[Closed] So what were the ultimate 26ers then?

cookeaa - Member
Page 2 and no mention of a trailstar yet?...

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Re. the chicken-and-egg thing about enduro races and bikes, it seems to me that racing has directed the development of some bikes to have more efficient suspension and lighter frames - often carbon.

So an awesome all mountain bike like an Orange Alpine or NP Mega might not be the absolute best enduro race bike (though still very competitive in the right hands), but would be excellent as Alps bikes or for the Lakes/Scotland big mountain rides.

+1 for the Specialized Pitch

As mentioned on previous page. One of the first long travel, slack head angle long top tube trail bikes that'll ride all day. For me it is the for father of what most ride now. Some of the current bikes from other manufactures even look like it as well.

I've stil got mine and cannot find anything that is worth replacing it with. It's battered and bruised but still going strong.

Long Live The Pitch 🙂

It makes me happy to see the 06 Rocky Ridge mentioned... ruddy awesome bike. I still have the frame and its getting rebuilt when I move back home again.

Mines hung up in the garage, one day...
As a connoisseur of bikes may I recommend the Bandit 26 to you, everything you love about the RR but with a bit of squish and even more playful!

Is there any bike that really only worked as a 26er?

I still have a 26 Giant Anthem, didnt Giant struggle at first struggle to get the frame to work with clown wheels?

Got to be the Trailstar surely?
Honorable mention for the Charge Blender as well, such a fun bike. Not quite the legendary status of the Trailstar though. Shame that Charge are an awful niche company now, they used to be cool!

Is there any bike that really only worked as a 26er?

In the tradition of recommend what you ride, I'm going to nominate the venerable 26" Five (in it's latest incarnation). I don't know how it stacked up against all the other 26" bikes (although I preferred it to the 26" Trance X that was nominated earlier), but I do wonder whether Orange will ever make a better trail bike.

I've tried the (Mk1) 650B version and thought it was just a slightly heavier, slightly less fun version of the 26" bike. Not much worse, but no better in my mind.

The Alpine Five may be great in the alps but is possibly too big to be a versatile trail bike. Not sure about the Segment yet, but I tend to think that the single pivot design with that swing arm works better with smaller wheels. The bigger they get, the longer and more flexible the swingarm has to get. So the Five may be a bike that only really worked (or at least worked best) as a 26" bike.

FunkyDunc - Member

Is there any bike that really only worked as a 26er?

I still have a 26 Giant Anthem, didnt Giant struggle at first struggle to get the frame to work with clown wheels?

TBH I don't think there'll ever be a bike that only worked as 26, because 650b is so similiar. Whether the 650b versions will be as good or as popular is another question though.

I think Giant mostly struggled with longer travel maestro 29ers. The Anthem isn't the prettiest but it's bloomin brilliant. Giant decided that the best way to promote their 650b range was to slag off all their 29ers though, so it all went a bit weird after that.

I'm very pleased to see that both my Trailstar and Pitch are cropping up in this thread. The Pitch will be visiting the Alps with me next week. Ooh yeah.

Id be with the guys suggesting the '97 Explosif (ooh Max Light OR tubing) if I hadn't broken it an replaced it with a '98 Hei Hei (ti hardtail variant) which remained the best hardtail I'd ridden until my first foray into 650bness. The Chameleon also has a place in my heart.

Bouncy bike wise, the Heckler was an amazing step forward in terms of functionality, as was the Blur.

Both the Mojo and SB66 set a new tone with regard to ride and aesthetics.

An honourable mention to the RC-200 for being the bike most likely to spur me on after overtaking me during racing in the 90s.

I'd go

Kona Hei-Hei / Cove Hummer
Giant Anthem
Spesh Pitch

I don't get the Cotic Soul love fest, it didn't really bring anything new to the party at all.

Dragon - hard tail ti variant Hei Hei, I presume.

Best Ive owned would be a Cotic Soul, although I think I wanted a De Kerf Team SL slightly more but could never get my hands on one.

Cove Handjob
Turner Flux & 5 Spot

I'd love another handjob.........

