24 inch Vs. 26 inch

[The Bruiser]

would a 26er make much of a difference over a 24er for XC?

[U-Turn]

Yes, it would, depending of course on what you are focusing on. There is a much, much larger selection of tires and tubes for 26"; you will be somewhat faster; and roll over obstacles a little better.

[Mikefule]

Plenty of threads on this, I'm sure, if you search.

Keeping it fairly simple: given a similar tyre, the 26 is around 8% bigger, which means around 8% faster on the flat. Muni speeds around 6-8 mph means an extea mile an hour at most.

However, the bigger wheel is less vulnerable to small irregularities in the ground, and rolls over things more smoothly. Therefore, average and "journey" speeds are much higher.

On the other hand, the 24 is lighter, and more manoeuvreable.

The 8% will matter on hills. It's like changing a gear on a bicycle.

Various schools of thought: a 24 for hard hoppy droppy MUni, a 29 for fast cross country. Where does a 26 fit in? Somewhere between?! Choice of wheel size is dependent on what is available. Maybe the ideal size is 25 inches, or 27, but you have to choose between 24, 26 or 29 because those are available. Is 26 the ideal compromise, or is it neither fish nor fowl?

My MUni is a 26. If I replaced it, it would be with a 24 with a fatter tyre, I think. The fat tyre makes the effective diameter nearer to 26. But then a fatter tyre on a 26 would make it a bit nearer to a 28!

More tyre choices available for 26 than the other two sizes.

Buy one of each!

[john_childs]

Originally Posted by The Bruiser

would a 26er make much of a difference over a 24er for XC?

It really depends on the type of XC you plan to do and the type of trails you plan to ride. Different areas of the country have different style of trails and different people have different preferences for how they ride (aggressive vs. speed). So what's great for me or someone else may not be what is best for you.

If you like speed, ride buff trails and don't do much hopping to maneuver on the trail then a 29er would actually be the choice for XC. If you like more technical riding, rocky or rooty trails, and need to hop to get over logs then a 24 with a fat tire would be the choice. A 26" XC wheel is kind of the odd size out now. The 24" beats it for maneuverability and hopability and the 29er beats it for speed. If you go for a 29er for XC get something with the KH 700c rim. Nothing else is wide enough to make for a good XC muni wheel.

So it depends on the trails and your riding style. If you do some of both then get both the 24" with a fat tire and a 29er. Then ride the one that best fits the ride you want to do that day.

[Loosemoose]

I have a 26" Muni, which I use exclusively for all my Muni/Offroad stuff, and it's always seemed to me to be a more capable machine than the 24" I used for the 2 years previously. Maybe its my high strength, but I can use my much heavier 26 for all the technical stuff I did on my 24, and on sketchy stuff (wedges between rocks, dropping onto edges, riding in channels) it performs much better and is much more predictable. I've got a LM rim on mine, which increases tyre stability somewhat over a 'standard' 26.

I'm more than happy with mine, and would have no qualms in recommending a 26 to anyone who wants to do muni. For someone with a lighter build (I'm 6ft, 190lbs) it might restrict technical maneuverability, but I think its something you get used to rather than something that holds you back.

Loose.

[plumsie]

I have got a 26" muni and think it's great, I find that 24" uni's seem slow and unstable by comparison.

I definately reccommend 26" as a size for muni, it might be heavier but it's not an issue unless you are doing insane trials type stuff.

I always wonder why more people don't ride 26's as there is a better availability of parts and a wider variety of parts. it seems that 24" became a sort of standard size for uni's at some point in the past so people are sticking with it for the sake of it.

[Mikefule]

I guess 24 has become a "standard" largely because of Kris Holm's influence. The KH24 seems to be a benchmark Muni. (I say that based on what I've read here, not on what I've seen.)

Another problem with 24s: pedal strike. Given similar tyre sections and cranks, on a 26 a rock needs to be an inch higher before your pedal hits it.

On the other hand, if you choose cranks according to your leg length and riding style, then the 24 will be lower geared and it makes a real difference to control on steep downhills.

[rob.northcott]

I ride a 26x3" muni (with 152mm cranks) and I'm very happy with it. I do mostly longish fastish cross-country riding, and I've thought about a 29er a few times. But there are some very rocky sections on the routes I commonly ride and I'd be afraid of pranging the rim without the big 3" tyre, although a 29er tyre would probably be fine in practice. I haven't ridden a 24" muni much so I can't really give a direct comparison, but my 26" does seem to pull away from people on 24" wheels quite significantly on anything but steep or technical climbs - I suppose it goes an extra six inches for every pedal revolution, so that's pretty noticeable in absolute terms even though it's less than 10%.

So I find the 26" to be a good choice for my riding style, but then I'm probably somebody who should be riding a 29

Rob

[Mikefule]

Originally Posted by rob.northcott

I do mostly longish fastish cross-country riding...

Ish? The boy says "ish"?

Originally Posted by rob.northcott

So I find the 26" to be a good choice for my riding style, but then I'm probably somebody who should be riding a 29

Or maybe that 12 that I saw in Nottingham the other day, then I might keep up with you.

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by Mikefule

Ish? The boy says "ish"?

I was meaning "ish" in comparison to the likes of Joe Marshall. But thanks for the ego massage

Rob

[plumsie]

Originally Posted by rob.northcott

So I find the 26" to be a good choice for my riding style, but then I'm probably somebody who should be riding a 29

Rob

With a 3" tyre on a 26" uni the total diameter is about 28" and so riding a 29" uni would probably make very little difference to speed.

I compared my 26 with someone's 28 at crawley last year and found that the total diameter was exactly the same.

Tyre choice makes it as versatile too as I switch between the 26x3" duro and 140 or 170mm cranks and a 26x2.5 hookworm with 125mm cranks so it's great for fast trails, muni or commuting.

The 26" is a great all round uni and I would recommend it to anyone.

Pete

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by plumsie

With a 3" tyre on a 26" uni the total diameter is about 28" and so riding a 29" uni would probably make very little difference to speed.

Yes, a 26x3 is 28" overall diameter. But the big fat downhill tyre is much heavier than a 29er. It's probably not much different top-speed wise, but less weight to lug up the hills, so journey speed should be higher. That's what makes me think a 29er would be good for my riding style. But the 26 is a very good all-rounder.

Phil: I've noticed a considerable improvement in pedal-strike vulnerability going from 165 to 152mm cranks on my 26. So if that extra half-inch of clearance is noticeable you should get significant benefit from the extra inch you'd get by going from 24 to 26" wheel, possibly at the expense of a bit of tractoring power on climbs.

Rob