Merits b/t 26" vs 700c on commuting
 

I ride both types. However both are on different type of bikes. One is a hardtail mtb and the other is a road bike. So it isn't a good comparison. With that said, I always wonder how would my hardtail mtb would ride if it was rolling on 700c wheels.

Anyone tried both on same bicycle types? Care to share thoughts.

I have a ParkPre and had a Schwinn Ranger, both mountain bikes, and had 700C's on them for a while until i scared the crap out of myself from not having any brakes. MTN bikes with 700C's are AWESOME, you get all the benefits of 700C wheels (rolling resistance, roll longer, etc) with the geometry of a bike that's flickable and maneuverable like a BMX bike.
I personally love it, but word of advice: at least on my 2 bikes, my V-brakes and my linear cantilever brakes would NOT reach the brake surface of 700C's so I would have had to buy road brakes to mount in that little hole drilled into the top of my front fork. Didnt have the dough, so Im running my 26's with Nimbus tires and it working pretty good, but i cant wait to switch back!

There are no differences in rolling resistance between 650 and 700 tyres related to their respective sizes. Although obviously a 700c/23 Conti GP 4000 is going to roll faster than a knobbly 26" mountain bike tyre!

In my experience wheel size is pretty irrelevant on a commuter when compared to other factors, i.e. how well the bike fits, whether the contact points are ergonomically thought out, whether the bike is fit for its purpose, if it's raining etc etc.

A cheap MTB with skinny slick tyres and fenders will almost always make an ideal short to medium distance commuter. Nothing to do with the size of the wheels and tyres though, they're just good little commuter bikes - robust, reasonably unattractive to thieves, easyish to wrench, solid and dependable.

Hope this helps. I think I've successfully confused myself along the way though. What were you asking again :-)

I'd say there are differences, but that they are mostly irrelevant -- 26" wheels commute and "roll" just fine. Most cyclists would probably be pressed to tell the difference among common tire sizes.

A mountain bike with ~ 1.5" tires will make a great commuter. Most people who swap to 700c (if possible) and notice a performance increase are probably just noticing that their 700c road wheels are lighter and are comparing 700c skinny tires to knobby mountain tires. Smooth mountain tires (26") roll fantastic to me....no need for 700c.

I have a surly 1x1 frame with 700cc wheels and 700x38 tires plus full fenders, there is tons of clearence on that frame. I love that frame because it allows me to run both 26" and 29" wheels. I also have disc brakes so it all works out perfect. Bigger wheels with fattish tires roll much better over rough terrain then 26" wheels. Bigger wheels also help to maintain the speed and momentum when climbing hills, which is very important when singlespeeding. However, I also have another frame with 26" wheels that I use for my ice bike. I think that most people wouldn't notice too much difference between 26 vs 29 wheels... just ride what you like and whatever works for you.

For the same tire width, I like 26" vs. 700c. Weigh less, less power to get them up to speed. Alternately, I can ride a wider tire on a 26" wheel than a 700c without additional weight penalty. Currently riding 1.5" Panaracer T-Servs (Kevlar bead) on a bike with 26" wheels, which I like a lot better than some 35 wide wire bead tires on my other 700c wheeled commuter.

I will mention one advantage of 26" wheels, that I've noticed. It's a lot easier to steer around potholes and other roadside obstructions on 26" wheels. They are much more maneuverable, which I assume is one reason why mountain bikes generally run these smaller wheels.

I've ridden a rigid framed MTB with 26" wheels and a similar one with 700c. They were both from the same era with similar geometries but the 26" bike was suspension corrected while the 700c wasn't/isn't.

I feel really tall on the 700c MTB. ;)

There are lots of skinny tire options for 700c wheels but I don't know that either size has a clear advantage. There are those that say that bigger wheels will smooth out the bumps more.

The MTB with skinny road tires on it is surprisingly quick. It's not much slower than my roadie but if you're going to ride on skinny tires, you might as well ride a road bike.

I run Mavic Speedcity 700c wheels and Mavic Crosstrail 26" wheels on my MTB commuter, usually part of the week on each. In the warmer months, I have Conti Gatorskins 23 mm on the 700c and Conti Sport Contact 1.6" slicks on the 26". In the winter, Conti 4 Seasons 28mm on the 700c and Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded on the 26". Both wheelsets have disc hubs, so there is no issue changing wheels. I set up the fenders just above the 700c tires, so there is a somewhat larger gap with the 26" tires.

