Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12,728
Likes: 2,106
From: Madison, WI
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Touring works fine with 26 inch tires and 700c tires.
The big frame difference is that most 26 inch wheel frames offer a lot more room for wide tires than 700c frames. Thus, a 26 inch frame usually offers a bit more choice in the tire width that you can run. This is not a hard and fast rule, some 700c frames allow wide 29er tire clearance.
Generally, most tires sold are wider if 26 inch and narrow if 700c. A 700c tire that is 37mm wide is considered a wide tire but a 26 inch tire that is 37mm wide is considered a narrow tire.
I have toured with both 700c and 26 inch.
- For a tour predominantly on pavement I would use a 700c 37mm wide tire or the tire I used last year on a 500 mile pavement tour was a 40mm wide 26 inch Schwalbe Marathon. In other words I would use both 700c and 26 inch bikes for a pavement tour.
- For a tour predominantly on gravel, I would use a 26 inch tire, 2.0 (or 50mm) wide. My current favorites are the Dureme in front and Marathon Extreme in rear, that is what I used last month on the GAP and C&O trails.
There are many Schalbe Marathons, the one I used that is 40mm wide is the one with GreenGuard, but there are other good options too.