Originally Posted by
steve-in-kville
Do you feel its slower?
Not particularly. The main issue people run into with 26ers on pavement is that the choices for fast road tires are very limited. If you were planning on getting a thick touring tire anyway, this isn't a problem. And if you were planning on getting a supple high-performance tire... well, there's Compass. My bike with 26x2.3" Compass tires seems perform about the same as my Emonda ALR 5, at least cruising on level ground (it's a much heavier bike on the whole).
Is the bike harder to handle?
A bike that's been designed for 26" wheels should handle fine with 26" wheels.
Actually, since 26ers are usually built up with massively wider tires, if anything they can corner significantly better. Bigger contact patch gives more confident, consistent grip.