Originally Posted by
staehpj1
BTW, I would question the validity of the statements about better availability of tires, rims, and wheels in the 26" sizes in the US at least. It seems like 700C has rapidly become more available than 26" even in places like Walmart.
This certainly hasn't been my experience. I find it far easier to get a 26"MTB wheel, 26" tires suitable for touring than anything 700c suitable for touring. The 700c wheels and tires that are easier to get are all road racing stuff which is not particularly useful.
Beyond shops there are a ton of MTBs out there so getting a wheel second hand off a used bike is also much easier than trying to get a used 700c wheel that would be suitable for touring.