Crwban

Hi, I am thinking of getting a Yedoo Trexx foot scooter. It has 26" front wheel and a 20" rear. It comes with Kenda Kwick Roller Sport tyres. It looks like these Kenda tyres are not widely available if I should ever need to replace them. With most modern hybrid and road bikes having 700c tyres and mountain bikes having bigger wheels than 26" I was wondering if good quality 26" and 20" tyres are likely to disappear from the market? If so perhaps I should be looking at getting a foot bike with 700c wheels instead?

bboy314

No, not anytime soon. There aren’t as many choices as there used to be but still plenty of quality options that aren’t going anywhere.

One can still get high quality 27” or 26” x 1 3/8 tires and neither of those have been stocked on new bikes in many decades.

Maelochs

Eventually .... when teleportation is common, probably bicycles will be quite rare. However, as @bboy314 notes ".... not anytime soon."

Crwban

I forgot to mention the tyres are 1.5 inches wide

dedhed

26" is doing a lot of work here if one doesn't know which "26" is being talked about.

​​​​​​https://www.sheldonbrown.com/26.html

Pop N Wood

26" wheels are the most common size in the world outside of the US.

Absolutely nothing to worry about

Crwban

Kenda Kwick Roller Sport 26x1.5" and 20x1.5" or similar tyre that rolls well on tarmac but strong enough to cope with some gravel and rougher tracks with reasonable puncture resistance.

CrimsonEclipse

NO.

Because no everyone falls for the 29 and 27.5 gimmick.

GamblerGORD53

BALONEY
It was ALWAYS 28", 622
WTF are 26" anyway??

soyabean

No.

Ebikes definitely have a helping hand in this.

Delivery-style ebikes use 20" wheels.

Will you find a lightweight foldable? Perhaps not. But you can count on Schwalbe 20" being manufacturered for the rest of your lifetime.

26"are a simpler story to understand. They are just so darn many of them.

26" bikes are like trilobites, they made so many vintage bikes with this size that people constantly hoard/use/race/commute with, and then there are the BSO that flood the big box stores each season. Even if just 1% of 26" riders want performance tyres, it's a huge market that behemoths the 700C and 29ers.

An LBS that doesn't stock much or any at all 26" is simply because of the clients they have. Go visit a Co-op and it's the total opposite with plenty of 26" tyres.

Ironfish653

I hope you're just being silly, but the all caps has me thinking otherwise.
Unless you're talking about 50-year-old Schwinn 3-speeds, 26" is the 559 MTB size.
But you wouldn't know that because nobody's made a "real" bike since 1983.

Trakhak

I remember when 622 tires and tubes started showing up in big box stores. In the late '80s or '90s, I believe. It was quite a shock.

Ironfish653

@ the OP; the reason that you might be having trouble finding that exact tire is that the Kenda Kwik is an inexpensive, O.E. grade tire; if you ride the bike enough to wear them out, you'll probably want to replace them with something better.
Kenda makes several different models of 26" tire, as do most of the major brands. Not every single model has a 26" version, but the 559 wheel size is still well represented across the MTB, Urban/Touring, and even Gravel categories.

20" and 26" are also still the mainstays of BMX, and there exists a whole spectrum of high-performance tires in that arena.

I also suspect that your kick scooter won't be as hard on the tires as you expect , and basic, inexpensive tires from budget brands like Duro and CST would be sufficient for use as well.

Leisesturm

Maybe you should look into that ...

icemilkcoffee 

Hold on…. Just how much performance do you need on a foot scooter?? Do you look for performance tire for your hand truck dolly too?
there are roughly one million tire choices in the 20” and 26” sizes. And any of them are more than adequate for your foot scooter

Wildwood 

It depends on whether OP wants a performance scoot or cushioned scoot.

Pop N Wood

LOL.

Are you always so animated about such egregious social inequities?

26 inch wheels are commonly used in third world countries. for that reason many bike touring people prefer that size because it gives them a better chance of sourcing a tire somewhere outside the US and Europe.

That makes them "commonly used throughout the world".

I'm not sure what the #1 seller would be, but it doesn't really matter. The important point is they will be around probably as long as bicycles are.

ofajen

All I really care about is how long Continental keeps making the Race King Protection tire in 26”. When they stop, I just may be shopping for a frame that can handle whatever is the size de jour.

