Originally Posted by
Prodigy4299
Perhaps in your experience, but what Oso Polar wrote very much aligns with my experience. Every 2-3 years when I need to get new inner tubes and/or tires for my 26" bike, I find smaller and smaller selection locally. Now I am often left with one model/size and the option to take-it-or-leave it.
700x38c on the other hand is an extremely popular tire size and the selection of tires in this size has just exploded in the last 3-4 years due to the rise of gravel biking.
There are still loads of bikes being sold with 26" wheels. Not as many as when it was the MTB standard size, but more than enough for continued industry support. 7 speed cassettes and 27x 1-3/8 tires are still readily available, and neither of those have been commonly sold on new bikes since the 1980s.