Heathen asks out loud: Is the 26er hardtail dead?

Heathen i remember shuttling burnaby mountain with you and your brother you both had boxxer ride forks and an old s-10 pick up no leg armour .Can not remember what I was riding i think i had my santa cruz cameleon ,it is cracked now.

I miss my old Boxxer ride it was the best fork I ever had on the old GnarTail.

I had the shitty Shermans in this pic.

I have a Samurai. Serial #117. I don't know how old that is now, but it's still young. I don't think 29ers are a fad, but they are one of the fastest trends that I have ever seen in the industry. So fast that even though there might be more people buying 29er hard tails than 26er hard tails there are still more 26" tires available than 29". Obvously, that's because most people are riding full squish and tooling to mold tires is prolly fairly pricey. And it's still mostly the rider. I'm got a lot o years on a bike, and most on 26er hard tails. If you're not as good a rider as I am, you will just see a bit of the rear tire of my 26er hard tail disappearing down the trail ahead of you. Also this gets into the whole bike industry is stoopid thing. Here comes 650B and as long as everyone keeps re-inventing the wheel, bicycles are going to cost more than motorcycles.

Yes, I currently own a 26er hardtail. And it's dead to me.

But it's not dead because it's a 26er hardtail. My problem with it is a matter of geometry and materials. It's got pretty steep angles and an aluminum frame. I also now realize I would prefer something with a shorter top tube.

These are all issues that would be resolved with going with a steel 26er hardtail with a slacker head angle (say 68-degrees)…however…the logical choice for my aging bones would be to get something perhaps even more suitable for my needs like full suspension and/or 29er.

But it is down to fun and I wonder if I would have just as much "fun" on a steel 26er with better angles. I tend to think I probably would and it would save me money as I've got a lot of nice stuff I could just throw on a new frame and fork.

also for the record, i offered to lend buster my chromag samurai frame for the year so s/he/it could decide if a steel hardtail with aggressive geo would suit - but was turned down in favour of an endless stream of these threads…

also for the record, i offered to lend buster my chromag samurai frame for the year so s/he/it could decide if a steel hardtail with aggressive geo would suit - but was turned down in favour of an endless stream of these threads…

AWESOME!!!

…

I'm pretty heavily convinced that for Singlespeeding my 29'er hardtail is the best tool for the job (and I believe that 29'ers certainly have a place in other types of riding too and not just for head-smacking-door-frame-tall-dudes), but stupid threads like this make me want to build my 26" hardtail back up with some big tires and go ride trails.

Ride your bike.

While I'll never likely go back to a hardtail, I believe a 4-5" travel fully will do everything better except maybe road climbs. I have ridden a 4" travel 29er for a few minutes here and there which is hardly enough time to form an opinion, it does excel in the areas that I hated the hardtail the most. Flat rooty sections where it beats you up at speed and kills all your momentum if you're going slower. The 29er just cruises over this stuff. So if you're all over a hardtail, I'd definitely be pointed towards the big wheel variety.

stupid threads like this make me want to build my 26" hardtail back up with some big tires and go ride trails.

+1

I took my Aperture for it's first (night) ride on BBY hill last night and can confirm that the 26ERAMHTLOL is totally dead. I didn't get a pulse out of it all evening. No reaction when I stroked it, even when I tried to get amorous it. However, for straddling something dead it was a great laugh!

I have a Samurai. Serial #117. I don't know how old that is now, but it's still young. I don't think 29ers are a fad, but they are one of the fastest trends that I have ever seen in the industry. So fast that even though there might be more people buying 29er hard tails than 26er hard tails there are still more 26" tires available than 29". Obvously, that's because most people are riding full squish and tooling to mold tires is prolly fairly pricey. And it's still mostly the rider. I'm got a lot o years on a bike, and most on 26er hard tails. If you're not as good a rider as I am, you will just see a bit of the rear tire of my 26er hard tail disappearing down the trail ahead of you. Also this gets into the whole bike industry is stoopid thing. Here comes 650B and as long as everyone keeps re-inventing the wheel, bicycles are going to cost more than motorcycles.

