what size, 26", 27.5" or 29er ?

andrewdeans

Help help help
So I have some wonga to spend on a bike or upgrades. I currently ride a felt compulsion 4 on 26" wheels. I'm seeing lots about 29ers and thought it might suit my riding as I tend to do xc riding of 20miles a time. The I read that they might not be right for my height as I'm only 5ft 9 and a bit :-) . So I started to look at the 650b or 27.5", then read another post relating to check the current size and height of your wheels and tyres, I'm running rubber queens and they measure 27" talk about confused.com !

Kowalski675

Here we go again, lol...

rapid_donkey

Where do you mostly ride and how do you ride? Narrow your list of bikes you want down to a few, then go test ride them. You wouldnt buy a car without test driving it first.

cooldad

Ride some bikes, buy the one that feels right. Ignore the wheel size.

Kowalski675

rapid_donkey wrote:

You wouldnt buy a car without test driving it first.

I think we established pretty conclusively in a previous thread that lots of people do.

Kowalski675

cooldad wrote:

Ignore the wheel size.

If it was just a case of how they ride then I'd agree with that completely, but as a long term ownership prospect there's future proofing to consider too. Anyone want this Betamax video recorder?...

cooldad

So, go on, which size, if any, will be around in 20 years time?

cooldad

ps Betamax was technically superior to VHS, but the marketing wasn't.
But in the end, it didn't matter, because no one wants your VHS machine now anyway.
Or your Video Disc player, and soon your CD/DVD player. Just download it.

So I say forget wheel size, hold out for the hoverbike.

Kowalski675

cooldad wrote:

So, go on, which size, if any, will be around in 20 years time?

F**k knows, but we're not talking about twenty years. Manufacturers have already decided for us that 26" is extinct, it won't be too far in the future when tyre choice and availabilty (for example) is limited.

Kowalski675

cooldad wrote:

ps Betamax was technically superior to VHS,

Of course it was, but that was irrelevant. And it wasn't down to marketing - Betamax was killed off because the film companies chose to support VHS for pre-recorded films (plenty more examples of such - Playstation v Sega Saturn is one for the younger readers, lol). As is which wheel size is "better" - if the manufacturers aren't going to make 26" (or 29") anymore then we won't be able to buy them, whether we want to or not. The wheel size debate will be decided by the manufacturers, not the consumers.

cooldad

Millions of 26ers out there. Bits will be available for a while yet.

rockmonkeysc

Tyres and wheels will be available for several years in 26". As long as people have 26" bikes manufacturers will continue to make tyres and rims. Not everyone buys a new bike every year. There are lots of ten year old bikes still in regular use.
I'm buying another 26" bike next year.

Kowalski675

cooldad wrote:

Millions of 26ers out there. Bits will be available for a while yet.

With ever decreasing choice and availability, and increased prices. Tyre moulds (for example) wear out, and new ones are hugely expensive - manufacturers won't want to support an extinct format, and neither will shops.

Try buy a pair of tyres for a Ducati Paso, lol...

cooldad

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Tyres and wheels will be available for several years in 26". As long as people have 26" bikes manufacturers will continue to make tyres and rims. Not everyone buys a new bike every year. There are lots of ten year old bikes still in regular use.
I'm buying another 26" bike next year.

Yep, and even older - just look at all the weird beardy types on Retrobike.

cooldad

Kowalski675 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Millions of 26ers out there. Bits will be available for a while yet.

With ever decreasing choice and availability, and increased prices. Tyre moulds (for example) wear out, and new ones are hugely expensive - manufacturers won't want to support an extinct format, and neither will shops.

Try buy a pair of tyres for a Ducati Paso, lol...

How many millions of Ducati Pasos have been sold again?

Kowalski675

I have a beard and a 2007 bike, lol.

cooldad

I have no beard, and a 1987 bike, amongst others. But the poor op is nowhere nearer an answer.

Kowalski675

cooldad wrote:

I have no beard, and a 1987 bike, amongst others. But the poor op is nowhere nearer an answer.

Only Smarties have the answer. Sorry, I meant only he can answer his own question, really. All anyone else can do is offer opinions.

benpinnick

26 wheels are dead as far as most manufacturers are concerned, except for DH. I suspect new 26 parts will start to become less stocked quite quickly, probably within 2 years, as shops won't want to stock multiple lines. Will still be a lot available online of course.

supersonic

That's the thing, online will be plentiful. There is no problem buying a 26 inch wheeled bike today.

passout

Well, I like 26ers but have nothing against the idea of 27.5ers.

rockmonkeysc

passout wrote:

Well, I like 26ers but have nothing against the idea of 27.5ers.

