Mountain Biking - Is the rigid 26er dead?

It seems like the fully rigid 26" geared mountain bike is dying out....I can't seem to find one on the websites of the major MTB players.

Why is that? IMHO, a rigid 26er with semi-slicks is the ultimate "do-everything" bicycle. It would be sad to see them vanish.

Will the rigid 26" MTB die out?.... at least in the form of mainstream mass production.

My opinion: what market there is, (which is limited ) has been split with cross bikes. As long as there are buyers there should be some available. Probably a dinosaur as far as mass production.

My opinion: what market there is, (which is limited ) has been split with cross bikes. As long as there are buyers there should be some available. Probably a dinosaur as far as mass production.

I tend to agree that cross bikes have really taken off, and reduced the target audience for a 26 rigid.

. . . or maybe with the interest in Lance and the TDF in recent years, people went back to riding road bikes on the road :D.

Not sure about rigid 26ers, but I hear rock 'n roll is dead.

Rigid 26'ers have all but been replaced by rigid 29'ers. I guess they figure that the 29'er will take some of the harshness out of the trail.

My crapper will be rigid soon, I hope. I think riding rigid is fun. I think riding a dually is more fun though.

I think it's funny how the rigid-minded stereotype is swinging.

Rigid (probably the purists and non-mechanical types)
Singlespeed (weight-weenie purist non-mecanical types)
29'er (functional for bump-eatage)
Mary'esque-fleagle'y bars (I have no idea)

Not that I don't like the odd bars, I just fail to understand the connection between weird bars and ss.rigid.29'ers

IMHO, a rigid 26er with semi-slicks is the ultimate "do-everything" bicycle.

A hybrid?

A mountain bike isn't made to do everything.. its made for riding trails.

Work in progress....
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/DDYTDY/Picture053.jpg

I think my next bike will be a rigid 26". I've done the double squish thing, and while fun, I think I want to go back to the "connected" feeling of a hardtail. And I don't think a 29er would work as well on tight trails.

Work in progress....
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/DDYTDY/Picture053.jpg

OMG...did you actually drill out the blades on your levers?! Weenie to da max. I think they refer to that as "tuned" but that's just g-to-da-hey phatdaddy!


Looks like an "uber light" rig.

Work in progress....
http://i21.photob/b289/DDYTDY/Picture053.jpg

sweet!

frame?

target weight?

looks very nice...i still would have done disc, but that is okay

mx

A hybrid?

A mountain bike isn't made to do everything.. its made for riding trails.

My bike does what I tell it...or it gets the hose.

mine tried to die way back when it was hit by a car commuting but after some time in the frame stand (gotta love steel) she is fully healed and more than happy to go play in the woods on call

My bike does what I tell it...or it gets the hose.

"It rides the trail against the wind or else it gets the hose again."




http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:wvzJDaYuXD3w4M:http://www.solarnavigator.net/images/anthony_hopkins_hannibal_lecter.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b289/DDYTDY/Picture002-1.jpg

I got carried away working late one night at my machine shop......

The frame is a Motobecane Fly,:o

It built up at just under 20lbs

holes on shifters??

and what fork is that?

^^ Google is your friend.

http://www.carboncycles.cc/index.php?s=0&t=2&

Damn - I want a bike made out of Drillium as well!

The rigid 26" wheeled mtn bike died when the Mag 21 started coming stock on bikes. However, all you have to do is buy a hardtail and swap out the fork and you're in bizniz. I have a rigid SS that I enjoy on short fun singletrack rides, but I would never take it out to the "real" mountains unless it was on a dare or something. One of these days I will try a Big Wheel and see what all the fuss is about.

I saved one from the dead. My neighbor was about to trash a rigid Novarra from the early 90's. I took it and converted to SS with a $20 kit. Now it's my beer run bike :thumb:

im thinking about running my dirtjumper with a rigid fork soon, so they arent completely dead

I saved one from the dead. My neighbor was about to trash a rigid Novarra from the early 90's. I took it and converted to SS with a $20 kit. Now it's my beer run bike :thumb:Nice! I've got a similar vintage Iron Horse somethingorother that the manager of one of our LBS gave me when they were cleaning out their surplus junk. Gonna clean it up, repaint it our company's colors and make it the workplace pop-down-to-the-corner errand bike to save on car trips.

Not sure about rigid 26ers, but I hear rock 'n roll is dead.


Rock and roll will NEVER die, sir. Never. I also understand it's not noise pollution as once thought.

Rock and roll will NEVER die, sir. Never. I also understand it's not noise pollution as once thought.

Sir Never? I didn't know he got knighted. Man, those Alberta guys get all the perks.

Rock and roll will NEVER die, sir. Never. I also understand it's not noise pollution as once thought.

I only report on what I have heard.

Edit: ACDC rocks because all of their music rocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnyCJDYONSU

Once 29ers are most common wheel size for MTBs some small company will revive the 26" wheel standard and claim it's lighter, stronger and can be used in frames more easily....it will catch on with the big bike companies and 2020 will be the year of the 26er!

Whatever it takes to make your existing bike seem outdated and get you to buy a new one.

Rigid 26ers died in 1996. That's how I got my Mongoose for $600 new. People stopped buying bikes without sproing that year.

vik for Commander in Chief

Once 29ers are most common wheel size for MTBs some small company will revive the 26" wheel standard and claim it's lighter, stronger and can be used in frames more easily....it will catch on with the big bike companies and 2020 will be the year of the 26er!

Whatever it takes to make your existing bike seem outdated and get you to buy a new one.

...for $1379

Sir Never? I didn't know he got knighted. Man, those Alberta guys get all the perks.


