Originally Posted by
commo_soulja
"ONOZ! I better hoard 26er parts along with my 8 speed stuff!" is my guess as to the reply you're trying to elicit. With 9 speed components being the norm and the recent introduction of 10spd, the availability of 8 speed parts hasn't gone the way of the dodo. Not everyone is on board with the "latest and greatest". Lot's of people in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" camp.
Not quite what I meant. The high end 26" bikes and parts will still be around. It's the average local bike shop that is reluctant to stock the same thing in two sizes. The average LBS customer buys a $300-$600 MTB, and is usually confused by the difference in wheel sizes. Most shops only want to stock one or the other, so 29 wins out because it's new and fresh, and sets the LBS apart from the big box retailers. It's purely a business decision.
Google "Why 29er". The misinformation campaign has begun.