My Titus/Hammerhead 100X is still my favourite bike despite that it is somewhat outdated for some of the modern trails. It is still stiff and creak free after 12 years (9 years in active duty) and really fun and engaging to ride even with 2nd hand kit from the main bike.

It is also sad that it has built-in self-destruction mechanism which will kill it someday. The seat tube is fairly short and many of them have cracked from top tube - seat tube junction.

Nearly forgot Breezer Storm

I don't get the Cotic Soul love fest, it didn't really bring anything new to the party at all.

Look at it in terms of when it first came out in 2002 through rather than when it hit it's peak popularity 10 years later. OK a 100mm hardtail wasn't anything new, but it wasn't an XC bike whereas at the time everything else was either built for XC racing or was built much tougher (DMR trailster, Spooky Metalhead).

2005 specialized enduro - the bike that was #enduro before #enduro existed

Specialized Pitch. Suddenly we could buy a 6 inch trail bike that would climb well, descend like a dh bike, you could do all day rides on it then take it to the Alps

The 2005 enduro beat the pitch to that trick by a good few years.

Yes, but the Pitch was brown. Brown!

loved my demo9, loved my bottlerocket and now loving the saracen 16x i bought soooooo cheap as noone seems to want them but me. happy days #26forever

For me it was these, all hardtails as I never got on with full-sus. Also the steel Kona Lava Dome/Cinder Cone with rigid forks was bags and bags of fun and always felt sprightly/inspiring and took mad abuse for the weight.

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Funny, since I started this thread I've been[i] really[/i] enjoying my 26er. Hope I'll be riding it for a good few years yet. It's a slightly overbuilt 180mm "Alps bike", but also works great as a pedal/push-up mini DH shred sled.

I can see the appeal of the Soul for the riding a lot of people do. I sort of regret not having owned one myself TBH.

I'm going to say Orange Patriot.

Ragley Blue Pig. Geometry that feels so weird at first but works so well once you've got your head round it.

I regularly trawl e bay for a ti version, but sadly in vain so far.

Blue pig 16 inch frame for sale near me . Tempted . Probably too small though...

Another vote for the Orange p7 I loved mine, still wished I hadn't sold it but what's done is done. Mine was a 2010 one classic black with white decals great bike.

My other vote as an xc trail bike, the Speshi Camber Expert 2012, 10/10 mbr, pretty sure it got Bike of the year in one of the mags, I've still got mine and its an awesome bike.

Even though im trying to sell it, will be sad to see it go to the point I probably won't sell it.

I've only ever ridden 26" and would go with all three of my bikes, all cobbled together through bits bought on the classifieds on here over the the last 10 or so years:
- Tinbred
- Heckler
- Superlight
I'm well aware they're all utterly obsolete but somehow I manage to keep riding them. Just modernised the Tinbred with new forks and 1x10 and I absolutely love it!

(and I do still have a huge soft spot for my 1986 Hoo Koo e Koo and 1993 P7...)

Funny you say that molgrips, look what I was riding again today...

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The last 2 models of patriot were awesome. Though I did lol when one of the first complete production models lasted about 4 hours of riding before the swingarm fell apart. I could make a space for either of those in the garage, right now. And imo they're only going to get to be better buys as lyriks and 55s and chunky wheels drop in price

I hope people don't seriously think it's hard to get 26'' rims...

We have plenty on stock in the ware house, ready to be shipped to any good LBS (albeit not in the UK) so I am damn sure any LBS can have one in no time

The idea it is hard to get 26" stuff is ridiculous. What it is easy to do is to get top notch 26" stuff for silly money, I'm still buying 26" stuff - like an EC70 wheel set new for £300. Yummy. And forks for 1/3 the RRP. For now I'd far rather top level carbon 26" stuff for less money than average 650b stuff.

Obviously everyone is naming stuff they have had, so I'm going to do the same and nominate the Blur XC Carbon. I also had an original Heclkler, Superlight, and Blur Classic and they were all great bikes, ahead of their time.

That said, I agree with the person that said long travel, light fullsussers that still pedal well are the ultimate improvement in recent years. The short travel stuff was well sorted back in the day of the original 4" Heckler. As a classic design, the Mojo has to be in the mix.

