The death of the 26" bike

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Fogerson said:
find a good one and I'll put 'er up...
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im on the search now, i think im devoting more time to finding a burrito than work :drooling:

here is a taco for the time being:
emot-taco.gif
 
Truth is that the 26er will never die. If you don't believe me, change something in view of the general populous and see what happens. Some people have violent reactions to change, even if it is for the better.
 
jdog said:
yep.. Still dead
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Just got back from Stowe, VT and 26ers where definitely not dead. I brought up a 26 sussy bike - rode the Stowe Jump Park on it one night w/ a shorty stem, platforms, and semi-slick on the rear. The next morning, I swapped for more trail type of gear and rode some misty singletrack with some locals. Not sure I could have done that with a 29er. Later in the week, rode Waterbury and everyone in the group had 5" travel rigs w/ 26" wheels and burly tires.

One shop owner said he tried the 29'ers but for the type of trail they have where you are bombing down tight tech stuff then have to make a turn and go up, the 29er is much harder. He mentioned the 29'er is like a tractor flywheel - nice when you have the momentum but a bear when you have to start back up.

Having said all that, I noticed the shop in Waterbury with a 29er in the window and there was a Surly 29er on one of the rides I went on.
 
Boy that was really informative. 29" wheels are better because "The pickups with the 17-inch rims look like shit and the 20-inch ones look badass."🙄
 
It's a standard that people lost sight of. I see these guys in these brand new [Ford] F-250s with 20-inch wheels, and [awhile back] they were selling them to us with 17-inch rims. The pickups with the 17-inch rims look like shit and the 20-inch ones look badass. And the reason they roll over things better is obvious.
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First - many times when you run a 20" rim on a car the TIRE will be the same diameter as a 17" rim. The 20's will just have a smaller sidewall. From the limited knowledge I have guys autocrossing or driving their cars competively have said that a lightweight 16-18" wheel with proper tires is THE track setup depending on car size. The bigger wheel trend came from racers needing bigger wheels to clear bigger brakes although those guys were just doing +1 or +2 upsizing rather than the street cars at +4.

2nd - Runny 20"s on a F-250 is almost all show and very little go. It's a truck - use it like one. 16, 17, 18" wheels w/ decent rubber is the way to go. I have 33" MT's mounted on 16" steelies on my Rover and still rubbed the rim the other day on a trail in Western MA. I would have cringed if I had even an 18" alloy wheel.

3rd - I agree, that bigger tire diameter is a plus for off-road but things have their limits. I would love 35" tires on my truck but then I have to change gearing and it then puts more of a load on my drivetrain. 44" might work for a custom buggy or full size Ford or Chevy but would kill the overall usability of my Rover.

I could go on and on with the car/truck comparison of bigger wheels and tires but just wanted to get some points out that that guy's example is full of shit.
 
If you think 29ers are for bozos and haven't taken one on a FULL ride to form your own opinion then exit the debate...We 29er riders started out on 26ers and came to the conclusion that they are as much part of history as the dinosaurs
 
The main trick is trying to go back, I built up a geared 26 inch bike to make my own opinion.
 
pearl said:
The main trick is trying to go back
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there is no try, there is only do, or do not.

i have do. done. donnit. whatever.

not only should you try coming back, try it while dumping clipless. its a whole new world.

next thing for me? coaster brakes. yeah that's right. :getsome:
 
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