Are you scared of change?

rockmonkeysc

Apparently 26" isnt quite dead. Cotic are making the most of the gap in the market for those of us who have several million pounds invested in spare 26" wheels and tyres.

http://singletrackworld.com/2013/12/26in-aint-dead/

cooldad

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Apparently 26" isnt quite dead. Cotic are making the most of the gap in the market for those of us who have several million pounds invested in spare 26" wheels and tyres.

http://singletrackworld.com/2013/12/26in-aint-dead/

Do try and keep up with the rest of the class.

supersonic wrote:

http://vimeo.com/m/80894248

rockmonkeysc

cooldad wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Apparently 26" isnt quite dead. Cotic are making the most of the gap in the market for those of us who have several million pounds invested in spare 26" wheels and tyres.

http://singletrackworld.com/2013/12/26in-aint-dead/

Do try and keep up with the rest of the class.

supersonic wrote:

http://vimeo.com/m/80894248

I didn't pay attention when I was at school (except in Miss Law's class, what a cleavage) and I won't now.

benpinnick

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Apparently 26" isnt quite dead. Cotic are making the most of the gap in the market for those of us who have several million pounds invested in spare 26" wheels and tyres.

http://singletrackworld.com/2013/12/26in-aint-dead/

Several million pounds divided several hundred thousand ways is not a huge amount. Up and down the country people are deciding to not buy a new x-thousand pound bike because they have fifty quids worth of half worn out tyres for sure.... Seriously though, I don't think a few old tyres and a set of wheels will be much of a barrier to entry for most people.

Thewaylander

supersonic wrote:

http://vimeo.com/m/80894248

That kid is dirty on a bike!

rockmonkeysc

benpinnick wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Apparently 26" isnt quite dead. Cotic are making the most of the gap in the market for those of us who have several million pounds invested in spare 26" wheels and tyres.

http://singletrackworld.com/2013/12/26in-aint-dead/

Several million pounds divided several hundred thousand ways is not a huge amount. Up and down the country people are deciding to not buy a new x-thousand pound bike because they have fifty quids worth of half worn out tyres for sure.... Seriously though, I don't think a few old tyres and a set of wheels will be much of a barrier to entry for most people.

In my garage there's probably £300 worth of spare tyres and the same in wheels. Also my downhill bike has 26" wheels so if im riding particularly rocky trails I can use my dual ply dh tyres and dh wheels.
To change to a new wheel size I would want to budget an extra £500+ for tyres and wheels to cover xc and all mountain and a bit of freeride.
Thats a lot of money to gain half an inch on my wheel radius.

benpinnick

You should have seen my garage pre 27.5. I had ten sets of spare tyres, 3 spare frames, 2 spares sets of forks, 3 wheel sets including a brand new hope / crest pair. When I switched to 27.5 I realised most of it was just crap and not worth keeping. It's not appreciating. The tyres weren't here because I had two favourite sets I used most of the year, some snow spikes I rused occasionally and the the rest were ones I owned and didn't like all that much, so why I kept them I will never know. I just got on and sold the lot. Got a fair price, more than enough to replace it with 27.5 equivalents (less tyres etc. but enough to cover what I would want). I know a lot of people with 26 bikes that have gone 27.5, not one had raised the I have lots of 26 bits as an issue. I think for some people it will be a barrier, but for many it will not.

rockmonkeysc

I also have a 26" downhill bike so its useful to sometimes be able to fit my dh wheels and tyres to my trail bike.
The major reason I bought another 26" bike last week was that I could get a 26" Mega TR frame £400 cheaper than a 650b frame and not need new wheels and tyres which saved me another £400.

Angus Young

I can't remember the last time I saw so many scared people in one place...

Thewaylander

There is a difference to scared, and thinking its a load of marketing shoot though i think.It's an attempt re-invent the wheel in this case.

Where dropper posts for many people was a seriously useful development as an example, or 11*1 really decent idea that will add to my riding.

lawman

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I also have a 26" downhill bike so its useful to sometimes be able to fit my dh wheels and tyres to my trail bike.
The major reason I bought another 26" bike last week was that I could get a 26" Mega TR frame £400 cheaper than a 650b frame and not need new wheels and tyres which saved me another £400.

