[Closed] Any value in 26" bikes nowadays?

I bought a 26" Scandal for my OH during lockdown.

She's not quite a dwarf but anything more than 26" would've been too big for her whilst starting out.

There's definitely a market there and bikes are still in short supply.

I am thinking along the same lines by replacing my beloved C456 with the new Scandal 29’er. I may just out the forks and frame in the loft.

Don't be too rash, we've had 27.5 and 29 for a number of years now, and some places are awash with 26" wheels,rims etc, and a lot of 135mm hubs, another standard size just isnt compatible with the latest 148mm everything's got to be. Well has to given they dropped the front rings, which turned out to be a bad idea, so they've spent the last 5 years slowly trying to get back to where we were before. Wider, wider rear trying to get more cogs into an already tight space. Chains thinner, weaker, cogs thinner,weaker, wider frame, nowt's compatible.

It has to hit critical mass and revert back to 26", probably on a 2x9.

I've been pondering this for a while now and i just cant bring myself to sell me 2006 stumpy. my procrastination has paid off, the eldest is not big and strong enough to probably give the old girl a decent outing.

spookily enough it also a 29 Scandal I'm looking at getting for myself 😀

This is it. I’ll swap over components but buy a fork and wheelset second hand, then I just need the usual On One sale where it’s half price...

Looking at selling off the old 456 to get space for a touring/gravel bike. If we're going to end up on lockdown V2 or with madly congested roads as no one is on the train to work then I'll want something for late night gentle off road and the odd long commute to the office.

I sold a 2013 Mondraker Foxy XR 26in about 3 or 4 years back after worrying it was going to lose all its value after 650b and 29er became all the rage and got around £1k for it.

Recently it came time to buy another MTB after spending the ensuing years road riding, and found that very similar 26in bikes to that Foxy (I.E 2013 Mondraker Dune 26in and many others) were still going for around the same money I sold mine for several years earlier.

There is clearly still value in 26in bikes, and I ended up recently buying a 26in Genesis full susser for my eldest as his first ‘big bike’.

I settled with a Ragley Mmmbop for me in case you were interested.

26" bikes are still selling very well. Too well in fact as when I was after another MTB I was looking for 26" as I prefer them but wasn't prepared to pay what they were going for based on the age of the bike.

Not everyone who buys MTBs are into MTB forums and are not reading MTB magazines.

Those answers are surprising to me. I'd have thought 26ers were worthless, unless someone was after a cheap bike for a growing teenager, or a really cheap bike for local towpath bimbling, or just buying it to split for the bars/stem/cranks etc..

Any working bike is worth some money. Just maybe not as much as we'd like.

Decent 26s, especially small frame sizes, make great kids bikes. Quite a few people at the local cycle club get into off road in the winter and will pay £100 for a working bike.

My eldest is 5'11 now and only just outgrown a 16" Inbred, but it's a great bike even with 3x9! If I can get £100 for it, given that it cost about £500 to put together 6 years ago, I'm more than happy with that.

I’ve been pondering this for a while too. I have a 2006 Giant XTC with full XT and Rebas that I was keeping for my son but he’s taller than me now and has a bigger bike.
It’s still a nice bike but it’s just gathering dust.
Is it worth something or do I split it for spares?
It has some nice bits on it , Thomson seatpost, Easton EC 70 bars, etc.
Also has the rare Dual control shifters and rapid rise rear mech.
Is there a market for those amongst the retro community?

Yes, still demand for 26" stuff - junior sections of bike clubs are spilling over with riders who'd fit a 26" bike readily...

Absolutely nothing wrong with 26" bikes, they ride well, they work well and they'll hopefully be around for a long time yet.

I’d have thought 26ers were worthless,

Depends on your definition of worthless?

My full sus is still 26" and I am considering am updated if I can justify the money it will still make a excellent bike for someone as long as you're not worried that it is not the latest standards.

All our bikes are 26", we have a Trailstar, an Inbred, a Pitch (the proper one), a Norco Shore and my most recent purchase was a Chameleon 5.

If you haven't drunk the kool-aid 26" is still as capable as it always was.It rides differently for sure but sometimes it's more fun having to think about things rather than just rolling over them.

That said there is definitely room in my life for a 29er.

This is the reason that 26" bikes still have value...

Not everyone who buys MTBs are into MTB forums and are not reading MTB magazines

'we' exist in a bubble and not everyone is in the same bubble.

All ours are 26" too. OH has a recent Cube Stereo 140 with 26" wheels in and I've just built a custom Marino 26" HT up (yes, I actually commissioned a new 26" frame!)

I think the perceived drop in 'value' is maybe because of the frames though, even some very recent 26" frames look waaaaay too short and way too tall, certainly in larger frame sizes.