Otto

georges1

They are one of the few manufacturers that makes 26 inch tires for MTB along with ¨Panaracer, Hutchinson, Michelin and Schwalbe. I have bought three pairs of Race King Protection tires in 26*2.2 formy next MTB projects. I have the Mountain King Protection mounted on my three others MTBs and they are the best MTB tire I have ridden with.

bboy314

Don't forget Maxxis, Bontrager, WTB, CST, etc…

georges1

Yes that too, many people tend to think that the 26 sized wheeled MTBs are dead but its not, in my last trail ride two years ago, I was faster than people riding 29' and 27.5' MTBs. I mentionned Continental because Continental athletes secure 13 UCI world championship elite podiums. I also mentionned Hutchinson because back in 2009 Hutchinson riders dominated three categories in UCI World Cup MTB and because back in 1995 the Hutchinson Python Gold was the winningest MTB tire design . Michelin got a mention because of the famous Green Wild Gripper which was the must have tire that all XC pro riders wanted back then in the early 1990's. I also mentionned Schwalbe because Schwalbe bagged 8 World Cup MTB titles across XC and DH in 2022. Those are the reasons I mention these brands. Maxxis is also a serious contender even though I haven't mentionned it in the 2022 MTB World championships: MAXXIS claimed four victories.I am more reserved regarding Bontrager, WTB and CST tire quality.

GamblerGORD53

So in the meantime I rode my IGH 28er 92 miles in damn smoky air 2/3 of the way.

559 /26" were born on BALLOON tire cruisers, mostly for kids bikes from the 1920s to early 1960s. These were the years when American adults riding bikes were few and far between. It wasn't until about 1985 Jan Heine resurrected the size by adding knobs and inventing the 3x6 MTB. These 26er balloon tires were ONLY what was available on MTBs for 20 years, so Europe had to go along. I gather mountainous Latin America is still using them.

Otherwise there were only 2 sizes on MOST adult bikes until 1980>> 635/ 28 1/2 x1 1/2x 1 5/8 and 590 x 30 EA3, the perfect ladies size IMO.
My dad's 1950s SS Rudge had 28.5 until they vanished in stores around 1990, when 28"/ 622 was king.
My 1973 CCM 3 sp had 590 x 1 1/8.
Schwinn interjected their own quack sizes in the 1950s. Part of the reason they failed.
Then for the 1970s bike BOOM 10 speed years they ALL had 27" 630 rims, so did my 1973 Raleigh 5d. Mostly the width they sold was 1" to 1 1/4.
584 was invented basically for narrower balloon tires.
29er was likely invented for tall riders.

So anyway, NO self respecting tour bike ever had 26er balloon tires until SURLY muddied the waters. Then MTB copycats came along.
India, China and Africa SS bikes were all 635/ 28.5". Not sure when or if they switched to 622/ 28". 26er MTB was never much of a thing there.
NOW defaileur MTB bikes are all 650B.
Vietnam SS bikes are not 559. Very few MTBs were sold there either.
I refuse to call any size but 559 a 26"er, or ride the stupid things. LOL. They were ONLY loved by Americans. Look at any Dutch video, they DON'T exist.



Highly modded Forever bike at an American owned LBS building fixie bikes.

vvvvv 2009 in Chengdu, one of the last new Flying Pigeon type bikes. About $80.

GamblerGORD53

Here's a Vietnam LBS in 2014.

georges1

I will disagree with you there are a lot of European countries where there are lovers fo 26 inched wheeled MTB notably in UK, Spain, Italy, Germany , France, Sweden and Portugal. The MTB 26 inch started in mid 80's until 2006 where it was replaced by 27,5 and 29 which were not necessarily better. Are 26 inch Mountain Bikes obsolete is a good way to understand and see that 26 inch have still many days and fans even today. Another article asks if the 27.5 wheels are dead? and it says :"While 27.5” wheels are all but dead, it still remains on life support. When it comes to downhill and endurance riding, the 29” wheels seem to be stealing the spotlight, while 26” tires are still the best for regular bike riding, dirt jumping, and mountain biking." Another comparison between 29 vs 26 inch Wheels - Is bigger really better? and it says :"As for XC racing, the area where 29ers are really gaining traction, I feel the best wheel size will vary depending on the course. With lots of stop-start corners and steep climbs, a 26-inch wheel may be fastest. On bumpy trails where the speed is more consistent, go the 29er. If the course combines all of these traits, as is often the case, just toss a coin. In any case, no wheel size is going to win the race for you. Even at the elite level, where races are won by fractions, it’s the rider that wins the race. " 26er Bikes: 14 pros and cons to help you decide which says :"Based on their attributes, 26er bikes excel in areas where they can maximize their acceleration and strength. You will see them in extreme sports like Downhill Mountain Biking and Park riding, where the strength and reliability are more than needed." Many Olympic Cross Country, Downhill and Enduro winners and champions won their numerous titles on the 26inch Mavic Cross Max and Mavic Dee Max wheels which were the most winning wheels in these three disciplines.

georges1

interesting photo but did they offer higher end stuff?