This is a product life cycle chart.

It can be applied to anything, 29ers, 650b, adjustable seat posts, disk brakes on bikes, etc. in the bike industry. (Think about how computers, video, music players also follow this curve.)

I'd guess 26" HTs are in the Decline phase, 29ers are in the Growth phase [HTML_REMOVED] 650b is in the Introduction phase.

For what is it worth, I still have 3 26" HTs but only one gets ridden often (Cove Hummer). The other is a back up commuter bike [HTML_REMOVED] my first high quality mtn bike (~1990 GT Avalanche). The last is a small GT built up rigid as a beginner trials bike that hasn't been used in a few years.

Yes.

been out trail riding today here in the UK

with a bunch of experienced buddies riding 26" hardtails (Stanton Slackline, Cotic BfE and Cove Stiffee)

all tried my 29er hardtail on the same trails they had already ridden their 26" hardtails on; a mixture of tight twisty singletracks, man-made trails with berms and tabletops with a compacted hoggins surface, fireroads and muddy / rooty downhill runs

all were very surprised with the performance of the 29er once they put some runs in, all had been very sceptical previous to this riding session

could see the cogs whirring in their brains….thinking about advantages / disadvantages of the wagon wheels, the general opinion was for "trail riding" it actually made more sense, and concerns about head angle and slow handling were unfounded

for me it was interesting to ride 3 different 26" hardtails back to back against my 29er (2012 Stumpjumper Evo HT) to get another chance to evaluate the smaller wheel size (which always looks like 24" wheel when getting off the 29er)

most noticeable was the 29'er difference on tree roots, loose dirt and trail bumps (it squashes these), and ability to hold speed with less need to constantly input pedal strokes to keep bike rolling on rough terrain

all the guys commented on this aspect very specifically, one guy even wanted to experiment on a pump track with a 29er

we all agreed, ultimately its still a mountain bike with gears, knobbly tires and suspension fork, and is fun to ride, and that is all that matters :)

My most ridden bike is a steal hardtail with 26 inch wheels and a 9mm 4 inch travel fork. I have yet to find a trail I can not ride and enjoy. I have nothing against 29ers at all but do not find them that great. They have there place the same way a cruiser has a place on a bmx track. If a mountain bike is to hard for you to ride than a 29er is a great option.

I am still trying to understand the original question in the first place. Why would it be of any importance if the 26er would be dead? If you think so, ride a 29er or a 650…as long as it rolls, everything is great.

I have a 26er hardtail, I love it. I would not want to ride a 29er, yes, I am of that opinion, but my commuter is a 29er - and it is great for roads. I could not imagine riding a 29er on trails.

And if the xc whippets ride 29er hardtails? Great, it is all about winning for them, and apparently the advantages of 29er have won, for them. They get paid to do this. Which I am not. For me, time spent riding is precious. And that is all that maters to me.

I am still trying to understand the original question in the first place. Why would it be of any importance if the 26er would be dead? If you think so, ride a 29er or a 650…as long as it rolls, everything is great.

I have a 26er hardtail, I love it. I would not want to ride a 29er, yes, I am of that opinion, but my commuter is a 29er - and it is great for roads. I could not imagine riding a 29er on trails.

And if the xc whippets ride 29er hardtails? Great, it is all about winning for them, and apparently the advantages of 29er have won, for them. They get paid to do this. Which I am not. For me, time spent riding is precious. And that is all that maters to me.

Agreed. Racing and riding are very different; the only goal in racing is the win, that's it. Makes no difference if the bike is fun (whatever that means) or not, 1st place on the podium is all that counts. Most of us will never see a podium, for us all that matters or should matter is fun. Just go ride!

For me, time spent riding is precious. And that is all that maters to me.

win.

at the end of the day all that matters is what the individual enjoys riding. just because someone doesn't share the same opionion as you in regards to bikes doesn't make it anymore right or wrong, any better or worse. it's purely about how a person enjoys their time.

unless of course you're pushing your bike up fromme.