The Brick

Depends on your definition of worthless?

I guess the simplest definition is "worth selling"?

Jolly

I’ve been pondering this for a while too. I have a 2006 Giant XTC with full XT and Rebas that I was keeping for my son but he’s taller than me now and has a bigger bike.
It’s still a nice bike but it’s just gathering dust.
Is it worth something or do I split it for spares?

I have a 2015 carbon 27.5 in medium ... not worth selling IMHO. If it was XS then possibly

Decent 26s, especially small frame sizes, make great kids bikes. Quite a few people at the local cycle club get into off road in the winter and will pay £100 for a working bike.

I haven’t sold a bike for years and I’m just after opinions on if its worth selling them as complete bikes or would I get more by stripping them and selling the frame and components separately?

^ strip and spares...

I also wonder why anyone would choose a 26" frame over a 27.5 frame if they want a small frame outside of a DJ bike? The equivalent 27.5 frame will be smaller and can have 26" wheels
stuck on then when they grow you just stick 27.5 back on?

the question wasn't 'do you ride a 26er?'

it was is there any value in them when you sell.

TBH, and it pains me to say it, but 26" is Dead.
Nobody really seems to want them now, there seems to be talk now of 27.5 being less popular than it was a couple of years ago...

The only exceptions perhaps being:
1: CV19 has temporarily caused a surge in demand (and hence value) for all bikes.
2: Small or XS sized 26ers make sense for kids still...

So either flog it now, or hold on to it forever more...

I guess the simplest definition is “worth selling”?

I think still worth sell for sure but any 26" bike will be a fair few years old so will never be top money. The biggest drop I think is the value of forks as you can't use an old pair of forks etc.

I also wonder why anyone would choose a 26″ frame over a 27.5 frame if they want a small frame outside of a DJ bike? The equivalent 27.5 frame will be smaller and can have 26″ wheels
stuck on then when they grow you just stick 27.5 back on?

BB drop/height - LLS isn't always 'fun' 🙂

it was is there any value in them when you sell.

There's value in certain parts, yes. Good straight steerer forks fetch a bit of a premium, decent 26" wheels that can be converted to 15mm or 20mm and 142x12 will sell ok. Everything else (apart from the frame) are just bike parts and as long as they're not wrecked they'll sell ok if you can be arsed to split the bike up and post stuff out.

Yes there is value, certainly was for the £170 odd I paid for the tin lizard. My Trailstar LT is worth a bit and Inbreds still fetch strong money if they're in good nick.

As said we'll maintained straight steerer forks have value and even old hubs if you have a bit of imagination (Kayla made a 15mm conversion for my Hope XC). Wheels also fetch good money.

So yes, it's worth selling.

26 is NOT dead. Also, BB strikes suck so you have to use a 27.5 frame with an already high BB if you want to stick smaller wheels on. There is also a hell of a lot more to frame sizing than standover height.

Its worth selling if you don't ride it. If you do ride it keep it as the value of 26 on resale is pretty low.

The performance gains between 26 and 27.5 are minimal if any but the industry has moved on for a few years now and we have all had to suck that one up.

Anyone who thinks 26 isnt dead also probably believes the earth is flat and that covid is a hoax.

Also has the rare Dual control shifters and rapid rise rear mech.
Is there a market for those amongst the retro community?

Not especially. Rapid rise is worth less than normal stuff (but still something if it's XT or XTR).

RD M760 goes for the same price as SLX last I checked, which was last week as I have one of the hateful things to (finally) sell. I'm sure I read on here recently that someone actually liked RR and a few folk spoke up in it's favour so no doubt someone would take it.

Its worth selling if you don’t ride it. If you do ride it keep it as the value of 26 on resale is pretty low.

More by age than anything else though. It's also worth remembering 26" kit wasn't nearly as expensive as present day frames amd wheels. Like I said, if you look at decent condition kit most of it hasn't lost all that much value.

Anyone who thinks 26 isnt dead also probably believes the earth is flat and that covid is a hoax.

Can we keep this sensible please?

I'm thinking of selling my 26 inch bike, yes there is good value in them at the moment. Buying tyres is getting a bit tricky if you're after anything specific.

Small / medium 26ers prices are increasing due to demand for smaller riders and lack of availability. XL 26er harder to shift, so lower prices, but parts like 26er forks esp straight steerer still in demand. I sold the last of my kids outgrown 26er parts for more than I paid after a couple of years use now on 27.5 as basically cheaper / more choice. I am talking about good bikes not bso mind.

