Why does everyome hate 24 inch bikes and love 26 inch bikes?

[huffyrailsarefun]

I have noticed that in the bike hobby there is no room for 24 inch bikes. It must be 26 inch bikes or nothing.

I know most people will say its because the 26 inch bikes are taller and the 24 inch bikes are too short, but how does that translate into 24 inch bikes are no good and have zero value and are only good for parts?

I'm hoping that the 26 inch bikes get kinda played out like the Schwinn fever thing is starting too. Maybe someday, likely too late, 24 inch inch will be appreciated but by then, like girls bikes, there won't be any to be had since everyone already junked them long ago.

I have 4 nos thorn resistant innertubes for 24 inch cruiser style bikes. I've had them since 1989. still can't sell them for only five bucks each. Nothing 24 inch ever sells.

I read a bike thread and the guy just got an old rusty bike but then when it was deleivered he found it was a 24 inch and not a 26 inch bike and said he was disappointed.

Guess 24 inch bikes are just a disappointment to everyone. Too bad there is no room for girls muscle bikes, 24 inch bikes and non Schwinn muscle bikes in the hobby.

 

[clamdigger]

Hate is not what I perceive here on this forum. As for 24" bikes, they are too small for me to ride. If I collected Mausoleum bikes, I would own a few .

 

[CRASH]

If you are done flogging yourself, I'll respond...

I can't speak for "The hobby", but I can speak for myself. I have a girls 24" Huffy Super Stock for my daughter. I built a 24" Spaceliner for my boss' daughter. I have a 24" Spyder for my oldest son, and I'm going to start searching for a 24" Super Stock for my other son.
I see 24"ers on RRB all the time. Not as prevalent as 26"ers, but that's because they are smaller. Yes, a lot of adults want bikes that fit them better. I built a custom 26" muscle bike for myself based on the 24" Manta. My boss has a 24" Manta I'm cleaning up for him. I'm also restoring a 24" Super Stock for him.

Bottom line... I don't see them scoffed. But maybe I'm just not seeing it because I have so many of them.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

Who's referring to the forum? Not me. I'm referring to the bike hobby. And it really is hate in the bike hobby. I've seen it first hand many times. People hate 24 inch bikes and hate girls banana seat bikes.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

Flogged? Not sure what your going on about there, but whatever. Hard to know whats going on in other states. I'm simply commenting how things are in this state and in my area. I certainly have touched a nerve to get peope so quickly telling me I'm flogging myself and claiming I perceive hate here. Sensitive subject.

 

[CRASH]

I think maybe you're doing something wrong. You seem to perceive a lot of vitriol where I've never seen any.

You mention states, but I gauge the hobby on the national scale based on the forums that it's enjoyed. So maybe it's just a difference in how we participate in the hobby.

 

[Jpromo]

24" are proportionally sized for 8-12 year-olds, maxing out at about 5' tall. My interest in the hobby is to ride the suckers as much as it is to collect and refurbish. Therefore, a 24" bike has no value to me, as I will never comfortably ride it.

 

[huffyrailsarefun]

I appreciate your view. But 20 inch Schwinn stingrays and krate bikes were built for that same age range and adults of all sizes shapes and weights and heights are heavily into the even smaller stingrays and they were made for the same age range. I know it may not be right for you and others but then why are the 20 inch bikes so popular with the adults if they are so much even smaller? I know much of that is because people think schwinns are so great. And some is due to the whole muscle bike thing. But a lot of cool 24 inch muscle bikes, cruisers and balloon bikes were built. Sure some don't like them due to the fact they are too tall but if almost everyone is into stingrays and krates and they are twenty inch bikes, I find it hard to accept that the 24 inch bike is too small for all adults if they are so into the 20 inch stingray so badly.

 

[Bicycle808]

I think that most of us realize that 24"s don't hold as much collectors' value, and won't bring as much profit in a flip. Also, as others have mentioned, many of us are too tall to ride the typical 24" comfortably. So, they offer less possibilities for collectors or sellers as far as re-sale goes, and they offer less potential as a rider to many of us. That doesn't translate to "hate" so much as "less desireability", but I can totally understand being disappointed if I bought something I thought was a 26", only to find it was a 24" when it arrived. I imagine a 24" enthusiast would feel the same way, if the conditions were reversed.

I agree that things might turn around for the 24"; as more and more are sacrificed as parts bikes, the remaining 24"s will become more scarce, and the laws of supply and demand could very well apply to the situation. In the meantime, if you love 24" bikes, enjoy your access to lower prices on both complete bikes and parts.

 

[CRASH]

Look at the age averages for the bikes, then look at what happens at those ages, then equate that out to an adult.

20" = 7-12 years old roughly.
24" = 12-14 or so years.
26"... whenever they're tall enough.

My oldest son who's now 14 shot up like a weed after age 10. He went from a 20" to a 26". We're building a 24" for him just because it's cool, but technically it's still small.

Anyway... let's equate this to the hobby. Kids that were really into bikes started with 20". A lot of kids idolized the Schwinn but the parents couldn't afford it. When the kids got older, their idolization turned to cars and girls. Bikes didn't get the chicks. So... fast forward 30 years later when they are reminiscing their childhood. They want the bike they thought was so cool when they were 8-10. So they clamber after the 20". They may never have had a 24", or might not have had the infatuation they had with their 20".

