

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic ... ng-content

rockmonkeysc

benpinnick wrote:

so its 5% bigger contact area then? Or are you saying that 29ers also have the same size contact area as 26/27.5?

Contact area depends on pressure, not wheel size.
With pressure set at 30psi with 30lb of weight on the tyre you will have a contact patch one inch square (depending on sidewall stiffness etc).

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Contact area depends on pressure, not wheel size.

If the pressure's the same it depends on wheels size. And to have a fair fight you have to measure the patch with the pressure the same.

roger_merriman

welshkev wrote:

i'm in the market for a new bike, but it's going to be bought on finance as i'm skint and can't afford to shell out all in one go.

my question is, what do you reckon will still be around in 3 years time (when I would've stopped paying for the bike) I don't want to buy a 26" if next year they become obsolete and vice versa with the others. i'm liking the look of some of the 650b bikes but will they be the Betamax of the bike world?

this isn't a what's best question, it's a what will still be around question....opinions please

I'd be staggered if all 3 where not still around, 26in has been around for ever and ever, plenty of older bikes will still being used and buying tyres in 10 years time, same goes for 650b and 29er, as time goes on choice might get less but its unlikely that you'll not beable to get tyres for 26in/29er even in 10 years time.
I assume 650b will become the new standard for new bikes.

97th choice

26" is doomed. I'll keep mine as long as possible but I expect my next new bike to be a 650b.

lawman

650b is going to take over the new bike market, no doubt about it. Sure there'll be 29ers and maybe even a few small, die-hard 26" bikes, but 650b is going to become the standard I think. Having ridden a couple of 650b bikes, many 26ers and some 29ers I'd have to that 650b seems to conform to the stereotypes, you get some of the benefit of 29ers but they do handle like 26ers. Case in point the Santa Cruz Solo I demoed at the weekend, jumped on and felt instantly comfortable, yet the two 29ers I tried took a while to get used to and I wasn't a huge fan tbh, though the speed they carry is impressive, speed isn't my main priority, I value fun over speed, so if 650b handles similar to a 26er but has a little bit of extra speed then that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. I get geometry makes more difference than wheelsize, you get shit 29ers, shit 650b's, shit 26ers and all that jazz. Combined with a bikes geometry, the wheelsize will make a difference, you just have to decide which works for you and what your priorities are.

supersonic

I'm loving the press reaction again. Suddenly many 29ers are stodgy, boring, lack sparkle and so on.

lawman

supersonic wrote:

I'm loving the press reaction again. Suddenly many 29ers are stodgy, boring, lack sparkle and so on.

I noticed that too Most of the 29ers I've ridden have been good bikes, they've felt fast, had good suspension, good geometry, spec and so on, but they just don't feel that fun to me. Obviously fun is a subjective and personal thing, but it surprised how different the Tallboy LTc and Solo felt when I tested them at the weekend, same manufacturer, same suspension design, same frame size, very similar kit but different wheel size and I couldn't believe how quickly I felt comfortable on the Solo, it just suited me down to the ground. I think people need to get over which wheelsize is best all-round and decide what works for them, try some bikes and find the one that you enjoy the most

Kowalski675

If money were no object I'd have a Solo (or 5010, as they are now). Unfortunately it is.

Thewaylander

Indeed, trying to ignore the press.

My one worry now is the lack of option! we are now seeing 650b on the DH uci race scene this year and next there are meant to be production DH bikes with it. I think once its mainstream in DH we will just see manufacturers stop supporting the 26" wheel size at the higher end, So getting hold of good 26" wheels and newer model tyres even forks will become difficult as no one makes new 26" products.

So though I agree totally with the sentiment of just buy what you enjoy most, being a prospective buyer im pretty much writing off 26" now because of the above and frankly there are hardly any 26" bikes to buy.

Angus Young

Thewaylander wrote:

My one worry now is the lack of option!

Yet for a long time the only option you had was 26. Were the forums full of people moaning about lack of options back then?

Thewaylander

That statements is a bit silly, we are not complaining at new options its options being taken away.

Kowalski675

Thewaylander wrote:

That statements is a bit silly, we are not complaining at new options its options being taken away.

And potentially the component support for them, in the longer term. A new wheel size doesn't make our "obsolete" 26 inchers crap, but not being able to get a decent choice of tyres for them would...

Thewaylander

Exactly!

With DH bikes starting to come 650b i can see it being the only option compared to 26" in the not to distant future with tyre choices reducing, and so on.

rockmonkeysc

As long as people keep buying 26" tyres the manufacturers will keep making them. It's in their interest to keep up with demand.
They won't stop just because 27.5" is the latest thing.

Angus Young

Thewaylander wrote:

That statements is a bit silly, we are not complaining at new options its options being taken away.

Silly? Yet now you have the choice of 3 wheel sizes where before you had 1. 26 isn't going anywhere soon. With all the 26ers around you're going to be able to buy wheels and tyres (and bikes, for that matter) for many years to come. And when it comes time to buy a new bike just go 27.5 and ebay all your spare kit to a Luddite. After all, every one who hates 27.5 is convinced it's just a marketing ploy because you just can't tell the difference from a 26 (that's the party line, isn't it...) so they should suit you just as good as your 26. Plus, think of all the 26er bargains that are going to be around, new and used, over the next few years. It's about to get really good for people who want to stay 26.

Thewaylander

The thing is already there are some new wheels being produced with no 26" options, and this isnt long into the marketing revelolution.

kinda feels like manufactures are hearding people down that road for new bikes.

Angus Young

Just think about all the bargains coming your way. That's got to be a positive.