I have a 2006 Giant XTC with full XT and Rebas that I was keeping for my son but he’s taller than me now and has a bigger bike.
It’s still a nice bike but it’s just gathering dust.
Is it worth something or do I split it for spares?

You'd probably get £400-500 for that. Is that worth selling to you?

BB drop/height

By the time you put on the correct length cranks the BB height isn't a problem for pedal strikes

LLS isn’t always ‘fun’

I guess that depends on your idea of fun...

View this post on Instagram

This is 2 years exactly since he got the frame and for a long time he was using both 26" for jumps and DH and 27.5 for XC/pedal days... then a mullet 27.5/26 for DH.
This has to have been the most "fun/£" bike I've ever bought. Even I ride it... 😉

He'd only just fit onto a XS 26" 2 yrs on.

You’d probably get £400-500 for that. Is that worth selling to you?

I've got a 2015 full carbon 27.5 XtC with factory 32's and full XT 11sp and brakes and I'd be surprised if I got that as a complete bike (perhaps outside Covid)

You’d probably get £400-500 for that. Is that worth selling to you?

Potentially. I sold a similar XTC (Rebas, LX, less flashy finishing kit) for £410. Spotted a couple of weeks ago that it's back on FB marketplace, and hasn't shifted at £275. Perhaps the COVID market is slowing down now?

OP here. Thanks for all your replies, I've only just realised I had any replies at all tbh. Is there a way to get alerts if someone responds to your thread without trawling through?

Anyhoo, in between srarting this thread and going to bed, I had a few more beers and ended up pulling the trigger on an XL Scandal so I now have a few weeks to get rid of the 26ers 🙂

If I'm honest I haven't really ridden my full sus since I bought a gravel bike and it always felt like is was perched on it rather than 'in' it if that makes sense. I'm hoping a 29er will look and feel more like a normal size bike when I'm on it rather than a bike with kids wheels on!

On the other hand, I'm probably trying to convince myself as I fancy having a go on a new bike with modern geo.

Not so stealth ad: Anyone want to buy a lightly used Canyon Nerve in XL flavour?

Double post. Ignore.

I love 26" bikes, the size suits me perfectly, the technology is familiar and easy to get to grasps with, the bike component standards were much more static for a longer period of time, and in my opinion only, the proportions of the wheel to frame just looks "right".
I was never a good enough rider to see any advantages to all this "progress". Rode my boys 27.5" bike and I just didnt notice much of a difference, definitely not enough to scrap off the beloved fleet of 26" bikes I used to own.
Currently riding 26" , and dont plan on changing until the rarity of parts forces me to.
So, as long as there are enough people like me around, then the 26" bike s will always have a value, at least until it becomes uneconomical to keep stubbornly riding 26" bikes just cos .

There will be value in 26ers unless/until you can't get size specific parts such as rims/tyres/forks; forks, generally, don't fail so rims & tyres will be the determinants.
I have 2 hardtail - a lightweight ex team 26er and a 29" rigid single speed; both ride perfectly well and I swap between them without any concern.

I’ve got a 2015 full carbon 27.5 XtC with factory 32’s and full XT 11sp and brakes and I’d be surprised if I got that as a complete bike (perhaps outside Covid)

Prepare to be surprise. Where about are you in the country as I will give you £500 for that bike as I can then make an easy £300 profit by selling it the following week.

I came across this for sale locally and it put me in mind of this thread...
Looks like a bargain to me

Sold a 16 year old santacruz juliana for £450 last week

Nice light build with xtr dual control - and the bike was in great condition

So you can still get good prices for 26" old bikes at the moment

By the time you put on the correct length cranks the BB height isn’t a problem for pedal strikes

It's nowt to do with pedal strikes and more about manuals and bunny hops 🙂 As you say, it depends on how you define 'fun'. I'm not tall and I'm not particularly strong so I don't want my fun to be hard work!

I expect your Canyon would sell for good money. If the Genesis is steel then that too.

A local pick up sale is the easiest way to sell but if this doesn't happen then split and offer postage.

I usually split because its easier to post a frame/ forks/ wheels separately. & I can keep the bits I want for next bike.

TLDR: There is definitely still a market for 26" kit 🙂

Thanks again for all your replies. Having read things like 'bikes depreciate 50% in the 1st year and 10% a year after that' I didn't have much hope in selling my 9 year old Canyon.

Anyhoo, not sure if its the Covid effect (affect?), but within 24 hours of putting it on Facebook I've sold it for more than half of what I bought it for and I had people lining up to buy it so I probably could have got more for it.

I decided to keep the Genesis. My daughter seems to have inherited my lankyness, so she can ride that and I've sold her old, 2nd hand, 26" bike for more than I bought it for in less than 2 hours as well!