The 700c wheels with skinny tires are definitely faster on pavement and climb much faster, and the 26" with slicks are faster on packed dirt and gravel (probably just because I'm willing to push them harder). There is better traction with the wider 26" tires, so I use them when rain is expected or if my route will take me off the pavement. There is also a lower center of gravity with the 26" wheels, which is better when the conditions are bad. Comfort level is about the same for both on pavement, but the 26" are better on the trails.

Having two wheelsets is almost like having two different bikes. I love having the option to go with a road setup or a trail setup with minimal effort. In about 2 minutes, I can swap the wheels and am on my way. The downside is that each wheelset will run you about $500 when you add in the cost of tires, tubes, rotors, and cassette.

Currently use 2.4x26" and 28x700C wheelsets for my hardtail (which coincidentally are almost exactly the same effective diameter).

http://www.dropmachine.com/media/dat...m/IMG_9140.jpg
http://www.dropmachine.com/media/dat...G_0688-XGA.jpg


I much prefer the ride of 700C wheels over the 26X1.5" setup I used to use on the road.

They work acceptably well off-road with 700C CX tires too, although my 26" wheels aren't going on ebay anytime soon.


]Edit: Those are Nokian 2.1" tires in the snow pic, which are quite a bit smaller than the Conti 2.4's I use in the summer.

Nice setup ghettocruiser. I'll post pics when I get a chance.

On my Dawes bike I use 700 x 35c tires and switch to 26 x 2.1 rear/26 x 1.7 front for winter use. When I had the 1.5" street tires on the 26" wheels I could accelerate very quickly, but I couldn't get much of a top speed. I like the feel of 700c wheels better.

It is my understanding that 26" wheels will get up to speed quicker however 700c wheels will maintain speed easier. If I am wrong feel free to correct.

When I was testing different touring bikes I felt the 700c bikes felt quicker than my 26" LHT. However we are talking different bikes with different tires and such.

The circumference of a 700c with skinny tires is about the same as a 26" with wider tires. What actually matters is the overall weight of the wheel with tubes, tires and rimstrip (if needed). My 700c wheel alone actually weighs about the same as the 26" wheel. The weight savings comes from the much lighter tire and tube on the 700c wheel.

For my setup, 23mm tires and tubes weigh about 700 grams, whereas 26" tires and tubes weigh around 1400 grams. 700 grams (1.5 lbs) of rotational weight is substantial enough to notice a difference in acceleration and climbing. If you run typical 29er tire on a 700c wheel, you lose the weight advantage, and end up with a heavier, slower overall wheel.

I prefer the 26x1.95 tires on my hard tail because it provides me with a better workout than my road bike. When I climb off my mtn bike at the end of the day, I feel like I've gotten a good ride in.

Also, at 205 pounds I'm not a gram counter. If anything I'm always looking for ways to put a little more weight on the bike.

Ride safe,

Jeff

I total understand this one. After 3 weeks straight of riding 26" mountain bikes, I took my skinny tire 700c hybrid out for a ride. I felt like I was cheating, the pedaling was so much easier. The heavy mountain bikes provide a much more aggressive workout.

I guess I'm kind of a fan of not being all sweaty and stinky during my work day...

If you are given the choice. Which option would you prefer?

1. 26" with rigid fork
2. 700c with suspension fork

3. 700c with rigid fork

I assume that the difference is also related to frame geometries. 26 inch wheel bikes are usually mountain bikes, and mountain bikes are not designed for fast riding on the road -- those long chainstays really sap me on steep urban climbs. Also, body position, especially on a comfort-modified mountain bike, is not conducive to hard efforts. 700c wheels are found on road bikes and are typically designed with much "faster" geometry. I think this is why, say, a 26inch LHT doesn't handle much differently from a 700c LHT since both frames are designed with exactly the same goals in mind.

Also, skinnier and harder tires offer up a much bumpier ride, which can be misconstrued to be a faster ride.

See pic above. I guess if I never mountain biked with that thing, I'd put on a lightweight rigid fork, like that white Lynsky carbon I'm seeing in the advertising on this page.

But then I could just ride the CX bike....

True. The objective of the 700C wheel is to smooth out the ride a bit (by virtue of larger overall diameter) while keeping rolling resistance low with smooth, low-volume, higher-pressure tires.