The death of the 26" bike

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jdog

jdog

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..SO today I went out with some nothern friends for a spring visit to Allamuchy.

My only bike at the moment is a SS 29er. I have done a 5 hour ride here on my old seven ss 26er but I thought I might give one last shot at the 26" wheels.

I borrowed my bros Rush carbon team. This is a sick bike that I once owned and loved, but today I just hated it.


Keep in mind that I am a few years into the 29" thing but still I HATED the wheels.

Here are my findings:

-I was on ignitor tubeless tires. I love these in 29". HATED them today.. I was constantly fighting the bike in order to preserve traction. I slipped the rear tire so many times that I finally gave up trying. I began to hike-a-bike on anything steep.

-Endo machine.. For some reason I flipped over the bars about 6 times. The front wheel would just jam up and kick me headfirst into rock gardens. Some of my endos were on climbs. I was so pissed off. It made a super ride into a suck ass version.

-Rolling. I felt like I was stumbling over every rock and log. The loss of momentum and the diminished approach angle of the smaller wheels just killed my momentum about 200,000 times. My confidence was shot. It just sucked.


Pedal strikes... I run 180mm arms on my ss and I rarely pedal strike. Today I had countless pedal strikes. I may or may not have done 5 years worth of rock smashing to those XTR pedals in one day.


The lasting impression was one similar to trying to Skate on the old Brick streets in Philly or Boston. The small wheels got jammed up in every crack.


I did give thought to some loss of skills from my time on the bigger wheels.


No matter the cause.. 26" is dead to me. (with exception of my dirt jumper)



On a side note.. I ran into Chris Webber who was on a new 29er hardtail. Last fall I rode with him and he swore off 29". Today he had this to say: "I have only one regret about 29" wheels.. I regret wasting the last 10 years on inferior equipment"..



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This may just be a women's opinion, but it's not always just about the size, finesse has something to do with it to. Not that you do not have finesse, but the ratio of it to momentum may just be a little different with wheel size. You probably are just accustomed to the big wheel.

I learned to ride with an 11 inch BB, and it made me learn to ratchet my stroke around rocks. Now it is second nature. I think you just need to come north to play more😉, whatever the wheel size.
 
Dead like this?
 

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I couldn't agree more, fact is I got a nice blingy 26er and never use it hence the reason it's 4-sale. Since buying 29er SS it's been the only choice and mooch is my homefield... FOR ME 26ERS ARE DEAD!
 
"got legs power?"

i don't think "size does matter"is my friend,doesn't matter what size of bike you're riding still legs power are the king.
(these comments doesn't reflect my hatred towards 29er wheells😀)only my personal opinion.....
 
liong71er said:
i don't think "size does matter"is my friend,doesn't matter what size of bike you're riding still legs power are the king.
(these comments doesn't reflect my hatred towards 29er wheells😀)only my personal opinion.....
Click to expand...

IMO a 29 inch wheel will give you back more of your output...
 
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In my personal experience, those who try the 29 inch kool aid rarely go back.
I know, As with most rules, there are few exceptions.

The biggest advantages iMO are the undeniable gain in traction with big wheels - that goes for climbing and cornering, and the ability to carry momentun over ANYTHING.
 
liong71er said:
if 26er are dead,i wonders why they still produced it and selling it!!😕
(IMO)
Click to expand...

They still make phones with chords. Some people can't let go.

Actually I have no idea if 29 is better than 26. I just like my bike.
 
liong71er said:
if 26er are dead,i wonders why they still produced it and selling it!!😕
(IMO)
Click to expand...

Because change is tough for most to accept.


Just like the person who stays in the same lame dead end job instead of taking a chance at something "bigger" and better.
They take the safe way, and stay at their comfort level.

Little do they know its a small risk but High reward 😀😀
 
liong71er said:
if 26er are dead,i wonders why they still produced it and selling it!!😕
(IMO)
Click to expand...


Honestly..

People are slow to accept change and this is a big one. It will be interesting to watch what the pros do this year. For nearly every course that the pros race on, a 29er should be an advantage.

Internationally 29er is just starting to take hold. In Europe they could not sell 29" tires last year aftermarket. Now their #'s are close to ours in the US.

Personally I watched a guy I ride with on a 29er for 2 years before I even tried one. I was very slow to accept it.

I had a Seven TI custom 26" bike that I sold off on ebay once I tried one.

Personally I think that anyone 5'-9" or taller should be on a 29er. Shorter than that is questionable.


I have an example that you might think more about. I sell quite a few cannondales. C-dales lowest priced 29er is $1000. They also offer a similar bike at the same price point with 26". What I have started to do is this.. I order the 26" wheeled bike in Small & med. I order the 29" version in med, lg and XL. I think this is a concept that really makes sense.

My prediction is that this trend will continue.


I know that many folks poo-poo the bigger wheels but IMHO if you are over 6 foot tall you have no business on a 26" bike. It makes no sense to me at all. That is much like a 5' tall woman on a 20" wheeled mt bike..


If you think that they are big and dumb, yet you have not done more than a 5 minute ride you might give it another shot. That is what I tried to do today with a 26" wheeled bike. I suffered for science..
 
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