fletcher1004 Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 Simply because 26" wheels have had years and years of research and development into them and on a budget your going to get a more proven and readily available platform from which to build on in the future, not to mention the availability of spares if and when required. On a budget you want the lightest bike you can afford. it stands to reason that cheap materials weigh more so the extra 3" in rim, tyre, inner tube and spoke length will all add up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laird Lugton Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 (edited) My 26" BMC hard tail, list £1899 but bought for £899 in 2013 because it was a 2011 model. Cracking components though! Edited April 20, 2014 by Laird Lugton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blunderbuss Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 (edited) I'm in the same boat. I need a bike for a charity event I'm doing, I did the same event last year on a borrowed hard tail, which was perfect and wanted my own this year. My budget is slightly more than yours, but not by much. I was advised to buy second hand as bikes depreciate massively and you get so much more for your cash. But, I've been scouring the small ads, fleabay, Gumtree etc for yonks and nothing suitable has showed up. So I bit the bullet and bought new. I tried a load but settled on a Specialized Rockhopper from a local bike shop. Ordered a week ago, I collect it tomorrow. I paid £650 for a 2014 model, I get 10% of that back in vouchers for accessories plus a couple of free services. 2013 models are about £100 cheaper online, but I wanted the advice and back up of a local shop. I'll find out over the next few weeks if I've made a wise choice. I've done a load of training miles on this now, on off road and some right beastings up the Cotswold hills and I love this bike. One advantage of buying new is I've been back to the shop a couple of times to get them to fettle and tweak the gear indexing as it's bedded in. Edited April 20, 2014 by Blunderbuss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalfordninja33 Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 Every other size is a fad. 26 will be phased out of performance hard tails in the near future, not many brands making them now. 26 will be around at the lower price points as there so much tooling out there for them. AM bikes and above will be 26 for a while. Most people appear to be faster over the same ground on a 29 rather than 26. Move stable, bigger contact patch, more grip. Tis the future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laird Lugton Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 26 will be phased out of performance hard tails in the near future, not many brands making them now. 26 will be around at the lower price points as there so much tooling out there for them. AM bikes and above will be 26 for a while. Most people appear to be faster over the same ground on a 29 rather than 26. Move stable, bigger contact patch, more grip. Tis the future! But for those of us who are vertically challenged the 29er is not suitable. 650b I think maybe be the middle ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalfordninja33 Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 Definitely. I like the fact that you can now choose a wheel size that best suits your size/type of riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr-Sheen Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 26 will be phased out of performance hard tails in the near future, not many brands making them now. 26 will be around at the lower price points as there so much tooling out there for them. AM bikes and above will be 26 for a while. Most people appear to be faster over the same ground on a 29 rather than 26. Move stable, bigger contact patch, more grip. Tis the future! I think someone spent a lot of money on a shiny new 29er! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalfordninja33 Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 I think someone spent a lot of money on a shiny new 29er! Not one but two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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