Do 26" wheels not work?

Rad2474

Just read the article on bike radar's website about the wheel size debate, it mentions that there are plenty of spare parts available. It then goes on to say should i buy a 26" bike and says only if you are desperate for a downhill bike. I find this a bit annoying as i have a perfectly capable 26"fs which i've no intention of getting rid of. There are some fantastic deals available online for 26" bikes and their article just serves to put people off maybe swaying them to buy a lower spec 27.5/29" when they can get a better 26" on the basis that 26" will suddenly stop rotating and you'll fall off.

cooldad

I have a dozen or so 26 inch bikes.

I suggest a strongly worded letter to the Mail blaming Wiggle.

rockmonkeysc

They keep saying 26" is dead but I think only one or two people i know have gone to 650b and they said it was because thats all thats in the shops and they dont think its any better than 26".
I have tried a couple 27.5" bikes including the 275 version of my Mega and im in no rush to change. I might go for a 27.5" Devinci Wilson carbon downhill bike next year but only because they stopped making the 26" carbon model which was the best DH bike i have ever ridden.

kajjal

Rode 26" wheels for nearly two decades with no problems on rough off road trails in the middle of nowhere. Now ride 29" wheels as they suit me better. The removal of 26" wheels is just a marketing ploy to make older bikes redundant so people are forced to buy 27" or 29" wheeled bikes.

mikeyj28

Rad2474 wrote:

Just read the article on bike radar's website about the wheel size debate, it mentions that there are plenty of spare parts available. It then goes on to say should i buy a 26" bike and says only if you are desperate for a downhill bike. I find this a bit annoying as i have a perfectly capable 26"fs which i've no intention of getting rid of. There are some fantastic deals available online for 26" bikes and their article just serves to put people off maybe swaying them to buy a lower spec 27.5/29" when they can get a better 26" on the basis that 26" will suddenly stop rotating and you'll fall off.

Just asked a similar question in my post.
Nothing wrong with a 26" bike in the right hands and it should never stop you having a lot of fun and enjoyment on it. Plus I have seen a lot of 26" bikes beat a lot of 29ers too in XC races and that has included me (on both ends of the scale haha)

Angus Young

Jesus, are we still talking about this one?

The Rookie

The first video certainly piqued my interest, the second was a let down, it asked more questions than it answered and as such left me no wiser at all of the comparative benefits of the different wheel sizes.

Manc33

MTB's getting more like road bikes (making wheels bigger, using double chainsets) and road bikes getting more like MTB's ("flat bar", disc brakes), love it.

What we need really is like 12 categories of bikes. :oops:

I myself have ended up with some bastardization that is about 70% a road bike and 30% a MTB (for use on roads and light trails).

robertpb

As I have from the mid Eighties a 24" and a 26" rigid the most fun bike to ride is the 24".

On the trails it just seems a lot more nimble.

CitizenLee

They've already sold us all the other useless crap we don't need so next logical step was to reinvent the wheel.

It's all marketing b/s to average Joe MTRer.