[Closed] So, if you accept that 26 Is Dead... Who won at 26 inch wheels?

IF 26 is dead (it ain't yet) then a Cotic Soul.

Of course 26" isn't dead. It's just not needed anymore

Santa Cruz Superlight for 4" of bounce that was simple and effective for what it was intended for, and more. When it morphed from the Tamzon and Heckler at the end of the 90's, it was regarded as one of the best lightweight FS cross country bikes for a good number of years. Inspite of the tendency of single pivot's at the time to become unsettled in heavy braking, this bike with it's shock tune was one of the most composed and yet startlingly quick to change direction or accelerate.

Anodised blue was the best colour and gets the nod from me for what we now define as 'short travel XC'

* double post

Nahh. Kona Explosif. The best ever. Always was. Alwalys will be.

It's not perfect

So, hardly a contender for the best of breed sticker! The best should be perfect.

For me, iconic perfection in 26 would be
Zaskar
95 top end steel Marins
Early top end steel Konas
Spesh Stumpy. In fact, that might be it. The Stumpy, has evolved through the ages of MTB so well.

Raleigh Activator

What about an "uber geil" Liteville 301 mk10 that will take both sizes of wheel?

I'm torn some what.
My current enduro is very very good despite its old wheel size
But I also love my old alloy Easton tubed Saracen killi flyer I still use it for fast xc rides / races

CaptainFlashheart - Member

So, hardly a contender for the best of breed sticker! The best should be perfect.

No such thing as perfect! But you can get pretty damn close.

I mean, you just posted a list of bikes that were great in their time but there's not one there I'd choose today over modern kit and being honest, would you? I remember riding a mate's Zaskar and it was just the business, stuff of dreams... then I rode one a couple of years ago and oh my, time had not been kind.

2005 specialized demo 8

For me, perfect.

turner xce or 5 horst link

Ibis Mojo

My Curtis with a rigid carbon fork is pretty close to perfect.

As is my Liteville 301. Just differently close to perfect.

Mk4 chameleon was damn near spot on (for it's age) angles are just too steep for the 160mm travel forks it was supposed to be able to handle. (at 140mm, it was pretty much dab on)

Explosif is just not good enough, there are better steel frames, better Ti frames, better everything frames

Scandvik Hummer (chain slap aside)

Privee Shan, just on looks alone it would get in, but it descends like nothing else short of a full suss.

My choices for Ali, Ti and Steel Hard tails

Dialled Alpine.

hardtail

Litespeed Kitsuma

Thought my MK3 Soul was awesome (apart from sitting exactly between sizes)...but the Slackline Ti is something else. Incredibly light on the ups, pretty bomb proof on the downs and find it good on long rides. Aesthetically its incredibly well detailed...just a bugger to keep shiny and free of finger prints! Will be keeping well after the war of the wheels is over.

my cannondale flash

Orange 5 - awaits tractor/filing cabinet comments.

Cove Stiffee, i loved my stiffee

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest the original 456 family as a contender if that's allowed. At least for the hardtail crown. Between the steel as a cheap general purpose mountain bike, the ti for posh work and carbon for a bit of extra lightweight versatility I think it's in with a shout. (I think stretching it to include the newer models is pushing it).

Disclosure, I did own a carbon one- it was supposed to be a stopgap before buying a fs and I ended up keeping it three years. I've seen them built up as hooligan bikes, to race and they seem pretty good at both.

Perhaps outclassed for really rough riding by some of the more 'hardcore' hardtails, where I'd say it edges them is that it's easy to pick up and ride- there isn't the same learning curve that there is in the really slack things I've tried (Dialled alpine and so on). I've also had complete beginners try it and choose it over bikes I'd normally think of as more suited to them, which says something (I think).

I like the soul better, but I think in sheer value for money, got lots of people on the trails versatility I'd take some convincing of a better candidate for the 'won at 26' (ht). Thoughts?

Cove Stiffee mk 1 I miss mine too 🙁

I'd go for the inbred. Still, in hindsight my all time favourite bike. as previous poster said, just an old school, do it all, do it great, reliable mountain bike for getting out there.

It's missed. but then so is biking in general - life in the witterings is great but the biking is shit.

Cannondale Prophet

Turner 5 Spot Horst link was my favourite trail bike, Cotic Soul was fave hardtail

Spesh SX Trail and Enduro.

