Originally Posted by
randyjawa
In my book, I have found that 700c wheels are considerably lighter, offer a much wider and easier to access range of tires and rims, and, offer a better ride quality.
Trying to figure out how the same rim and tire is considerably lighter and affords a better ride quality. Absurd.
Comparing apples to apples tire/rim and wheelbuild being identical except for 630 to 622 no cyclist could tell the difference.
It absolutely is true that you can get wider tires in 622. However, what is simply more true is you can get more of any kind of tire in 622 just as a function of availability. However, that is changing as tires being made in 630 are more commonly sold in ISO standard as say a 630-28 or 630-32 instead of the old 27 x 1 1/8 or 27 x 1 1/4. The iso standards is what allows the wider offering on 622, not something fundamental about the 622 rim itself. Almost all tire manufacturers use the ISO designations now and no longer limit themselves to the common fractional sizes, which imparted an upward bound on width. Heck nobody rides 635 but even in that you can still get a world class Conti touring tire in 635-48.
Pick a rim, pick a tire, pick your favorite wheelbuilder and all of those being equal, it is asinine to suggest there is a fundamental discernible difference between 622 and 630. Comparing identical or similar quality rims/tires is the key here. This is not like 622 (700c) to 584 (650B), which is a healthy 38mm. We're talking identical rim and tire widths for the most part, and only 4mm on each radius.
You can get world class stuff in 630, for any application (training, racing, touring, tandeming) end of story.
I think it is absurd that we still use the archaic 27" in common use. Half the silly love affair with 650B is just calling it 650B. If people called them 26 x 1 1/2" trust me, no one would be as interested. I also think it is silly that we spec 622 across the entire size line from 51cm through 63cm. I've always felt that anything 60cm and bigger should use 630, 635, or even the obsolete 642. In automobiles all cars don't try to use one "standard" rim size whether they are compacts, sub-compacts, minivans, or sports cars with just different widths.
The stubborn adherence to a limited range of wheel sizes and crank lengths make no defensible sense. Suggesting that there is any detectable difference between like rims/build/tires from 622 to 630 is just intellectually dishonest.