Am I making a mistake buying a 26” DH?

PB Forum :: Downhill
Am I making a mistake buying a 26” DH?
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flag Tmet5
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Posted: Dec 17, 2020 at 10:36 Quote
I have been riding DH for around 2 years now. My first bike was a 2018 scott gambler 730 with 27.5”. It was a fun bike that handled technical trails well but wasn’t as agile as I would have liked. Long story short I had sold it when I made my recent move to Colorado (had to sell it due to lack of room and pay for travels between jobs).

I have been shopping around when I ran across a 2014 Specialized Demo 8 w/ carbon frame for $1k. The downside is that it’s a 26er.

I’ve read all the lengthy debates on whether to run 26/27.5/29, and still cannot determine if I will regret the smaller wheels.

It’s well under bicycle blue book. Long story short, did I find a solid deal or should I suck it up and fork out more cash for a 27.5?

Thank you for the help! Still new and learning about DH so any help is very much appreciated.
flag mediocrityontwowheels
Posted: Dec 17, 2020 at 10:52 Quote
Carbon for under 1k? Go for it if it's in good condition, but I did hear something about cracks with the earlier carbon demos. Look it up I guess. As for wheel size, plenty of people (me included) still run 26. Still fun! I'd rather have a nice cheap DH with 26 rather than 10 grand on a new 29.
flag csharp1171
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Posted: Dec 17, 2020 at 11:22 Quote
How often do you ride? I bought a 26" dh bike a couple of years ago that I ride +/- 12 times per year. I have debated upgrading but I can still find parts and just can't justify the cost of a newer bike.
flag ptrcarson
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Posted: Dec 17, 2020 at 11:29 Quote
Unless your racing or ride DH primarily for strava times small wheels are not a negative in my opinion. The smaller wheels are less likely to break given the same riding and the bike will be better in the air. You are just going to be slower through rock garden techy stuff. It is common to feel faster on a 26 despite being actually slower which if I am not worried about winning something is a ok by me.
flag Tmet5
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Posted: Dec 17, 2020 at 11:57 Quote
mediocrityontwowheels wrote:
Carbon for under 1k? Go for it if it's in good condition, but I did hear something about cracks with the earlier carbon demos. Look it up I guess. As for wheel size, plenty of people (me included) still run 26. Still fun! I'd rather have a nice cheap DH with 26 rather than 10 grand on a new 29.

Very solid points! I will have to check the frame out. If I remember these had some issues with the downtube. But glad to hear people are still running 26. Thanks for the reply man!
flag Tmet5
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Posted: Dec 17, 2020 at 12:00 Quote
csharp1171 wrote:
How often do you ride? I bought a 26" dh bike a couple of years ago that I ride +/- 12 times per year. I have debated upgrading but I can still find parts and just can't justify the cost of a newer bike.

When I lived out east I was right next to Killington. So I was on the mountain every weekend. But I’m living near Grand Junction CO now so I’m sure it will cut down on how much DH I’m doing (so much XC up in that area).
The difficulty with finding parts was also a concern of mine. Especially if I were to have issues with the front suspension.
flag Tmet5
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Posted: Dec 17, 2020 at 12:03 Quote
ptrcarson wrote:
Unless your racing or ride DH primarily for strava times small wheels are not a negative in my opinion. The smaller wheels are less likely to break given the same riding and the bike will be better in the air. You are just going to be slower through rock garden techy stuff. It is common to feel faster on a 26 despite being actually slower which if I am not worried about winning something is a ok by me.

Yeah you won’t see me doing time trials any time soon lol. I do enjoy the more flowy/jump trails. Do you feel like you have less stability going over like technical rock gardens? Or does it handle it well being more agile. Thanks for the tips!
flag ptrcarson
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Posted: Dec 17, 2020 at 12:10 Quote
Tmet5 wrote:
ptrcarson wrote:
Unless your racing or ride DH primarily for strava times small wheels are not a negative in my opinion. The smaller wheels are less likely to break given the same riding and the bike will be better in the air. You are just going to be slower through rock garden techy stuff. It is common to feel faster on a 26 despite being actually slower which if I am not worried about winning something is a ok by me.

