Rajflyboy

Will they ever make a comeback or are they ancient history?

industry appears to be going mostly all 29er now

HerrKaLeun

you kind of answered your own question.

And industry inc. tire and rim makers don't make competitive 26" stuff anymore that is not lower end. They settled on 27.5 for small wheels... the thing is, it is only 8mm larger than 26. Lol. They could literally have used 26 as the small wheel option and no one would have noticed performance difference to 27.5.

Phil_gretz

There are quite a few used 26ers to be found now. Some really nice ones that weren't raced or crashed too much. Stock up.

freeranger

Still riding my 26' mtn.bike. But it does seem that only lower end ones will be made in the future. I'm just hoping that decent tires will be cont'd to be made. I do have a spare set of Kenda Nevegals that I took off to mount some Hutchinson Pythons, when I wasn't riding so much loose stuff. Haven't ridden a 29'er yet, but those I've met who now ride 29, say it's quite a bit of difference from 26, in a good way. If I was younger, would probably go to 29, but think my 26 will suffice until I can no longer trail ride, especially since riding more hardpack these days.

ThermionicScott 

It's still a perfectly valid wheel size, just out of vogue currently. It could come back some day, who knows.

c_m_shooter

It will come back around. They even brought 650b back from the dead to make 27.5" into the latest and greatest. It is all just marketing.

Rajflyboy

I have 3 of them

1 that I ride sometimes (2 good parts bikes)

Rajflyboy

https://www.trekbicyclesuperstore.co...iABEgKzRvD_BwE

I love this tire for a 26 er. Just put 15 miles on this tire today

bit pricey though

eshew

26" Will be around for a while longer but not in any capacity that can be considered anything more than ultra budget or used. Modern geometry has rendered all but a few older 26's obsolete. Geometry rules the roost if you're looking for a highly capable bike with modern components. 27.5"/650b is close enough to 26" that it's tough to feel a difference. 29" has now come of age and is very capable without feeling sluggish when up to speed.

As a diehard 26" fanatic for years I finally had to lower my flag after owning a couple of newer bikes. The geometry trends of newer bikes works & works well. They just perform better on the trail & in the air. Sure you can still have a great time on a 26" bike but if you are pushing the limits you'll benefit from the modern geometry & compoents that just happen to roll on wheels that aren't 26"

Rajflyboy

i still love it though

particularly on the tight trails

Kapusta

Perhaps as a niche thing (something like dirtumping), but as far as a mainstream size in trail-oriented bikes....... I am pretty sure they are done.

Steve B.

I'm somewhat a Luddite and resisted moving to a new mt. bike, rode a 29 yr. old steel HT and a 15 yr.. old FS. A year now on my 29" HT has me doubting I will ever ride 26" again. I took out the FS a week ago, it's a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp, circa 2004. It was heavy, sluggish, has pedal strike issues and the tires are just not as good as on the HT (Nobby Nic 2.4 tubeless). I might sell it and I thought I would keep it as a backup. I'll likely keep the steel HT instead. I am so much faster on the 29" HT (Specialized Chisel Comp X1) I would rather upgrade to a 29" FS of some sort.

So I'm just joining the multitudes whose experience on a 29" bike is superior to 26" that there's no going back. The manufacturers recognize this and I think you will only see 26" at Dicks and Walmart.

Rajflyboy

29er is definitely much faster

but I ain’t racing for money

26 is still fun for me

Steve B.

Well, speed wasn’t my goal. I also got improved ride quality as the larger wheel rides over roots and logs better. Knowing that helps when you pick a line and I’m riding stuff that my FS would handle but my 26” HT has issues with. Attendant with a new bike is better tires that are tubeless and run much less air pressure, so less bounce off objects as well as a tire designed for that pressure, so better grip in turns and while climbing. And 1X which has a terrific range for where I ride and makes it easier not dealing with when to front shift. Plus improved geometry which makes the 29’er a killer climbing bike. And wider bars that help with control.

You can retro a lot of this into a 26” wheeled bike, and if I had a really light and good carbon 26” bike, I could see doing tubeless/1X/wide bars/etc.... and I’d bet it would be a great bike, but sometimes it’s cost effective to go to a new bike.

Happy Feet

I don't like to think of things as being obsolete as it shuts the door on a peice of technology that might have use for something down the road. But, having said that, for straight on mtbing the 29 platform for taller riders does seem to offer more than 26. Someone earlier hit it on the head I think when they suggested it had to do with wheel size combined with modern geometry.

I'm thinking of turning my old 92 rigid Marin Pine Mountain into a SS mtb. The frame and wheelset still has some life and is remarkably light for a steel chromoly bike and one more genre to explore.

Rajflyboy

29ers are awesome. I like them. I also like 26 ers. I love all of it

Lazyass

They are dead. But I like them. I rode a 29er and didn't like the handling of that tall of a tire. They're great in a straight line but these aren't road bikes. When the plus bikes came out I was interested because my nearest trails are sandy. When 26+ came out I was real interested, but even they have already died. Then I saw my dream bike on sale for 50% off at Jensen and I ordered it last week. The 26x3.0 tires are about the same diameter as a regular 27.5, which has me wondering why they never caught on since 27.5 bikes are popular. This is basically a wide 27.5 without the extra height. And I'm going to buy a light 27.5 wheelset for racing.

Russ Roth

Maybe I was too long between mountain bikes to not remember the difference fully but when I was younger and faster I was slower and walked more with my still nice 26er. My 29er is so much faster and handles just as well but I can ride log piles and rock gardens that I never could with the smaller wheel. I wouldn't go back.

Hobbit712

I just ordered one of these last week as well. The price was too good to pass up. The Jenson rep even lowered the advertised price a bit and included shipping. This will be my first mountain bike. If the 26+ doesn't work out for me the bike can be upgraded to 27.5 later.

Lazyass

Did yours ship? I ordered mine on Tuesday and it's still not out. They say they need 2-3 days to build the bikes, but I'm sure they got the bikes from Jamis already boxed up ready to ship. I don't know why they would have to build anything. But even so, it's been five days.

Lazyass

double post

Hobbit712

I ordered mine last Friday. They told me it would be a couple days for their accounting department to review the transaction since it was my first purchase with them. Identity theft etc. I'm okay with that. However, coupled with the holiday on Monday it didn't ship until Thursday with expected arrival this upcoming Wednesday. I ordered pedals and a shock air pump from them also.

Lazyass

Cool, I just checked my account and mine has shipped now. I was expecting an email.

Rajflyboy

A 26 plus is essentially a 27.5 depending on the exact dimensions of the tires (you will enjoy this bike).

Hobbit712

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The bike comes with 26x3" tubeless. As you said essentially a 27.5 due to the height.