Can see your point but considering most DH bikes have 150mm rear ends they won't fit trail bikes and you may even have to swap front axles as well, more hassle than its worth imo. In a way it's almost like some are looking for a way to justify sticking with 26".

Thewaylander

lawman wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I also have a 26" downhill bike so its useful to sometimes be able to fit my dh wheels and tyres to my trail bike.
The major reason I bought another 26" bike last week was that I could get a 26" Mega TR frame £400 cheaper than a 650b frame and not need new wheels and tyres which saved me another £400.

Can see your point but considering most DH bikes have 150mm rear ends they won't fit trail bikes and you may even have to swap front axles as well, more hassle than its worth imo. In a way it's almost like some are looking for a way to justify sticking with 26".

It's a big swap of technolgy though, i see it as people trying to justify the existance of so many 650b bikes with no provable improvement. in Hi Fi seperates there is a term "snake oi"l, something sold as an improvement with no actual proof it is and i really feel that about 650b.

Something like a dropper is obvious to see the benefits to most people, but a whole scale shift in a basic platform which will make most peoples bikes semi obsolete is more than anything a way of making a whole rift of new sales for keeping up with Tech

Thewaylander

lawman wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I also have a 26" downhill bike so its useful to sometimes be able to fit my dh wheels and tyres to my trail bike.
The major reason I bought another 26" bike last week was that I could get a 26" Mega TR frame £400 cheaper than a 650b frame and not need new wheels and tyres which saved me another £400.

Can see your point but considering most DH bikes have 150mm rear ends they won't fit trail bikes and you may even have to swap front axles as well, more hassle than its worth imo. In a way it's almost like some are looking for a way to justify sticking with 26".

It's a big swap of technolgy though, i see it as people trying to justify the existance of so many 650b bikes with no provable improvement. in Hi Fi seperates there is a term "snake oi"l, something sold as an improvement with no actual proof it is and i really feel that about 650b.

Something like a dropper is obvious to see the benefits to most people, but a whole scale shift in a basic platform which will make most peoples bikes semi obsolete is more than anything a way of making a whole rift of new sales for keeping up with Tech

homers_double

I don't even know what 650b is, I just ride my bike.

Thewaylander

homers double wrote:

I don't even know what 650b is, I just ride my bike.

It's an evil plan number 650-b they revised it slightly, also code named 27.5... clever i tell you like James Bond style

Maro

Windows 8 anyone?

The Rookie

Thewaylander wrote:

homers double wrote:

I don't even know what 650b is, I just ride my bike.

It's an evil plan number 650-b they revised it slightly, also code named 27.5...

So clever they even disguise the true value of 27" by calling it 27.5"!

Angus Young

The Rookie wrote:

Thewaylander wrote:

homers double wrote:

I don't even know what 650b is, I just ride my bike.

It's an evil plan number 650-b they revised it slightly, also code named 27.5...

So clever they even disguise the true value of 27" by calling it 27.5"!

It emits a death ray that kills all 26ers, immediately rendering them unridable and forcing their riders to buy a new bike against their will.

benpinnick

The Rookie wrote:

Thewaylander wrote:

homers double wrote:

I don't even know what 650b is, I just ride my bike.

It's an evil plan number 650-b they revised it slightly, also code named 27.5...

So clever they even disguise the true value of 27" by calling it 27.5"!

Err, no. Actually 27.5 is in fact 27.5. Its 26 and 29 that are 'wrong'.

stubs

surely if a nominal 26 rim is 559mm in diameter and a nominal 27.5 rim is 584 that means one is 1 inch bigger than the other I am now frightened that my wheels are the wrong nominal size, will I have to take up carpet bowls

benpinnick

stubs wrote:

surely if a nominal 26 rim is 559mm in diameter and a nominal 27.5 rim is 584 that means one is 1 inch bigger than the other I am now frightened that my wheels are the wrong nominal size, will I have to take up carpet bowls

Yes..... now do the maths... If a 27.5 wheel is actually 27.5, and a 26 wheel is 1 inch smaller than a 27.5 then a 26 inch wheel is in fact....

You guessed it 26.5. Most nominally 26 MTB wheels are around 26.5 in diameter. So for all you 26 die-hards out there, don't worry, you never had 26 inch wheels anyhow, so you aren't losing them after all.

