My first bike. A Kona Fire Mountain. I think it was the 1995 edition of the bike. Gold P2 forks with a dark green frame, cantilever brakes and of course a quill style stem. Those were the days. When mountain biking was still young. When bikes were all built to similar sizes and specs. It was like this for years.

Then innovation trickled through the industry in small, slow waves. Quill stems were gradually replaced with the new headsets. Cantilever brakes were slowly replaced by V-brakes and then after that disc brakes became the standard way of scrubbing down your speed on the trails. Rigid forks were replaced with suspension forks to allow for more comfort for the rider.

One component remained constant through all these innovative changes though. The 26" wheel. Since the first mountain bikes sold to the public, up until now, 26" wheels have been the standard wheel size for mountain bikes and its many disciplines. Cross country racing, downhill racing, trail riding, 4X, trials and street riding. Different disciplines and different types of riding, but they all used the same wheel size.

Then it started. The fragmentation as I like to call it. It started with a new bigger wheel size. The 29" wheel. The arguments for a bigger wheel were good. A bigger wheel would roll better over obstacles, the contact point where the wheel meets the ground is greater so there is more traction and you lose momentum slower than you would with a smaller wheel.

The downside? It's too big for your current frame and therefore you need a new frame and a new fork.

Then the 27.5" wheel came along. The old standard wheel size is too small and the 29" wheel is too big. Let's make a wheel that fits exactly in between they said. The benefits of a bigger wheel than the old standard 26" but without the much added weight of a 29".

Now, I'm not sure on the facts of this, but I have heard of riders who have in fact managed to fit 27.5" wheels onto a mountain bike frame with just a marginal change in the geometry of the frame, but if you're going to ride 27.5" wheels then I would at least think that I would only ride them on a frame that is designed to take them.

Wheels sizes are now forcing bike companies to assess what wheels they will pair with the bikes in their range. Already we're seeing bike companies with different wheel sizes in their range. You don't get the option of simply picking your preferred bike and wheel size. Certain models in the range will be tied to one of the three 'standard' wheel sizes.

And that's where I think it's sad for the mountain bike industry. Gone are the days where you can gradually over time upgrade your bike with better components as you know your bike is designed with sizes that almost every other bike uses.

Once you buy a bike that's designed for that one wheel size, you're basically stuck with the size for that particular bike. There will still be plenty of choice in components such as suspension forks, tyres and rims for those opting for one of the new wheel sizes, but nothing like the choice we had before.

I'm all for innovation and change. I'm a programmer for crying out loud. Most of my job is dealing with change and moving applications forward to use new platforms and software, but part of me wants to see a standard wheel size back for mountain bikes. I don't care what size it is, just a size that I know is going to allow me to upgrade my bike for longer.

Still though, part of me wants the 'one size fits all' wheel for mountain bikes.