Yeah you won’t see me doing time trials any time soon lol. I do enjoy the more flowy/jump trails. Do you feel like you have less stability going over like technical rock gardens? Or does it handle it well being more agile. Thanks for the tips!

You just are more likely to get your front wheel hung up on big rocks or holes so you have to be a little more carful on small wheels or have more over the bars moments. Ultimately not a big deal if you are not racing. When I rode my Enduro 29er vs a DH 26er back to back on the same track I felt faster on the 26 but in actual time I was like 5 seconds slower despite being on a DH bike. Now that may have been because I know my bike better than a random 26er but the actual time is less to do with my point that the fact that I felt faster on the 26er and fast is fun.
flag chory
Posted: Dec 18, 2020 at 4:18 Quote
26 is good if you're going to do some slopstyle or dirt jumps. Terrible for rocky/rooty trails. For flowy trails and jumps even hard tail will do.

Honestly I dont see why would you want to switch to older type of bike. If you like riding rough terrain I'd never think of 26er.

Also if you have problems with the bike not being agile you can always ride a mullet. Also how tall are you and what was the reach and wheelbase for that Scott ? Maybe it was too long for you ? If yes then it should have been more stable on the other hand.
flag mediocrityontwowheels
Posted: Dec 18, 2020 at 10:05 Quote
Everyone used to race 26 over massive chunk and did fine. You might notice the difference coming from 27.5, but it won't keep you from having fun.
flag muddytreker
Posted: Dec 18, 2020 at 10:46 Quote
"The downside is that it’s a 26er"

To many people think this and a lot subconsciously follow this thinking,
its in there heads.

Folow the herd or choose what works for you, whether that be 26 27.5 29er
all have there merits and downs, but its you that will be using it.

You can run 26 in a 27.5 fork, theres mullet setups, so you have options
if 26 is your wheel.

As for parts, you can still buy 26 rims and tyres, so until they are no longer
available, your still good.
flag DHhack
Posted: Dec 18, 2020 at 12:10 Quote
Not a mistake. Just pack a extra tire when you hit the bike park as they probably won’t have one to sell to you if you rip a hole in one.
flag csharp1171
O+
Posted: Dec 18, 2020 at 12:18 Quote
DHhack wrote:
Not a mistake. Just pack a extra tire when you hit the bike park as they probably won’t have one to sell to you if you rip a hole in one.
This ^^^

I always carry extra tires with me. I went to Snowshoe earlier this year and broke a spoke and dinged the rim pretty good and of course no one had a 26" spoke so I rented a bike so I didn't ruin the wheel. I had extra spokes I just forgot to bring them. I'm having an extra wheelset built now just as a backup.
flag strmrdr608
Posted: Dec 19, 2020 at 6:28 Quote
I went from a 2014 Devinci Wilson 26 to a Specialized Demo 29 and was worried about the change since the Wilson was a medium and the Demo was a S4, Demo is much larger. I kept the Wilson since I thought/worried the demo might not be as "fun" but ended up riding the demo all season long and never looked back. I tried the Wilson once this season just to see and I actually did not like it, it felt small, slower, and far less stable than the demo(I am 5'8" so not a giant at all). A lot of that is tied to sizing and updated geometry but my point is don't get hung up on the wheel size. I thought for sure I would never have a 29er since I wasn't a racer and just wanted to have fun, well now I'm running a 29 and having just as much fun. I would say before you drop the money on a six year old frame check around at used bikes that could come out to a close price but offer updated performance. In the end don't really worry about wheel size, 26 doesn't automatically equal fun and 29 doesn't only mean racer. Find a bike that fits you and you will enjoy it no matter what wheel size it has, which if you can demos/rentals are great to get a feel for bikes without dropping the coin. Good Luck
flag robito
Posted: Dec 19, 2020 at 8:29 Quote
As a "26 for lifer" I think you'll be surprised when I say you might not want to go backwards. Maybe borrow a friends 26 and give it a go. You may find it a little harsh...

Unless you are short or want to focus on jumping I think you will want to stick with 27.5 or even bigger.
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