I should point out that any size is always wrong due to the variance in tyre size, but 27.5 is more accurate a description than either of 26 or 29.

supersonic

I should point out that any size is always wrong due to the variance in tyre size

Which is why when they first called it 26 inch the variance was taken out - the size is the 22 inch rim plus a 2 inch deep tyre, which equals your 26". If the same convention is followed, we have 27 and 28.5.

stubs

Good job I nominally dont care what size of wheel is on my bike. For all those for and against a particular wheelsize get a life its the bike not the wheels that count.

rockmonkeysc

lawman wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I also have a 26" downhill bike so its useful to sometimes be able to fit my dh wheels and tyres to my trail bike.
The major reason I bought another 26" bike last week was that I could get a 26" Mega TR frame £400 cheaper than a 650b frame and not need new wheels and tyres which saved me another £400.

Can see your point but considering most DH bikes have 150mm rear ends they won't fit trail bikes and you may even have to swap front axles as well, more hassle than its worth imo. In a way it's almost like some are looking for a way to justify sticking with 26".

Front wheel swaps over and I have a spare 142 rear dh wheel.
The big savings on buying a 26" frame and fork certainly had a big influence on my choice as well. To go 650b would have cost me around £800 more and is it really worth it for half an inch extra on the wheel radius on the same model frame?

lawman

RockmonkeySC wrote:

lawman wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I also have a 26" downhill bike so its useful to sometimes be able to fit my dh wheels and tyres to my trail bike.
The major reason I bought another 26" bike last week was that I could get a 26" Mega TR frame £400 cheaper than a 650b frame and not need new wheels and tyres which saved me another £400.

Can see your point but considering most DH bikes have 150mm rear ends they won't fit trail bikes and you may even have to swap front axles as well, more hassle than its worth imo. In a way it's almost like some are looking for a way to justify sticking with 26".

Front wheel swaps over and I have a spare 142 rear dh wheel.
The big savings on buying a 26" frame and fork certainly had a big influence on my choice as well. To go 650b would have cost me around £800 more and is it really worth it for half an inch extra on the wheel radius on the same model frame?

I guess it comes down to what you have lying around and what you're buying new, what makes sense for you may not for someone else. I'm not all that keen on swapping out tyres and wheels.

rockmonkeysc

The only 650b I have ridden back to back with the same model 26" bike is the Identiti AKA. Both felt very harsh and not particularly nice, I couldn't tell any difference.
I would be interested to try a 650B Mega TR back to back with mine. But I really have my doubts about half an inch on the radius making any difference.

lawman

RockmonkeySC wrote:

The only 650b I have ridden back to back with the same model 26" bike is the Identiti AKA. Both felt very harsh and not particularly nice, I couldn't tell any difference.
I would be interested to try a 650B Mega TR back to back with mine. But I really have my doubts about half an inch on the radius making any difference.

I'd ride both and pick which one I prefer, if the 650b cost a little more, so be it. I certainly wouldn't discount a bike purely because it's 650b that's for sure.

rockmonkeysc

Neither would I but the difference has to be enough to justify the cost. Also I wouldn't buy a bike purely because it's 26".

Northwind

One of the highlights of 650bull**** for me is the ongoing lack of good winter tyres. Met a chap at the Dudes enduro last month, he'd bought a new 650b Five and figured that a £4000 bike would come with good tyres so just took it out and rode. 5 punctures and "more crashes than Evel Kneivel" on practice day so he drove up to fort william to find a better 650b tyre, and found... More ****ing useless Nobby Nics.

650b is good for people who find choice difficult It took me a while to decide which of my assorted 26 inch tyres to use, but any of the 4 or 5 I was considering would have been better than the best 650b option currently available. Quite crap that.

rockmonkeysc

£4000 for an Orange Five?????
How does anyone come to the conclusion that the best bike available with a £4000 budget is an Orange Five?
Did he really say to himself a carbon Yeti SB66, Santa Cruz Bronson, Giant Trance SX Carbon, S Works Stumpjumper, Intense Tracer and Transition Bandit aren't good enough but a Five is the best bike available for £4000.
That's not normal.