View Single Post
Old 07-15-09 | 11:50 PM
  #2  
prathmann
Senior Member
 
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 7,239
Likes: 8
From: Bay Area, Calif.
There is no "centrifugal force" advantage (or disadvantage). There is a slight aerodynamic advantage for smaller wheels and there's a slight rolling resistance disadvantage for them. Of course if you're using that size in order to fit wider tires then you lose the aero advantage - but both the advantage and disadvantage is very small for such a small change in wheel size.

My main concern would be about brakes - if you use rim brakes then they may not reach far enough with 650c rims. And also check for clearance issues with other parts of the frame - on some bikes the seat or chainstays bow in and may not let you run tires much wider even if you do switch to the 650 wheels. Also note the clearance height of the pedals at their lowest position. Going to smaller wheels would reduce this and might make it more likely that you hit the pedal when going around turns.
prathmann is offline  
Reply