575.
Obviously.

What came first - the Heckler or the five? I think the idea that a bike could be reasonably light, have a good amount of travel and a serious amount of longevity makes these bikes so important in the development of real all mountain riding.

I'd say the Iron Horse Sunday was the ultimate 26" DH bike - but only because the Session and the V10 have gone for 27.5

Hmmm. I had a Sunday and then a summum.

The latter seemed a lot faster and even easier to ride on steep terrain.

oliverd1981 - Member

I'd say the Iron Horse Sunday was the ultimate 26" DH bike

Really? Great in its time but that time was a while ago.

The summum is avialable in 27.5 now too - so it's disqualified. I guess the 5 is too.

That would rule out way too many bikes, sorry.

Another vote for the Cinder Cone (mid 90's & steel); the Heckler / Five design.

Gt Zaskar

The do anything hardtail?

Or the first of the whyte designed marins?

That would rule out way too many bikes, sorry

In that case 27.5 must be a backward step, as the question states 26" version has to be it's ultimate incarnation...

In that case 27.5 must be a backward step, as the question states 26" version has to be it's ultimate incarnation...

Objection overruled.

Forget about 650b. Simply asking which frames are/were the ultimate evolution for 26in.

The Alpine Five may be great in the alps but is possibly too big to be a versatile trail bike.

Nope, it's great as a trail bike.

Is this thread about the best 26" bike or the one we remember most fondly? If it's the best then surely the answer is a bike from a couple of years ago, the best before they stopped making 26". Fair enough voting for a 2004 Specialized or whatever but if you rode one back to back with something like the Yeti mentioned I expect it wouldn't be 'the best'

Could be wrong like.

If it's the best then surely the answer is a bike from a couple of years ago, the best before they stopped making 26".

That was my intention for the thread TBH.

I can understand that some people might honestly believe a '97 Kona is the ultimate 26" bike though. For them.

Ragley blue-pig?

so, so, capable up or down anything technical.

😀 Mk 1 Blue Pig owner, ragged around Calderdale as much as possible.

I think the Mk2 is much faster, but it might also be that nach is just, eeer, faster than me on his. Bum.

While building it I dreaded climbing on 160mm forks, but the Blue Pig has been a great bike so far 😀

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I don't feel qualified to say "ultimate" because I don't have much to compare it to bar XC bikes I owned before, but it's done everything from chugging up hills in Calderdale to uplift trails in the Alps. I'm finding I have no urge to trade it up for anything else yet, but this year I've found myself eyeing increasingly niche upgrades like Procore and those new Spank bars.

The mk1 Bluepig was a shocker. My mate had one (after buying in to the hype) and had no end of problems with it as no one seemed to have bothered with quality control. It took so long to get sorted that he ended up with a mk2 replacement that also had qc issues so he eventually got a full refund. With the little time he had to ride it he found it to be a bang average pig iron frame.

Maverick Ml7
Genesis Core 40

I still ride them both.

Has anyone mentioned the Cannondale Prophet yet?! My vote!

The 2005 enduro beat the pitch to that trick by a good few years.

Yea, but for a good couple of years the Pitch Pro was <£1100 from a lot of shops until it got 10/10 in in an MBR test and they couldn't get enough of them!

Same test gave the Prophet 10/10 too. IMO the prophet was a much nicer bike too, for some reason I bought a pitch, think it was that Spesh update the spec to Sektors whereas the 'dale was looking quite long in the tooth.

Wouldn't a more modern 4 bar frame like the transition suppressor be a better choice than the pitch?

I haven't ridden either, but I know which I'd rather own.

NomadC and Cotic BFe 8)

Hardtail - Stanton Slackline Ti,
Full sus - no idea, currently stuck wondering what to replace my 2001 Turner RFX with but haven't found a decent contender yet.

Another vote for the ASR5 here, as a trail bike.

It's older sibling, the ASR-SL is still the quickest, most nimble bike I've ridden XC on.

Mintyjim - Member

Has anyone mentioned the Cannondale Prophet yet?! My vote!

