Originally Posted by ernok1923
It would be a few months, but only within the US. I would bring a healthy supply of tires and tubes. As I am not the tallest, I think the smaller size would be a better fit on longer trips. And I like to go a bit faster than I think 26" (even if they are slicks) would allow. Any recommendations about pannieers or trailers for 650c wheels?
26" wheels are inherently stronger than 700C. Smaller diameter wheels are always stronger than larger diameter wheels. That's one of the reasons that 26" are used in mountain bikes. If you are going to tour in the US, I'd suggest 26" rather than 650C. The rim diameter of the 26" is 559mm while the rim diameter of a 650C is 571mm. The size difference won't make that much difference in speed but finding 650C tires outside of a major metro area would be difficult. 26" tires are going to be as easily found as finding the nearest Walmart - but only if you have to
You want to save you bag space for stuff other than tires and tubes.
All other things being equal, there should be no problems with bags or trailers on 650C or 26" wheel bikes. Lots of mountain bikes have been used for touring.
Edit: Forgot to mention wheels or rims. Those are going to be extremely hard to find even in major metro areas.