All of that is conjecture, but that's how I perceive it. Ultimately, I don't really care. I was too young for muscle bikes, but think they are cool and build them for my kids to enjoy. I'm in the hobby to enjoy it, not for a business.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[patman73]

i like 20 inch , 24inch & 26inch , i wish i had a vintage 24 inch cruiser , i hava 24' dk general lee - not a walmart bike
if you think 24" bikes are not liked , you must not know much about bikes

 

[GuitarlCarl]

I got nothing but gut feel here, I think it's somewhat related to production numbers. I doubt 24" bikes ever matched the number of 26" bikes built in any model. It's just an odd in between size, too big for kids and too small for adults. On paper, it sounds like a great thing for collectors. But not many auto buffs are looking for AMC Pacers either...



Carl.

 

[71SC360]

I've got nothing against a 24". I own two that I plan to build customs out of. Maybe there will be a renaissance for 24" bikes when a few guys build them. Like others have stated, the frames are a little small for the average sized adult, that's why I'll be stretching my 24" frames about 4 inches..

 

[Ichoptop]

You throw around "hate" like your trying to start a race war. As said above 26" bikes for more people and are therefore more popular. I don't think anyone goes around picking up 24" bikes, shackles them to a wall and talks poorly about their mothers before slowly chaining them down to the bed on the band saw and cutting their bottom brackets and head tubes out while the rest of the chained bikes squirm in horror.



Well, I do but I'm a little different.

 

[honestherman]

I have a few 24" bikes. Mostly 26" and then I have a custom build 20" frame with a 20" rear tire, a 26" springer on it and a 26" front tire on it. Looks very cool so far and it sits level, I can ride it. Anyway. I ride my 24" and I am 6ft tall, I extend the seat and put medium rise bars on it. My Girlfriend is 5ft 1, She does not feel comfortable on a 26" and I got her a 24" that was same make and same color as when she was in high school. She really loves it. She calls it her baby.
If you have any cool 24" parts that you want to get rid of just PM me. I play around working on all bikes. Bikes were and are toys. Ones some of us use for transportation, Some are better than others, Some are ones that people feel are very collectable. They are all fun. Enjoy whatever one you have. Make it your own bike and you will be surprised what the general public says about them. Most of the time I get a WOW COOL BIKE comment from people, on any of my bikes.

 

[blwnmny]

I just bought this 62 24" Typhoon off of Pedal_junky, I have never owned a 24" bike. Why did I buy it? I keep asking myself. Because of this thread? I figured it out. It's gotta be because of the hatred of 24" bikes! And Now for my evil plan! What to do with Thing when it get's here!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

I got nothing but gut feel here, I think it's somewhat related to production numbers. I doubt 24" bikes ever matched the number of 26" bikes built in any model. It's just an odd in between size, too big for kids and too small for adults. On paper, it sounds like a great thing for collectors. But not many auto buffs are looking for AMC Pacers either...



Carl.

I would love a Pacer...

Luke.

 

[blwnmny]

Sorry...forgot the picture. On a more serious note, put on a layback seat post if need be, and ride around car shows. If that doesn't work? Hand it down to my son when he's old enough.

 

[roadwarrior]

Look at the age averages for the bikes, then look at what happens at those ages, then equate that out to an adult.

20" = 7-12 years old roughly.
24" = 12-14 or so years.
26"... whenever they're tall enough.

My oldest son who's now 14 shot up like a weed after age 10. He went from a 20" to a 26". We're building a 24" for him just because it's cool, but technically it's still small.

Anyway... let's equate this to the hobby. Kids that were really into bikes started with 20". A lot of kids idolized the Schwinn but the parents couldn't afford it. When the kids got older, their idolization turned to cars and girls. Bikes didn't get the chicks. So... fast forward 30 years later when they are reminiscing their childhood. They want the bike they thought was so cool when they were 8-10. So they clamber after the 20". They may never have had a 24", or might not have had the infatuation they had with their 20".

All of that is conjecture, but that's how I perceive it. Ultimately, I don't really care. I was too young for muscle bikes, but think they are cool and build them for my kids to enjoy. I'm in the hobby to enjoy it, not for a business.

Your mileage may vary.

Well I concur with Luke's statement. I am sure in they carried the Muscle Bike theme into a 24" that would have been cool. I think it's a style thing and it seems that the 24 was targeted for a specific size of person and most were the same style as the 26er's. So parents going to buy a bike were thinking, why get a 24 when they will grow into a 26. I don't recall a step up bike that was between the tricycle I rode as a toddler when I was 4 to 5 years old. They made some larger sized trikes. When I turned 7 I got a 20 inch bike with training wheels. The training wheels were only on it for about a week. From then on all I ever owned were 20 inch bikes. I bought a 26 inch bike when I was 14 because I needed it for the paper route I had. I still had my 20 Muscle Bike and a BMX for my fun bikes 'cause you didn't want to cruise around with your friends to the BMX trails on a 26 with a huge basket on it. That was my work bike.

 

[jerrykr]

As for your 24 in. tubes, guys here use them for their 24 in wheel sets with Thick Brick tires on their 26 in frame custom builds. I know I have. The smaller wheels and large tires look great and overall diameter is almost the same as a 26 wheel/tire.