Do you think it would be worth me buying a modern MTB?

[peetee]

Schwalbe still do a good selection of 26” tyres. I was searching recently and found that the main problem that is restricting choice is low stocks due to COVID - and that follows for a lot of cycle parts.
I bought a pair of Schwalbe Black Jack 1.9 (they actually came up a bit narrower) and am happy with them. I’d judge them a good all rounder; not noticeably slow on tarmac and not skittish on loose surfaces.
As for the other wear and tear items, cassettes, chains and chainrings are still available in 8 and 9 speed. There is also a strong trade in used parts on such forums as Retrobike. If anything is going to be hard to source in future I would stick my neck out and say rims, so I would suggest starting to search a pair out now if you want to give the bike an extended future.

[Bonzo Banana]

I think 26" 559 etrto is the most common bicycle wheel size in the world and there are markets where 27.5" 584 etrto size isn't even a thing and very rare. It may be the specific tyre you want isn't available in 26" but generally the choice of 26" tyres is much wider than any other tyre size. Even in our own market 26" bikes comfortably outsell 27.5" and 29" mountain bikes combined as the cheaper bikes always tend to outsell higher end bikes by quite a large factor. The average price of an adult bike sold in the UK is still something like £200 if you exclude ebikes.

I've always very spoilt for choice when it comes to 26" tyres and can often find some fantastic deals where as 27.5" has been very restrictive especially if I want some tyres for use on the road. 29" and 700c being the same actual size has meant no problems there either. I certainly wouldn't go 27.5" if you want a wide choice of tyres and competitive prices.

[Biospace]

I often use early 90s mtbs for touring on old trackbeds and other non-road routes, I use 2" tyres when surfaces are poor. The descent North from Ravenglass is coped with just fine at speed (when quiet) without 'suspension'. There are occasions I wish for larger wheels, but on balance the 559 size is perfectly good and tyre choice is the widest. If it's dry I'll use City Jets, otherwise something more like a gravel tyre.

For me, the quality and low weight of this vintage of off-road bikes available for sensible money makes it a no-brainer. The Marin Eldridge and DB Ascent just get on with the job so well, never give bother and are a pleasure to clean.

[Stevek76]

Just looking at wiggle there are loads of 26" mtb tyres?

Is it my imagination or are modern mountain bikes a lot longer?

Yes, considerably, have probably grown 30-35cm in length over the past decade (a 26" then vs a 'slack' 29" now) and they'd have grown from a decade before as well.

As for worth that's a question for you really, is your orange a hardtail or rigid? Eitherway a modern 29" hardtail will undoubtedly be significantly more capable at dealing with 'technical' terrain but the flip side of that is if it's the challenge that you enjoy you may find it's now just too easy.

Looking at vids of bedgebury, I'd think that would be fine. I'm not sure I saw anything that really even deserved its claimed 'red' grade. Feel like if that was in some places (e.g. wales) it would have been graded blue with an optional red rather than red with an optional black! There's a few drop offs that are probably borderline for blue, risk you might scrape your chainring if you try and roll them (one advantage of x1 is more clearance), but they also all looked avoidable as well.

Would not be surprised if that sees a fair few gravel bike riders.

[drossall]

I've still got this from about 1999-2000, though I bought it second-hand. I don't really ride often or seriously enough to upgrade, so I'm not planning to. I mostly use it to take Scouts cycling - I'm more of a road rider by instinct. Anyway, I like it

[CinnabarMoth]

Currently my MTB is a 1999 Orange Clockwork, which I bought when it was brand new and the latest thing out. Obviously things have moved on in the MTB world quite a bit since then. Do you think I'd get some benefit from a modern bike?

I wouldn't know which one to get though. There appear to be so many different options, where as when I bought my current there were just "mountain bikes", and I bought one that took my fancy that I saw in magazines.

Ok I know this is an old post but I was asking the same question not that long ago so I went over to the New Forest and spent a couple of days exploring on rental bikes and I found a bike with modern 'geometry' to be significantly easier to handle over rough undulating tracks than older mtbs.
So if riding bridleways and byeways is your thing then yes modern mtbs can be great fun and renting a few different bikes is well worth the £20 per day.

[cyclop]

I bought new in 1998 Orange P7 relished in the fact I could take it anywhere, indeed I did, and was often referred to as Mr Rigid.
Last year aged 67 sitting at home one evening after hammering round the Ae red route I felt absolutely hammered, every muscle was complaining, and thought it’s maybe time to get modern. I hired and tried out modern full suspension and hard tail 29ers. Today’s MtB are totally different with relaxed angles and even what they call light are damned heavy compared to an old Orange. I couldn’t see myself riding any of them very far.
I did end up selling the P7 mostly to, grow up, and loose the temptation to speed around off road trails and replaced it with a rigid 29er. A gravel type of bike which I can still do rough stuff on but perhaps at more of a sedate pace.

Chapeau!Red route on a rigid....at 67.My last outing was 6yrs? ago,on a full susp,age 63 and elbows suffered badly,never went again.