The Enduro was the first bike with good geometry that could be pedalled up stuff and thrown back down the other side without needing to worry about it dying. The SX opened many peoples eyes up to what a shorter travel bike could do. I loved mine and only retired it last year. It was such a fun bike to ride.

cant believe nobody has said on one 456 😆

My choices would be HT Mk1 Sovereign, 6" Carbon Enduro, DH V10c

Ibis Mojo, end of....

1990's - GT Zaskar
2000's - Ibis Mojo

Nicolai Helius AC 26", incredible machine, built for everything. Despite knowing that everything was going 650b bollox I still ordered a 26" anyway, how's that for commitment?!

Before anyone get's any big ideas, I have already copyrighted it:

26"............ built for everything

Surely the filling cabinet from Halifax has to be up there, simple but just works.

Ibis Mojo has to be there on looks as well though.

My 2003 GT Avalanche frame will not die so I'll put that forward for the 'built like tank' catogory

Horst link Turner 5 Spot. Bloody awesome bike.

26 dead?

Pfft, yeah right...

You'll have to pry my 26er from my cold dead hands...

If it aint broke, don't fix it!

90s Ball-burnished GT Zaskar. Pimp.

On the premise that every companies offerings get better year on year.
Then surely the winner can only be the last 26 bike of the winning make/model built.

The latest iteration of the Five must rank as top of its class. As long as that class is "British built single pivot bikes" 🙂 Actually it must be a candidate in the wider class of "fun 140mm trail bikes".

Horst link 5 spot, especially in red

DME Trailstar. Classic frame! I kinda wish I never sold mine, such a versatile bike and effortless to dirt jump on.

Yeti SB66c.

So 26" is dead is it?…..suckerz……. 😉

^^^ not dead per se...just waiting for the resurrection (probably around Easter next year 😉 )

26 Dead????????? anything else is just Marketing hype BUY into it if you believe the comics. Don't buy in just ride what you like.

So many classic designs Giant NRS any of the Orange single Pivots.

Long live 26"

On-One's Lynskey-fabricated 456Ti.

Ibis.
Consistently producing some of the most desirable bikes in steel, titanium, aluminium and plastic over the last 30 years.

Yeti ASR 5C - still one of the best bikes I have ever ridden.

In best tradition of recommending your own bike, I'm going to vote for the Ion 16. Just sneaked in before 650, and it's bloody ace.

Cannondale CAAD5 hardtail frames are pretty special imo.
And in terms of full sus, Spesh Enduro has evolved since the dawn of time and always been pretty close to the mark.

Supermarket BSO's 26" and proud, Still going strong.

Best 26"er?

Fat Chance Yo Eddy

Or

Klein Attitude

Pace RC200, in red. thread closed 🙂

One bike to cover it all from DH to ultra mincecore XC? Nomad.

Santa Cruz Superlight of yesteryear and now Ibis Mojo

None of my 26"ers are dead
and I'd like to nominate each and every one of them in the best 26"er category:

456 EVO Ti
Liteville 301 Mk11 (although admittedly it does have a 27.5" front wheel and fork)
Orange Patriot (2012 model)

another one here for the ibis mojo 🙂
first the mojo classic then the sl/slr then the HD and now the HDR

My old cove Stiffee was my best ever 26" bike, I don't think I've ever regretted selling a bike except it

who won at 26" wheels?

mavic 819 on hope proII.

Is there a prize for heavy, narrow, noisy, and poorly sealed then? 😀

26" is dead. 26" remains dead. Gullible fools who believe what they are told have killed it. And yet it's shadow looms.

I feel better about having just spunked a grand on 26 inch parts, Zumbi just let me know they've no plans to stop making 26 inch F11s. If I needed a new frame, that was already my first 26 inch choice. Futureproofed.

(though, tbh it'll be hard to resist a carbon remedy 29)

Turner 5 Spot Horst link.

Cant believe no one has mentioned 90's era's Orange P7. De rigueur xc race bike. Superb frame.

[u][b]IF[/b][/u] then

(i) according to STW, Inbred

(ii) according to my wishlist Ibis Mojo

(iii) according to aesthetics, Cotic Soul

(iv) according to a sensible pro / con list, Santa Cruz Chameleon

A special mention to recent Gary Fisher who, besides Brant (IMO), seemed to influence bike design for the better. Slack geom for longer forks whilst keeping a reasonable 'stretch' with top tube length.

