Reviving my 26"

[Letum911]

Good morning Guys & Gals

 

After my 29" Momsen SS build about 2 or 3 years back I have severely neglected my 26" Merida Dualy.

 

I will be doing the Sani2C this year, and thought about reviving my 26" rather than slapping gears and a suspension fork on the Momsen (Maybe this is an option?). 

 

Herewith my plans:

1. Service the suspension & pivots;
2. Upgrade the 3x9 to maybe a 1x11?
3. New tyres;

 

What be your advice on the gear setup change on the 26"?

 

Or would you rather recommend that I change the setup on the HT SS to rather run gears?

[BaGearA]

Much rather get the ss sorted, the Merida is probably dated AF and getting parts could be tricky and cost intensive

[David Marshall]

I would look at reviving the 26".  With the L-Twoo wide range 9 speed RD you can run a 42/11 or even a 50T cassette.  Inexpensive as well.  Drop two rings on the front  and you have a 0ne X that is inexpensive to maintain.  I believe that Rushsports are going to handle L-Twoo locally but you can get a RD and a cassette for around USD 30 online.

 

To me changing the SS is a sideways move rather than an upgrade.

[Simon Kolin]

I have to agree with Dave on this. It doesn't make sense to spend money on the Momsen, when the Merida is perfectly capable and will be fairly inexpensive to upgrade.

 

Assuming that you're going to ride the event for the challenge rather than race for a position, you could easily replace the components with Shimano 3x9 or 2x10 for less money and less effort than converting the Momsen into something you don't really want changed.

 

Besides, the Merida is dual suspension and will be a much more comfortable ride than the hardtail Momsen. :-)

[Stretch]

Much rather get the ss sorted, the Merida is probably dated AF and getting parts could be tricky and cost intensive

Getting parts difficult?? Outside of the tires which some shops might not stock lots of....... Everything else will be freely available from any store

[Kalahari Vegmot]

26" fosho...

 

If it's 3x9 then it's 10:1 got a 104BCD crankset, so get a N/W chainring off the hub or Rapide, and a 1x11 half groupset off the classifieds.

 

New tires, have the baby serviced and you're all set.

[Long Wheel Base]

I still have my old 26", it is HT though. I basically just commute and train on the road with it. I took it off road a year or so ago and it sucked big time compared to my 29er HT. 29 is just better. But you talking dual sus so it might not be as bad as my HT.

Either way, I am keen to hear what you think if you do go the 26" route.

[BaGearA]

Getting parts difficult?? Outside of the tires which some shops might not stock lots of....... Everything else will be freely available from any store

3x9 parts? Sure...

 

1x11 debuted in 2012, whatever parts are left have been in those shops since before that

[BaGearA]

The Momsen is steel right, so it's already going to be more comfortable than a generic alloy hardtail.

 

Everyone seems to gloos over Tha fact that you want to do the suspension and pivots and do you know how much that's going to cost?

 

Gears are gears and they'll go on which ever bike.

 

Tyres you might be limited with the 26

 

With the suspension service, pivots and tyre cost you'll be able to get a very decent 2nd hand fork for the Momsen

 

Just a suggestion

[Grease_Monkey]

The Momsen is steel right, so it's already going to be more comfortable than a generic alloy hardtail.

 

Everyone seems to gloos over Tha fact that you want to do the suspension and pivots and do you know how much that's going to cost?

 

Gears are gears and they'll go on which ever bike.

 

Tyres you might be limited with the 26

 

With the suspension service, pivots and tyre cost you'll be able to get a very decent 2nd hand fork for the Momsen

 

Just a suggestion

With you on this one. A steel hardtail is moerse comfy, and a gears and 2nd hand fork will cost less than the pivot/suspension/geats/tyres/etc that will have to be done on the older bike.

[Hairy]

And you can then run the SS with suspension agin when you take the gears off .... which should not take you more than 15min to remove.

[Letum911]

Yup it is a steel frame , only way to go on a HT!!!!

 

Thanx for the advice guys, think I'm sold on setting up the Momsen into a geared setup. Will start keeping an eye open.

 

PS. If anyone has a decent fork lying around (straight steerer) please let me know. I have a Hope Hub so easy to change the cones to accommodate any axle. 

[Stretch]

3x9 parts? Sure...

 

1x11 debuted in 2012, whatever parts are left have been in those shops since before that

Yes.. But you can change your configuration... You don't have to replace 3x9 with 3x9. I have a 26"with 10x2 and can still freely buy replacements for that

[Grease_Monkey]

Yes.. But you can change your configuration... You don't have to replace 3x9 with 3x9. I have a 26"with 10x2 and can still freely buy replacements for that

But... you can't go 1x on most of those old bikes. The small wheels mean you need bigger gearing to have top end speed, something like a 38t chainring in most cases. And most frames don't have clearance for a chainring of that size if you want a decent chainline.

 

Don't see 2x being an issue on any frame though...

[ChrisF]

Good morning Guys & Gals

 

After my 29" Momsen SS build about 2 or 3 years back I have severely neglected my 26" Merida Dualy.

 

I will be doing the Sani2C this year, and thought about reviving my 26" rather than slapping gears and a suspension fork on the Momsen (Maybe this is an option?). 

 

Herewith my plans:

1. Service the suspension & pivots;
2. Upgrade the 3x9 to maybe a 1x11?
3. New tyres;

 

What be your advice on the gear setup change on the 26"?

 

Or would you rather recommend that I change the setup on the HT SS to rather run gears?

 

1) servicing is part of the cost of ownership ...

 

2) that upgrade requires the following -

- 11 speed shifter

- new derailure (most probably), Shimano SLX works very nice

- new cassette, Sunrace has some very nice options

- narrow-wide blade in the front ... trick is to find one that can bolt onto your current middle ring on your crank.  Costs runs away if you need a new crank as well ...

 

should be less than R4k for all the parts.  Takes less than 30 minutes to install

 

3) tires ... again just part of the cost of ownership .... BUT, it would worth checking if you could use the rims with a tube less setup ....

 

 

 

yea sure, the 26'' is out of fashion, but hey, if it fits YOU ....

[reflexus]

Following this with interest.

 

I have my old Kona Cindercone 26" sitting at the back of the garage, currently running 3 x 9 gears and I've been contemplating turning it into a commuter (I have a faux carbon fork and narrow wheels).

 

Just need some wider bars and would like to change the gearing to 2 x or 1 x but have no clue where to start or what to look for.