Your preferred wheel size for commuting?
 

Do you prefer large or medium or small wheels for your commuter bikes? And why? Is there any advantage of one over another? I like large wheels (700c). I just think that's how a bicycle should look like :D and they ride smooth, also keep me tall (drivers will see me). :)

i have 20,26,700c,451 and 28 x 1 1/2 so no real preference.Car drivers notice you more riding something odd than your wheelsize.:lol:

Should larger wheels last longer, because it takes less rotations for the same number of miles than smaller wheels, so the wear and tear should be less (other conditions being equal)?

The last few years I commuted on a bike with 20" (451mm rims) tires and I agree with vol's last post that the tire life was definitely shorter - both because of more revolutions for a given distance but also because the shape of the contact patch is shorter and wider resulting in a bit more wear of the rubber tread per revolution.

But I disagree with the last point in the OP - my riding position is just as high on my bike with the 20" (451mm) wheels as it is on my 700c (622mm) bikes.

+1. My friend commuted with both his 20" folding bike and 26" bike and found he got noticed more on the folding bike although he was higher on on the 26" bike. And I definitely get noticed more on my recumbent than my DF bike.

Tires - yes I expect big diameter tires to last longer.

Wheels, not so obvious as I think smaller wheels might be more structurally sound (differences in wheel building technique and materials are also big factors here).

27 inch for my commuter. 26 for my fun tourer and my cargo hauler. I like the feel of 27 better.

I would guess that the quality of the wheels and the quality and pressure of the tires make a bigger difference than the size...

I'm a road bike kind of guy, so I prefer 700c. I'm not saying it's an ideal size, just that it's the size that comes on my favorite style of bike.

vol, good question. I imagine small tires would wear out faster, all things being equal, but all things rarely are equal.

Not on those bikes. The 26 inch mtb costs 5 times as much as that beaten up old roadie. The wheels on the mtb cost more than the entire bike and yes they are slicks. But I still think it feels nicer.

I like the 700c.

I routinely commute on 20", 26"' and 700c wheels. If I had to pick just one, it would be 700c, since my bikes with those wheels seem most efficient. My commuter with 26 x 2.35" tires sure is a comfortable, solid, dependable ride though.

406-47.. theyre on my bike friday .. Schawlbe matathon+ & TR tubes

.. relible, zero punctures, and stay at ride pressure for months.

being tall in traffic has far more to do with the geometry of the bike than the wheel size. my 20" wheel folder has a more upright geometry than my 700c wheel road bike, and i ride taller on it as a result.

as for my preference in wheel size, i like a 700c wheel best, but my 20" wheel folder's small wheels have their advantages as well.

Ditto. If you think about it, the distance between your butt and the pedals shouldn't vary that much between bikes, so the determining factor is how far off the ground your bottom bracket is. That can vary by bike, but usually not by much, and there's a lot more than wheel size that figures into it.

I have a 700c touring bike and a 20" folding bike. My current 20" is not a great bike for longer distances, but it's fine for a short ride or a leisurely trip home. It's also great if I want to meet up with my wife somewhere and continue on in her car. My old 20" was a blast to ride, and while it still wasn't a great distance bike, I didn't mind it for my 7 mile commute. Used to annoy my wife that we went to REI and got my 700c hybrid specifically for commuting, but I kept taking my 30+ year old, rusty, garage sale find to work and back. Now that bike is broken, and the hybrid was replaced by the touring bike. The touring bike sees the most use for certain, but given that I used to be happy commuting on 20" wheels, I don't think wheel size is the biggest factor. All things being equal, I do seem to prefer a larger tire for riding, but there are many other more important factors in terms of comfort that can make a difference, and sometimes the portability of a smaller-wheeled bike comes in handy as well as increased wheel strength.

All of my preferred steeds are 700c.

If you ever catch me on 26 inchers, smack me! :D

I sit higher on my 26" MTB than I do on my 700c road bike. The difference? Higher bottom bracket on the MTB, nearly 13" ground clearance. On the road bike the BB is more like 11" or so. Pedal-to-saddle height is nearly the same on both bikes so the MTB saddle is actually taller.

Why have people started saying this lately? I'd tell you what I think of those people, but it would likely hurt someone's feelings.

:D (a)

700c, nothing else.

I personally think they're all Nazi-Commie-Fink-Puke dogs!

...And that's just the half of it! :D

I have nearly every wheel size...makes not one difference in general. A good wheel is a good wheel. All of them are round.

Choice of tire is far more important and that only breaks out the fight between 650B and all the rest of the larger sizes.

Anything round.

For my bad-weather bikes I prefer 26";easier to find 2" wide treaded and studded tires. For nice weather,whatever came on the bike.

I've got bikes with 26x2.35 and 700x40 and 700x23 and I prefer the 26x2.35 tires for commuting. The acceleration is horrible because they weigh a lot, but once I get them spun up it's like a rolling freight train. I can roll over everything (sticks, glass, grates, ruts, rocks) and not have to worry about it, and the small loss of speed is more than worth it for the comfortable ride.

For me, it's what's the best overall price-performance I can get. I commute on some Michelin Dynamic Sport slicks at 700x28. Good balance of comfort and performance. And knock on wood, no gowges, no flats in 700 miles or so. (Just wait, I probably cursed myself and will get a flat riding home tonight...). But I also commute on 700x32 tires. Really comfy, and both I can get tires for around $14 each.

However, in the rain, I ride my drop bar mtb commuter with bar cons and fenders. Those run 26x1.5 inverted tread tires. Very comfortable and they corner and grip great with their narrow tire profile mounted to Araya RM20s or Sun Rhyno-lites. I think they're IRC Metro IIs or something like that. Great value as well at just $12.50 ea when I bought them a while ago.

So the wheel size really depends on what tire size is on sale and good for commuting.