26" Wheels on an ebike?

[ShinySideUp]

When I came to eMTBs I found they are all (?) 29" wheels and 26" wheels on any bike seem to have all but disappeared. I've had the same 26" mtb for years and didn't really follow the trends and now coming back for a new bike I found almost all are 29" wheel. Did I miss something? What was wrong with 26" on ebikes?

 

[ShinySideUp]

I wonder why it was decided that when MTBs first arrived on the scene they would have 26" wheels and then at some point in the noughties someone else decided that everyone should have 29" wheels?

 

[Mabman]

I wonder why it was decided that when MTBs first arrived on the scene they would have 26" wheels and then at some point in the noughties someone else decided that everyone should have 29" wheels?

The former was due to wheelsize playing off of kid sized wheels due to tire selection and the latter was due to the adoption of adult sized wheels due to a 2.1 tire introduction in 1999 by WTB called the Nanoraptor.

Outside of dirt jumping and some youth brands there are not many bicycles, e or not, made with 26" wheels these days as well as the tires to support them. If you are scared of 29" wheels then the closest you can get is with a bike with 27.5 wheels.

 

[ShinySideUp]

The former was due to wheelsize playing off of kid sized wheels due to tire selection and the latter was due to the adoption of adult sized wheels due to a 2.1 tire introduction in 1999 by WTB called the Nanoraptor.

Outside of dirt jumping and some youth brands there are not many bicycles, e or not, made with 26" wheels these days as well as the tires to support them. If you are scared of 29" wheels then the closest you can get is with a bike with 27.5 wheels.

Good info.

Scared? Far from it. I find 29" wheels give me more turning confidence, it could be the longer wheelbase of the bike as well but things seem just easier and sure-footed with larger wheels. Can certainly feel the extra weight when accelerating without e assistance though, but then I go faster downhill too, so swings and roundabouts.