Just coming to post the same thing... not without it foibles but a bloody brilliant bike/frame

I liked my cannondale prophet to until i pointed it up hill bobed like a biatch !

The most fun little bike I owned was a Kona kikapau one size to small fast light and loads of fun.

*regrets selling ASR-SL*

The 2014 Blue Pig was hands down the most capable and comfortable HT I've ever ridden, better than a BFe by a good margin! I've not ridden another HT that inspired so much confidence to absolutely rag the arse off it, was better/more fun than my FS bike on all but the rockiest tech, where any HT will shake your fillings loose with the rear getting bucked about all over the shop.

Shame the QC is the worst I've ever experienced with multiple inexcusable faults. Design wise I doubt it could be improved much, 853/a bit lighter maybe but minor points really.

Totally biased and probably different opinion to most but... Love my '95 Cindercone, 2007 S.-Works Enduro and my 2007 (?) Soda. I think all are truly great bikes and truly better than my riding deserves! All were able to evolve in line with my riding and that ability to change but keep the essential core characteristics.

chestercopperpot - Member

Shame the QC is the worst I've ever experienced with multiple inexcusable faults. Design wise I doubt it could be improved much, 853/a bit lighter maybe but minor points really.

Tried a Ti? Just like a Pig but lighter, wee bit softer, and not put together in the dark. Absolutely love mine (I had 3 Mmmbops before I got one that was built right and even it had bad paint)

Cove Stiffee. I miss my Stiffee 🙁

@ Northwind

A Ti framed Blue Pig sounds like a best of breed on paper. I wouldn't be prepared to shoulder the higher cost in combination with the notoriously more difficult Ti welds and a brand that can't get steel right. Although I accept the two frame types could well be manufactured at different facilities or as you put it, not in the dark!

Same geo and feel without the numerous QC problems, I'm sure they would sell like hot cakes and be judged on what they do best, hmmm 2016 maybe 😆

The ti is USA lynskey-made so... well, OK, still probably pretty likely to crack 😆 But still awesome. They're not usually terribly expensive but pretty hard to find, is the only bummer.

Lynskey yeah got my eye on their frames, my guess they will tumble in price! Am in no rush got a HT (custom build) and FS (generic big box) that I'm mostly happy with bar a few tweaks.

Never ridden a Ti but if the BP is anything to go by, was the most fun bike I've ever ridden. Not the best all rounder but definitely the most fun, it begged to be thrashed and snapped!

chestercopperpot - Member

Shame the QC is the worst I've ever experienced with multiple inexcusable faults. Design wise I doubt it could be improved much, 853/a bit lighter maybe but minor points really.

Having bent one, then bent it back, I'd go for beefier dropouts. Being able to do that is why I went for a steel frame in the first place though.

My best 26'ers in order (1st first):

SC Blur 4X
Commencal AM V4
SC Butcher (a missed gem by SC)
SC Chameleon (medium)

Blur 4x seconded Hora

Nukeproof Mega 2011/2012, I'm very biased and I love mine to bits. I won't be changing it unless it breaks & it's better than I am..

Blur 4X seems to get a lot of love.

I'm curious what do you think made it so good? Never ridden one myself.

FWIW I've just built up a Turner Nitrous circa 2006 and it is one of the best bikes I've ridden.I now have three MTB's which I reckon are , apart from a Mk1 SC Superlight, the best I've had in 20 odd years and I've spent some bloody money!!. All 26" and all 1 1/8 and I haven't died yet!!. I must admit to hankering after a new Epic 29er but more than happy to stay 'retro' at the mo.

Difficult to say what was the ultimate 26 inch frame but the ones I have owned that I liked best were

Very early Kona Hei Hei
Ti Bontrager
Litespeed Pisgah
Turner Flux pre DW link.
2005 Kona Kula bought as a spare bike but always makes me grin
Spot single speed

chakaping - Member
Blur 4X seems to get a lot of love.

I'm curious what do you think made it so good? Never ridden one myself.

built like a tank, fun handling, short travel.

there aren't many bikes like that, but it's a combo that's got a lot going for it.