Originally Posted by v1nce
Remember that large wheels originated from a time where there were no such thing as gears - witness the direct drive Penny Farthing bike. Now, the size of the wheel can be optimized - and that optimal size is a lot smaller than 26" or more.
http://www.rhizomes.nl/twenty.html
Any more thoughts...?
Don't larger wheels help preserve rolling momentum? That's important to a lot of commuters.
That being said, I prefer the smaller mountain bike size wheels. I feel much more manuverable on them and they take more abuse than bigger ones. For me that makes the bike feel more fun.