multimodal commuter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,808
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
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Well, if I were really going to redesign a touring bike from first principles, I'd start by assuming 20" (ISO 406) wheels. A wide variety of tires is available, they're big enough to allow sufficient mechanical trail that you can have stable handling. 20" is big enough to be efficient on rough surfaces. The smaller wheel will allow a lower center of gravity and will open up all kinds of frame / luggage options.