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26/650b/29er.......pick a wheel size and be a dick about it !!

I have a 150mm 26" full sus bike and a 29er hard tail. so I am open to change, but what do people really thing of the battle of the wheel sizes? will the 26" become a forgotten size you can no longer buy parts for, will 650 become the new standard ? etc

reason for asking is the new 650b version of my bike does look rather nice and I am wondering is if it worth making the change soon rather than later to get the best used value for my current full sus bike.

It's all cock. If we'd all been riding 650's for years they would be selling us 26 now as the next big thing. I never even think about it to be honest. I've got two 26 inch and a 29 and they are all fun. I'm sure my next bike will be 650 but that will be because that's what the industry makes in the travel range I'm look for. I never worrie about resale either and is still happily buy a 26 inch.

Horses for courses Matt.

I agree with you it is concerning that the resale value of 26" bikes is dropping rapidly.

I think based on the market as a whole none will ever be completely obsolete but maybe at the top end they will.

Looking around 26" is disappearing, Wheels, forks and even frames.
Unfortunately i think the choice is being taken away from people.

26 is dead. Resale values, have gone through the floor. Consumers didn't decide the manufactures did a couple years ago.

Haven ridden all three sizes, id say that for the way I ride, 26 is the fastest / most fun size for the majority of my riding. Il be sad to see it go.

The future? Is a 36er...



Going buy the internet chatter it does seem like 26" is taking a bit of a dive in sales and popularity. I have an old 26" hardtail that I can't bring myself to part with. Tyre choice will be the first thing to suffer with less and less of a selection of tyres being made in that size.

Anyone watch American Pickers? they regularly find old bikes that are 100+ years old and still buy and sell them, so there is a market for older bikes, although I don't think they are ridden that much, more antique value. One day the 26" may just be for looking at rather than riding but I'd guess that day is 30 or more years away.

How do you not catch your feet on the front wheel ? LOL

I ride both 26" & 650B , 26" won more world cups any any other wheel set! Steve Smith switched from 650B back to 26" and won DH championship (I put the vid on here) If you talk to any old skool MTBer most will say it's all rubbish! 1 example my old man has ridden all his life from road racing to XC MTBing, my brother has recently brought a entry level 29"er,he showed it to my dad and he just cracked up saying it looks "stupid", Some people just don't like "change".

So what do I think, well you pop down your local bike shop and try to find a 26" wheel base MTB ! 650B is the new 26" Is it good for us I think so, there's more choice than ever before, to much in fact (XC,TRAIL,ENDURO,ALL MOUNTAIN,FREERIDE,DH,29er,650B) The bike industry has grown,which can't be a bad thing seeing as we all enjoy riding!

Ultimately it all boil's down to personal choice ! I went for a 650B, I noticed the tweak's in the frame's geometry (lower center of gravity) more than the larger wheel set! They did help with climbing tho!

Would I buy a 26" bike again ,hell yeah if I liked it! resale value doesn't bother me, bike are worth F**k all second hand now day's anyway!, This question is a true head F**k as there's no true answer for you mate! Have fun choosing MATT

I couldn't tell if it was the particular setup but when I rode a 650 not that long ago it just felt fast to ride and a bit nicer over the bumps, there's some maths behind it that seemed to make sense but in the end I just got a 26" 2014 model as I'm comfortable on that.

A rep told me that all the higher end bikes are slowly dropping the 26 and some have now dropped 29 so expect the 650 craze to expand

26 all the way for me. resale value is irrelevant to me as i ride them til they dont have a resale value

I remember going on a ride in the mid 80's with about 28 riders the majority were shod with 650b tyres some 24", 26" and 29" so nothing new.

Charlie Kelly and Gary Fisher built a 29" frame back in the early 80's with tyres supplied by Geoff Apps as he had already built a 29er using Nokia tyres (now called Nokian).

But the poor supply of tyres knocked that on the head.

English Cycles and Highpath built 650b bikes from Geoff Apps designs for some years. In fact on a ride 3 years ago some of these bikes were still out on the trail with us.

As 650b is only 1" bigger than a 26" not 1.5" as the blurb would have it. Also it can get a bit like 'what goes faster a black Ferrari or a red Ferrari' of course it's the red one.