[JonathanGennick]

I'm new to the forum...Great stuff! I have a 1990 full rigid 26 cannondale and a 2004 26 scalpel lefty. These are the two best reasons I have for riding the 26.

I love your reasoning :thumbsup:. Two of my lightest-ever builds are 26ers. I'm enjoying them while they last. I ride 'em because I have 'em. It's as good a reason as any.

Next bike will be a 650b though. Either that, or a 27.5. Still deciding.

 

[Cornfield]

Next bike will be a 650b though. Either that, or a 27.5. Still deciding.

Hehe, good one!

One of my bikes is a 27'er, yup, in between 26" and 27.5".

 

[dg5228]

Love old bikes

I recently retired (62) and found an old 26" Omega 1800 in my back ally. I rode the hell out of that bike. It got me into fixing, riding bikes and restoring them.
Right now I have restored magnas, and given them to friends and family, I did a Trek 820, Nishiki Manitoba, Giant Cypress DX for my wife, Schwinn Seirra, Nishiki Century road bike, and in the last two weeks I bought a1986 Bridgestone MB2 all original in great shape for 15.00 (Had an old Wilderness Trail Bikes seat) and today I bought a Univega Range Rover for 5.00 in rideable shape. I sell a few and put the money into bike tools. I ride all these bikes, on flat trails and paved trails. 20-50 miles a week.
I only wish I could have discovered biking at 18-20 years of age, but I am happy with what I got and my wife and I have a blast. ( Rode my first BMX race last year and placed third, I will leave that to the younger guys due to bad neck. :nono: I will post pics in a few days.
(Never pay retail!!!)

 

[chazpat]

I recently retired (62) and found an old 26" Omega 1800 in my back ally. I rode the hell out of that bike. It got me into fixing, riding bikes and restoring them.
Right now I have restored magnas, and given them to friends and family, I did a Trek 820, Nishiki Manitoba, Giant Cypress DX for my wife, Schwinn Seirra, Nishiki Century road bike, and in the last two weeks I bought a1986 Bridgestone MB2 all original in great shape for 15.00 (Had an old Wilderness Trail Bikes seat) and today I bought a Univega Range Rover for 5.00 in rideable shape. I sell a few and put the money into bike tools. I ride all these bikes, on flat trails and paved trails. 20-50 miles a week.
I only wish I could have discovered biking at 18-20 years of age, but I am happy with what I got and my wife and I have a blast. ( Rode my first BMX race last year and placed third, I will leave that to the younger guys due to bad neck. :nono: I will post pics in a few days.
(Never pay retail!!!)

Congrats on your new interest. I also learned by fixing up old bikes. Have fun and welcome to the site.

 

[gray ghost]

That sounds awesome, dg5228!! sorry about the neck trouble...third place is rockin'!

I still have the frame of my wife's old Bridgestone purchased back in 1990...have been eyeballing it lately to maybe restore it.

Happy trails!

 

[bryang]

Why 26? Well.....I've been riding MTB's since the mid 1970's, when the sport didn't even have a name yet. I've seen 40 years of tech advances, trends, improvements, and some downright dumb $hit (18mm rims w/2.3 skinwalls?!?!). Anyhoo, the ole "bigger& better" train just keeps on a rolling, year after year. At some point along the line, I decided actually riding was a lot more fun than buying/building something new every year just to be "cool." For my riding style and trails, (YMMV....) It's a solid, 26" platform, with mid-to heavy duty parts, ISIS BB, wider double-wall rims, 2.1-2.3 blackwalls, cable discs, etc. And yes I have several variations- Haro Sonix VL 120 (1x9), Mongoose black-diamond single-speed hardtail, no-name rigid 3x8 gravel pounder, and even a Hoffman 26" MTB/BMX pumptrack rig. Good thing is I've got TONS of interchangeable parts in the shop room, new replacement parts are cheap and plentiful, and they're all set up for minimal maintenance and max riding time

 

[chuckha62]

I've probably said this too many times in various forums, but I love my '01 Schwinn Homegrown Hardtail! As my build currently stands, I'm into it to the tune of nearly $3k. I bought it as a NIB, unbuilt frame. I built it exactly as I wanted it. King hubs, Stans Alpine hoops, Huntchinson Python tubeless tires, carbon bar, Thomson post, blah, blah, blah... It is the most fun, fastest accelerating bike I've ever ridden. At sub 20 lbs, it's also the lightest mountain bike I've ever ridden. Maybe it's the short wheelbase, maybe it's a lucky fit, I don't know, but It's the bike I choose over all others.

