Until not so long ago, to practice mountain biking you had to have a 26-inch mountain bike. There was no other wheel size. However, in recent years, as if it were a George R.R. Martin novel, we are experiencing a real storm of wheel diameters in the kingdom of mountain bikes. 29 inches, 27.5 inches, Fat Bikes, semi-fat wheels
, 29"Plus... For some, this diversity of wheel sizes expands the possibilities of enjoying this sport. For others, it is a bubble that is driving the market to a frenzy that confuses the consumer. What many are quite clear about is that it is the mountain bikes
with 26-inch wheels that are paying the price. More and more cyclists are switching to 27.5" and 29", so the value of 26" bikes in the second-hand market has dropped considerably. But what if, precisely because of that, now is the ideal time to buy a 26" bike?

Reasons to go for 26"

Just two years ago we would have said that the market had spoken, and that 26" bikes were doomed to disappear. This has led many users who wanted to avoid becoming outdated to sell their 26" MTBs to buy new ones with larger wheel diameters. One of the consequences of this phenomenon is that the second-hand market is now full of 26-inch bikes at prices far below their real value. That's why it's easier to find a bargain.

For example, in the second-hand market you can get 26-inch carbon mountain bikes for the same price as aluminum ones used to cost not long ago. In addition, it is possible to get high-end mountain bikes for much less money than they would cost in other wheel sizes, both in full suspension
and with hardtail suspension
. And above all, the biggest argument in favor of buying a 26" mountain bike today is that these bikes still work perfectly. There is no electronic chip or hidden secret internal mechanism that will cause them to break just because they are an unfashionable size, or that will make them fall apart. They are the same bikes we dreamed of less than five years ago, in perfect working order, and ready to continue providing hours and hours of fun on forest trails, technical routes, and up and down technical climbs and descents.