New bike time?

rockmonkeysc

I was thinking it was going to be new bike time this autumn, quite like the look of the Giant Trance SX but it seems that the manufacturers have just put me off. Giant have said they are dropping 29" bikes next year, they wouldn't do that if they thought they had a future.
Specialized and Trek are still going with 26" & 29" but not 650B. If they thought that 650B was going to be big they would have bikes ready for 2014.
I'm sure I'm not the only person holding off buying until they can decide what will stay and what's going.
Idon't mind what size wheels I have as long as the bike rides well.
26" would be ideal for me so I can still use the mud tyres and spare wheels I have got and I can swap tyres off my DH bike for big mountain trips.

The Northern Monkey

26" wheels aint going anywhere soon.

ej2320

Get another nukeproof?

Mega TR? Both 26" and 650b available

cooldad

I believe Orange 5s are very popular.

ej2320

cooldad wrote:

I believe Orange 5s are very popular.

Don't start that again..

97th choice

You can get the 2013 26" trance for £899.00, and plenty of other models on Paul's cycles. Like was said above 26" isn't going anywhere soon. A trance x with 140mm fork and chunky tyres, I'm guessing, will ride fairly similar to the new 650b when it comes out.

97th choice

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Specialized and Trek are still going with 26" & 29" but not 650B. If they thought that 650B was going to be big they would have bikes ready for 2014.

It could be as much about marketing, product differentiation or the fact that they are behind the curve on 650b design because all their r and d was on 29.

rockmonkeysc

I would go for the new, longer travel Trance if it was 26". The current model has a great frame but the build is all wrong.
The Mega TR looks great but is a frame only in 26" version. A custom build will end up over budget.

paul.skibum

I tried my mates (prize) Mega TR this weekend - in a short run up a section of trail I was very impressed by how it wanted to go faster, wanted to get off the ground but at the same time was planted and solid - wasnt sold on the XX1 gearing but I was riding clippy pedals in my five tens so bit hard to judge properly. Geta 2013 pro model in 26er in the sales next spring?

Kowalski675

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I'm sure I'm not the only person holding off buying until they can decide what will stay and what's going.

Nope, not just you. Part of the reason I bought my Boardman, rather than anything more expensive was that (particularly at its reduced price) I figured it was an inexpensive way of getting out riding, which I can use for a year, wait to see where the whole wheel size palaver is going, then look at upgrading to something more expensive, if I want to, without losing much money.

DCR00

isn't this just pandering to the whole wheel size marketing machine ?

why not go out and test the merits of wheel size for yourselves ?

jairaj

DCR00 wrote:

why not go out and test the merits of wheel size for yourselves ?

+1. I don't think any of the wheel sizes are going to become obsolete any time soon. You might not have the biggest choice for any sizes that prove to become unpopular but I think you'll still be able to buy tyres and spares for all the wheel sizes for while yet. Just try a few bikes and get what ever feels good regardless of the wheel size.

j_l

its funny you mention the 29-650-26 thing, a couple of my LBS's have said 26" is going to be only for "lower end" bikes in 2014, surly this is just marketing guff to make the uninformed / wealthy, think oh 26" is soooo last year, that they need a new bike??

Oh and the Mag's they are just as bad.

are 29r's / 650b's really that good?

cooldad

Yes.
No.
Maybe.
what was the question?

rockmonkeysc

It seems that every year a standard becomes obsolete. We have had head tubes, axles, bottom brackets (BB30 is stupid) and this time its wheels.
Can you fit 26" wheels to 650B frames? I just want to be able to fit my DH wheels and tyres.

jairaj

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Can you fit 26" wheels to 650B frames? I just want to be able to fit my DH wheels and tyres.

Yes but it'll drop the bottom bracket height and if you have a 650B specific fork with a different offset the front end might get a a tiny bit more twitchy. How much of this you will actually feel when riding the bike?? no idea?

Giraffoto

It's clear that one of the three popular MTB wheel sizes stands a chance of being obsolete in ten years' time, although I don't think it's likely to be 26". But to put a hypothetical question to the OP, if you buy a 29er and in 2016 no one's making complete 29er bikes any more, how does it affect you?

rockmonkeysc

Lower BB is good. I guess I would have to find out if it invalidates the warranty though if I break it the original wheels would go back before I try to get it sorted.

I also quite like the look of the Remedy 29. Obviously I cant use my 26 wheels on that. I wouldn't want to buy one and find 29 becomes obsolete in a few years

The Rookie

Ultimately I suspect 26" will stopped being shipped as new on higher end bikes, BSO's will continue with them for years (they still used inclined dropouts from the 1970's after all!), however there will be enough supply of parts to keep a 26er going for at least 10 years I reckon.

Many 26" frames can be made 650B with just a fork anyway.

A 26" on 2.4 tyres has about the same rolling radius as a 650B on 2.0.....

ej2320

I like Nukeproofs approach

Build both 26" and 650b frames that are otherwise the same then let the buyer choose and build

rockmonkeysc

I had a chat with my local Giant shop. They said the as there is virtually bugger all difference between 650b and 26" fitting my 26" dh wheels with a pair of big dh tyres gives the same rolling diameter to its no problem.
I think I might treat myself to a Trance SX