Originally Posted by
PatrickGSR94
A 20" tire has to spin roughly 35% faster for any given speed, than a 700c tire does for the same speed. That's a fairly significant difference.
Significant in what respect?
The only significant differences I have noticed are that smaller tires wear out faster, my lights are brighter. In a smaller wheel, the dynamo hub puts out a higher voltage!
Oh, and rims do wear out a bit faster. I have seen that.
Steely Dan's point about road grime and fenders, I think, is correct. But since i would never commute on a bike without fenders, it is not significant.