Don't rewrite. If your peer closely you'll notice a period betwixt the sir ending the sentence and the individual word never. It would end up being Sir.Never who gets knighted.

It would end up being Sir.Never who gets knighted.That would be correct in this connected age; there would be an accompanying website - - Sir.never.com

The Surly Pugsley is still in production, albeit with a rear hub front and back. It seems like most 26" rigids are more of a boutique thing now rahter than mainstream.

What's this about rigid 26ers being dead -- did somebody shut down Craigslist?

Rigid 26ers- the workhorse of winter commuting.

What's this about rigid 26ers being dead -- did somebody shut down Craigslist?

+1, There are plenty of rigid 26ers on CL. The going rate for a nice one in this area has moved up to about $125. I recently flipped a Giant Rincon from 93, sold for around $100 in less than 48 hours. I'm currently flipping a Nishiki Backroads for a freind. For some reason it's taking a little longer, but it will sell, they ALWAYS do.

+1

I still ride a rigid 26" or commuting and trail riding, most single track is no problem, even the more technical, I just ride a little slower. I put 5 times the miles on my rigid mountain bike this year compared to my front suspension bike... I guess I'm kinda old school.

Nuther 26" rigid proponent here. In fact, it's my go to bike when I want to go trail riding despite having a blinged out full suspension. It's set up with a carbon fork and 2x9 set up. There's beauty in simplicity.

Chelboed, I think the popularity of all of those things you listed on single bikes (rigid singlespeed 29ers with funky bars) is the willingness of some people to try new stuff, or simply be different for its own sake, depending on your perspective.

My 29er has a squishy fork, though "only" 9 gears, so wtf do I know?

But yeah, the rigid (XC) market is going to 29ers. They do smooth out the trail chatter a bit, so it makes sense. Not a replacement for suspension though. In fact that's probably another reason for funky bars on rigid bikes. The need for more hand positions becomes more ronounced without suspension.

I am very happy with my two 90's, rigid Giant Iguana's. One is set up as a general purpose mt. bike, and the other is tricked out 'street' with racks & fenders for touring / commuting / hauling. Love em both. They go anywhere and do anything. I am one happy camper.

It is sad to see that they aren't being made that much anymore, but there are a ton of them out there used just waiting for love and a good wrench.

I am very happy with my two 90's, rigid Giant Iguana's. One is set up as a general purpose mt. bike, and the other is tricked out 'street' with racks & fenders for touring / commuting / hauling. Love em both. They go anywhere and do anything. I am one happy camper.

It is sad to see that they aren't being made that much anymore, but there are a ton of them out there used just waiting for love and a good wrench.
Ah The Iguana, Excuse me while I have a homespun moment.

Ya know born2bahick, most times when I mention one of my Iguanas on this site or to other cyclists - someone shares a fond recollection of owning one. They seem to have created a lot of goodwill in their time. I certainly enjoy them. very comfortable geometry for me.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3224/3126194449_ee41ec7d82_b.jpg

nah, theyre not dead, they're haunting the woods & hiding out in old run down shacks :)

Hmmmm, lessee:

Marin: Muirwoods (26), Point Reyes
GT: does a couple, I believe (mebbee only for the Euro market)
Giant: in Europe
Cannondale: in Europe
On One (UK): any of their bikes can be bought from stock with rigid (26 or 29)
Thorn (UK)

and of course, as noted above, any 26 h/t -- get rid of the bounce and sub in a suspension corrected fork (lots available).

The rigid 26er still exists, but it's fading fast. Salsa has made the ala carte as a full-rigid complete these past few years, with it being available as a frameset or frame only for well over a decade. But the rest of the things are fading, and there's a few reasons for this.

Firstly, suspension sucks less, weighs less, and costs less (relative to other components) than it used to. Secondly, the 29er has moved in on much of the rigid market. Rigid has always been big with SSers, because SSers must stand up, and they don't enjoy the bob. Hence, the full-rigid SS. Also, many ppl are falsely attracted to SSing to make things less complicated/more "pure" than geared setups, and a rigid setup is obviously more simple than suspension. (Chain tension and fullsuspension on a SS is a nightmare.) Whatever, many SSers prefer the 29" wheel because it holds more momentum, which is good on a SS. I've rocked full-rigid SS in both sizes, and you "keep" more motion with the 29er.

I still rock a full-rigid chromoly kona from the turn of the century. I'm looking at getting it a short travel fork before I throw down big-bucks on a squishier setup, and I'm keeping the rigid project2 fork around, for whatever the future holds.

I reckon ppl will keep building full-rigids from the frame up, because any off-the-peg full rigid 26er is going to weigh a ton and be hung with crap, or it'll be pricey, like the ala carte. Not that anyone stocks ala cartes; those tend to be special-ordered.

hth,
-rob

long live the rigid 26er!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9aeQUXHH1U

long live the rigid 26er!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9aeQUXHH1U

sick

Coming from an urban (GT Vertigo Street) background and street sk8'ing...I can really appreciate that guy. He can bunnyhop like mad and that freakin' wall-ride to 8-10' drop to flat was d.o.p.e

I watched some of his more "trials'y" vid's posted...he's gifted.

. . . Not that anyone stocks ala cartes; those tend to be special-ordered.Ya, pay George Barris enough money and he may whip you up another Ala-Kart:

http://ads.carcrazycentral.com/George/images/alakart.jpg

It seems like the fully rigid 26" geared mountain bike is dying out....

Will the rigid 26" MTB die out?.... at least in the form of mainstream mass production.
I hope that someone is just smokin' something. ;)

Ya, pay George Barris enough money and he may whip you up another Ala-Kart:

http://ads.carcrazycentral.com/George/images/alakart.jpg
What's the wheelbase on that thang? 96 inches?