Your essential guide to 26 inch trail bikes

With the wheel size debate dominating mountain biking this year, it’s easy to get the impression that 26in wheels are dead. That’s far from the case; there are still some very good trail bikes on the market available with 26in wheels. In a way, now is a good time to buy a 26in trail bike because the bikes, after 20 years of development, are about as good as they’re ever going to get.

Steer clear of the wheel size debate and bag yourself a quality 26in trail bike while you still can. Here are five to consider.

1: Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp Evo

Specialized might be pushing 29ers, but they haven’t completely abandoned the smaller wheel size. The Stumpy is an excellent choice, it’s been honed to perfection over the years and you’ll struggle to find a better riding, more fun trail bike. You get 150mm of travel from the custom tuned Fox Float CTD Evo shock, with Specialized’s clever AutoSag for easy set up, and Revelation RC3 fork up front. It’s well kitted out too, with Roval wheels and Specialized’s Butcher/Purgatory Control 2.3in tyres and Formula C1 brakes.

More information: Specialized Stumpjumper 26