# Older 26" Hardtails



## BeerEngineer (Apr 16, 2021)

Hi.
First time caller (poster), long time listener (reader)...lol.

Wondering what people are still riding their 26" HT frames on today's Enduro/all mountain/Agressive type trails, and what u are riding....u know side by side with the bigger boys (27.5 and 29ers).

I just purchased a used 2009 ragley bluepig and built it up with (mostly) parts bin stuff.


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## oops (May 28, 2005)

Im not really riding against anyone with a new modern bike, well I am, but he is a new rider on a Transition fs bike, and I can school him all day. 

26" Santa Cruz Chameleon (gen 3), Manitou Minute 1 at 130mm, 1x10 (30x 11-36), 2.4 Conti Trail Kings, PNW 150 dropper, 60mm RF stem, 203/180 SLX stoppers

Aside, I love it, been looking for an angle set to slacken it some but no joy yet.

also considering a newer used Gen 7 Chameleon, watching FB for the right one.


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## Ktse (Jul 12, 2008)

BeerEngineer said:


> Hi.
> First time caller (poster), long time listener (reader)...lol.
> 
> Wondering what people are still riding their 26" HT frames on today's Enduro/all mountain/Agressive type trails, and what u are riding....u know side by side with the bigger boys (27.5 and 29ers).
> ...


First off, that's an awesome bike. The Blue Pig is and will always be one of my favorite bikes. I built a mk2 from the frame up many years ago and it was incredibly versatile for all sorts of riding. I loved the geometry, it was perfect. Regular trail riding, days in the bike park, riding around on the streets and everything in between, this bike did it all.










Unfortunately all good things come to an end, mine cracked at the dropout and the chainstays. It was replaced with an On One 456 Evo 2 frame which was nice, but not as special as the Pig. These days it doesn't see much riding other than being strapped to a fluid trainer to be ridden indoors during the winter. That said, I am thinking about just throwing on a rigid fork and using it for gravel grinding if I want something a little bit more efficient than my FS bikes.


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## Dharmabum (Apr 18, 2021)

oops said:


> Im not really riding against anyone with a new modern bike, well I am, but he is a new rider on a Transition fs bike, and I can school him all day.
> 
> 26" Santa Cruz Chameleon (gen 3), Manitou Minute 1 at 130mm, 1x10 (32x 11-36), 2.4 Conti Trail Kings, PNW 150 dropper, 60mm RF stem, 203/180 SLX stoppers
> 
> ...


Here you can get a 1.5 degree angleset for a 1 1/8" straight steerer (EC34 headset). Login • Instagram


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## acer66 (Oct 13, 2010)

I just converted a SC Chameleon which was originally 26” from 27.5” back to 26”.


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## OldMike (Apr 30, 2020)

Added some new tires (Cross King 26 X 2.3) earlier this yr. It mainly sees action on the street and gravel as I also have an older 26" DS and a 2021 SJ.


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## BeerEngineer (Apr 16, 2021)

OldMike said:


> View attachment 1952643
> 
> Added some new tires (Cross King 26 X 2.3) earlier this yr. It mainly sees action on the street and gravel as I also have an older 26" DS and a 2021 SJ.


Like the color....def looks very fast/capable for rough gravel grinding trails


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## OldMike (Apr 30, 2020)

BeerEngineer said:


> Like the color....def looks very fast/capable for rough gravel grinding trails


'Twas my XC Race bike back in the day........
Lost the Granny Gear and used a 29T for the low side.


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## maynard4130 (May 12, 2019)

I only ride a single speed hardtail up and down every type of trail here in CO. I keep up with my buddy's on expert trails. Could I ride faster on a different bike? I don't know....probably. I'm not racing. I'm losing myself for 2 hours and getting a great workout in. 

On my last bike trip a friend and I swapped bikes on a trail in NM. (East fork to lost lake in Red River) Old school gnar, big unforgiving climbs. Nothing like the modern flowy buffed out trails I see everywhere. He was on my salsa....I was on his 29" FS carbon pivot. Dropper post, 12 speed. I HATED it. Don't get me wrong. I completely could feel how capable the bike was. It just felt like I was piloting it and plowing over all of the gnar. I could barely feel the trail at all as it soaked up nearly everything and felt too numb and vague. I like the feeling of surfing the trail and negotiating my way up or down using body english and vision. Different strokes for different folks I guess.


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