*edit - having seen zoo's post below, a Zaskar is a bike I'd by tomorrow, if I had the cash. I haven't ridden one, but it was my poster-bike growing up... does it come with Hans Rey and a Mint Sauce comic strip?

GT Zaskar
Klein Attitude
Cotic Soul
Stanton Slackline
Carrera Fury - genuinely one of the best bikes I've owned and i have a lot of Exotica

[i]In best tradition of recommending your own bike..[/i]

Yeti 575.

Is there a winner yet?

Again, with the tradition of recommending what you own, I'm going to say the Specialized Pitch.

Virtually unchanged for four model years, it retailed for less than it should have given its capabilities. Build it light as a long-travel trail bike or stick Lyriks on it as a mini-DH tool. Size it small as a slopestyle bike if you like.

Standard shock mounting, standard headset, standard 73mm BB, ISCG tabs and dropper post cable clips (on the last version). Only thing it needs is a tapered head tube.

I love mine..

what he ^ said.

a quiver-killer, for a grand, old now but by no means out-dated.

Specialized Pitch - they had to stop making it as it made their other bikes look like poor value for money.

Forgot to add: standard(ish) 30.9mm seatpost, forward facing seat clamp, full-length outers, standard QR rear dropouts...

Plus Spesh were running the long, low and slack geo a couple of years before most others. How many good-handling bikes have just copied Specialized's geometry?

This thread topic does drift close being a wheel size discussion

[img] [/img]
Don't force me now...

I did like my Trailstar(s) but I'll always have a soft spot for a 90s steel Kona, so Explosif FTW?

makecoldplayhistory - Member

IF then

(i) according to STW, Inbred

(ii) according to my wishlist Ibis Mojo

(iii) according to aesthetics, Cotic Soul

(iv) according to a sensible pro / con list, Santa Cruz Chameleon

I like your thinking, if only because I own (ii) and (iv) and have owned a (iii). 🙂

Everyone who's suggested a bike they wouldn't still buy today, at modern price equivalents- GTFO.

Pitch is a good un but does it beat the stumpy evo and late enduro? Not sure. Value is a bit unfair as Specialized were all over the place, it was heavily discounted at some points as it didn't sell at full price.

I will second the cannondale prophet, a bike which saved the company and was so far ahead of its time, if you compare it's geometry to a similar bike now it was already there in 2004 ! It went practically unchanged aside for tough versions, and in it's final incarnation gate crashed WMTB's bike of the year with a killer value build (still a USA built frame set) . A 27.4 mm seatpost limits dropper choice, 1.5" head tube doesn't.
I just bought one to build up, just wished I'd have plumped for one instead of a blingy scott nitrous in 2005

Are mbr still maintaining that the 2005ish Spesh Enduro is the best bike of all time?

I'm hoping the answer is a blur 4X as I've just bought a frame to build up.... 😀
So yeah, 26 is alive and well!

ChrisL

It was a spectacular bike, well ahead of its time though. My only ever full sus.

In the spirit of money where your mouth is, these are the bikes I voted for and the bikes I own.

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Still love them but I accept their time is over, will be mine til they're dead.

Are mbr still maintaining that the 2005ish Spesh Enduro is the best bike of all time?

the 2005 enduro IS the best bike of all time.

I'd vote for that or the Ibis Mojo HD.

Purely co-incidentally I own both.

If I had to choose one, its got to be the 2005 enduro ,and its succesors, except for 2007-2009 models, they were gash. This bike set the template for all other 'enduro' bikes that followed.

I thought everyone owned an Orange 5 yet nobody is willing to nominate it. Mondeo class maybe?

I've only really known* the bikes i've owned, of which there were five. All winners in my eyes but if i had to pick one ultimate winner, it'll have to be the Stumpy Evo. It does all the things a great all-rounder should but it's not perfect (is any bike?). It's a bitch to manual long distances but on the flip side, the way it lets you pump and slide through corners is something that i've never experience before on any bike and has me laughing like a loon. Such a well balanced bicycle.

* I have ridden others but not for as long or as eagerly as my own.

[img] [/img]

p.s. When was 26" pronounced dead? I don't think i got that memo.