I've contemplated converting it to 27.5, but why? It does everything I need it to do.

 

[4AM]

I still love my 26er and there will never be a more versatile wheel size. I am thinking about building up a new one, staying classy with steel, and trying to create the most versatile mountain bike I can. Here is a link to my google sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/179qMQAysc2524YAZcf5SdC_UZSi_PG3LQgWTrZdCkSs/edit?usp=sharing
It also has a few other build ideas on it and me and my friend are constantly updating it. If any of you guys are thinking about doing a complete custom bike we put together this sheet setup and it works for almost all bikes. But 26 all the way. I ride my dad's old '97 Privateer Comp quite a bit. Works on the local trails, messing around town and the car parks, and great at the dirt jump park.

 

[bridgestone14]

That cotic is a pretty sweet looking frame. Let us know if you get one.

 

[4AM]

Will do. I'm just a high schooler trying to make some cash so it might take longer to acquire all of the parts than it would for most.

 

[gravityryder26]

Because they never made an SX Trail in any other size

 

[sturge]

Like many I ride 26" because that's what I have. The Kona Dawg and the Heckler (see sig) are both great bikes and set up nice but the Heckler is my #1. I'm a bit of a clyde (6-4/220lbs) so last frame I broke I was very focused on reliability and chose the Heckler based on it's tried and true, simple design. And I have not broken a frame since.

At the time, I was interested in trying a 29 but figured if spokes, swingarms, forks ect are all spaced out just a hair more in a 29 vs 26 they would be more likely to fail so I chose one of the toughest 26" bikes out there. I has not disappointed...I've worn out wheels, tranny, brakes, stem, seat, pivot bearings, etc. a few times but the frame is still rock solid.

But...time ticks on and I am making the move to the dark side. I have a 2018 Kona Process 153 on order (27.5) so I will soon be experiencing the 'big wheel' hoopla (get it...HOOP-la?).

 

[fokof]

But...time ticks on and I am making the move to the dark side. I have a 2018 Kona Process 153 on order (27.5) so I will soon be experiencing the 'big wheel' hoopla (get it...HOOP-la?).

You do know that 650 wheels are only 75mm more than 26 wheels in circumference ?
(With same width tire)

 

[riyadh]

Just got to love the arguments, no bit of kit will make you a better rider. I have a HT 27" and an enduro 26" This past weekend I rode with some guys...... at the end of each trail damn, why you so fast... How come you 26" wheels roll easier over the rocks?........ I thought 29er wheels are supposed to better over rocks...... and it goes on and on and on. One was on a spez enduro 27" and the other on a Jeffsy. I just smiled and said, dont believe the hype about wheel size.
If 26er is good for slope style and dirtjump, it will still be around for a longtime!! Definitely not obsolete!
I like the 27" HT for what it is but I prefer my enduro bike. O and the Hardtail is an enduro Hardtail.

 

[LoneStar]

I kind of have one foot out the 26" door with my Pivot Mach 5.7C. I ran across a great deal on the frame and was going to build it up as a 26", but then decided to future proof a little and go 27.5. Not too bad, but a little taller than I'd like in the BB and limiting on the rear tire choice. Plus I had to give up a 1/2" of travel to make that work. Finally settled on running it with a 27.5" up front and a 26" in the back. Learned that a big 26" tire really isn't that much smaller than a smallish 27.5" tire. Anyways, the bike still rocks and I'll be keeping it a while. Of course I have a 29" hardtail that gets half the reps, too

 

[thesmokingman]

I kind of have one foot out the 26" door with my Pivot Mach 5.7C. I ran across a great deal on the frame and was going to build it up as a 26", but then decided to future proof a little and go 27.5. Not too bad, but a little taller than I'd like in the BB and limiting on the rear tire choice. Plus I had to give up a 1/2" of travel to make that work. Finally settled on running it with a 27.5" up front and a 26" in the back. Learned that a big 26" tire really isn't that much smaller than a smallish 27.5" tire. Anyways, the bike still rocks and I'll be keeping it a while. Of course I have a 29" hardtail that gets half the reps, too

Welcome to the 27/26er team.

 

[dbhammercycle]

^B26er... please.

 

[LoneStar]

Very nice! Here is mine. I don't think I hold my friends up too much

 

[LoneStar]

^B26er... please.

The Marauder setup!

 

[Crooked Cop]

There are many advantages to a 26" wheel if you are into dirt jumping. Lighter, stiffer, less gyroscope effect and less effects from crosswinds. Don't forget about half the pros at Redbull Rampage still ride 26".