That's the way I see it but the stock pile of 26" wheels, rims and tyres in my garage suggest that I should stick with 26"

CitizenLee

I'm sticking with 26 until the market forces me to change, and even then I'll go kicking and screaming.

When the day eventually comes it will be to 27.5" as 29" just seem to big and flexy for me personally.

To be honest I still think it's all just an organised ploy by the industry to make more money out of people.

I'll be in the corner with my tinfoil hat on if you need me

Thewaylander

benpinnick wrote:

26 wheels are dead as far as most manufacturers are concerned, except for DH. I suspect new 26 parts will start to become less stocked quite quickly, probably within 2 years, as shops won't want to stock multiple lines. Will still be a lot available online of course.

I disagree, 26" still has penty of go left. give it a year and i think it will all die down and the 3 will run side by side a fair bit.

iand-83

I keep looking at all the wheel sizes but I can't justify a new bike just to change for the fun of it. Going to stick with my 26" till it falls apart.

shindig

I predict the new wheel sizes will go the same way as biopace chainrings......

Kowalski675

CitizenLee wrote:

When the day eventually comes it will be to 27.5" as 29" just seem to big and flexy for me personally.

Assuming 29ers are still around then, lol. Giant have already said they're killing theirs off within a couple of years...

cooldad

shindig wrote:

I predict the new wheel sizes will go the same way as biopace chainrings......

I still have mighty Biopace chain rings on two bikes.

BigStu2

At 5'9" your perfect for a 29er I'm 5'7" and I'm Hammering my new (1 month old) Unit everywhere.
If your Felt has seen better days get something like a new Giant trance 27" or 29er, a Kona Hei Hei is an awesome bike as are the Specialized stumjumpers and Cambers and then theres that new Honzo....for me anything that rides more "Moto" rather than XC floats my boat and the new Kona Unit strangly enough is very Moto indeed!!

benpinnick

Thewaylander wrote:

benpinnick wrote:

26 wheels are dead as far as most manufacturers are concerned, except for DH. I suspect new 26 parts will start to become less stocked quite quickly, probably within 2 years, as shops won't want to stock multiple lines. Will still be a lot available online of course.

I disagree, 26" still has penty of go left. give it a year and i think it will all die down and the 3 will run side by side a fair bit.

I think maybe you're missing my point - many bike manufacturers have already effectively dropped 26. Im not saying you wont get parts, but you will struggle to find a wide choice of bikes in anything but FR/DH, Quick example in mid to high end bikes:

Giant: 9 models - 1x26", 5x27.5", 3x29"
Trek: 30 models - 6x26", 10x27.5", 14x29"
Whyte: 21 models - 0x26", 9x27.5", 12x29"

By next year it will be skewed even more into 27.5. Even Specialized, the anti 26er flag waver sells very few 26 bikes now.

roverpig

benpinnick wrote:

I think maybe you're missing my point - many bike manufacturers have already effectively dropped 26. Im not saying you wont get parts, but you will struggle to find a wide choice of bikes in anything but FR/DH, Quick example in mid to high end bikes:

Giant: 9 models - 1x26", 5x27.5", 3x29"
Trek: 30 models - 6x26", 10x27.5", 14x29"
Whyte: 21 models - 0x26", 9x27.5", 12x29"

By next year it will be skewed even more into 27.5. Even Specialized, the anti 26er flag waver sells very few 26 bikes now.

You could be right, but I think you should be careful about making predictions based on data from a single model year. The 2015 offerings may already be a fair way down the pipeline but beyond that it's going to depend on whether people buy into the new wheel or not. I think the outcome is far from certain. In fact I'd go so far as to say that 26" is still (just) the safest bet. The installed base of 26" bikes is so large that getting forks and wheels/tyres will be easy enough for as long as I'm likely to keep a bike. Although it looks unlikely right now it is still possible that 650b will be a flash in the pan.

Also, I don't think Giant said they will kill off their 29ers. I think they said they'd like to, which is fair enough. There are bound to be economies of scale if they can use the same wheel across their range. But I think they said they'd wait to see how the market reacted to 650b before deciding.