26" versus 700c
 

I am getting back into cycling and am moving towards light touring/credit card touring. I am shorter and some of the bikes I am looking at, Soma Saga for example, only come with 26" wheels in my size. Though I have seen guys saying 700c is better for touring. Is there a reason not to go with a 26" bike for touring? I know the wheel is smaller, but isn't that made up for in gearing?

Thanks for the help! Chris

Sounds like analysis paralysis to me. 26" works fine. You'll want to make sure you don't get the knobby MTB tires unless you're riding off-road -- a good touring bike for the road will have slicks. Find one, try one (or more), buy one, and go ride!

Touring works fine with 26 inch tires and 700c tires.

The big frame difference is that most 26 inch wheel frames offer a lot more room for wide tires than 700c frames. Thus, a 26 inch frame usually offers a bit more choice in the tire width that you can run. This is not a hard and fast rule, some 700c frames allow wide 29er tire clearance.

Generally, most tires sold are wider if 26 inch and narrow if 700c. A 700c tire that is 37mm wide is considered a wide tire but a 26 inch tire that is 37mm wide is considered a narrow tire.

I have toured with both 700c and 26 inch.
- For a tour predominantly on pavement I would use a 700c 37mm wide tire or the tire I used last year on a 500 mile pavement tour was a 40mm wide 26 inch Schwalbe Marathon. In other words I would use both 700c and 26 inch bikes for a pavement tour.
- For a tour predominantly on gravel, I would use a 26 inch tire, 2.0 (or 50mm) wide. My current favorites are the Dureme in front and Marathon Extreme in rear, that is what I used last month on the GAP and C&O trails.

There are many Schalbe Marathons, the one I used that is 40mm wide is the one with GreenGuard, but there are other good options too.

For smaller riders, 5'3' and below, 26" MTB is the wheel size to use. 700c is too large to fit into a small frame without bodging the frame.
Most 26" touring bikes use that wheel size because they are expedition bikes and the tyres are more universally available.
Good luck finding a light-touring bike in 26" MTB, these are usually custom-made bikes. Most lightweight small bikes use the road alternative (650c) which is a different size and only available in narrow widths.

a 1.5" wide 26" tire is about the width of a 38 wide 700c tire ,

so functionally relatively same contact patch on the ground.

remember to plan for racks and bags........are the chainstays long enough to
prevent your heels from hitting the panniers?

For touring I might consider availability of tires. You can probably find a 26" tire almost anywhere. You can find one in any box store. I've even seen 26" bike tires for sale in Rite-Aid.

Finding a 700c touring tire? Maybe. Maybe not.

The bf and toured through Durango, CO a few years back. I had a LHT with 26" wheels, he had his Crosscheck, 700c wheels. While in town he had an incident where his bike's rear fender jammed and got sucked up onto the tire, taking a big chunk out of the tire tread. Several bike shops in Durango, it's a bike town! Not one had a 700c touring tire in stock. Had to end up limping on to tiny Dolores, CO where the shop there (that has since closed) had a nice Schwalbe Marathon touring tire in stock. He later got a LHT with 26" wheel size as his touring bike. We don't get out to tour much lately, but he rides it all over town.

Unless you are doing something really extreem, fit trumps all else. For you, that means 26" wheels.

I forgot to mention one other item in my post above. In the smaller sized frames, a 700c is more likely to have a toe overlap issue. Some people get concerned about toe overlap, others don't worry too much about it. You should decide if toe overlap is a big deal to you or not.

Chris, It generally doesn't matter which rim size is chosen, in your case it does matter because the frame size you need is equipped with the 26" wheels in order to provide a good fit without sacrificing utility.

Brad

Thanks! Yes, I was looking at the LHT and Soma Saga, as well as a local semi custom shop Rodriguez for their UTB. I was also considering a couple that do 650b for the smaller bikes (Rivendell), but that is probably worse than 700c for getting tires. Sounds like the 26" route its a good way to go for so many reasons. I could ask about the LHT versus the Saga, but that's probably a new thread...

Thanks - Chris

The OP wants to do lightweight CC touring. That to me straight away says 700. Lighter tyres & rims, faster lighter frame.

26" with 36 spokes and steel frame is for fully loaded camping tours.

I'm with fit is first crowd. After that is settled, then start splitting hairs about the rest. Throw into the mix the main use for this bike. Will it be for touring only, or also your general runabout bike.

Really, until you've done some touring and find out if it's 'your thing,' no way to know for sure exactly what will work for YOU and under what conditions. That's why most on this site have 3 or 4 or 10 different bikes.

True, but he can do it on a lightly loaded LHT as easily as anything else.

Brad

Yes, I have no problem with having more bikes and/or trying things out to find what I like. I don't know how much heavy touring I would do. I have no interest in camping, so I would probably never be too heavily loaded, though I am a heavy load myself (thought shrinking through cycling).

Absolutely and he seems to want to go for 26". There's no reason why he shouldn't.

If you are between 5'3 and 5'9, you might want to consider a third option, 650B. This size is bigger than a 26"MTB tire, but frames designed around this size tire can eliminate toe overlap, andstill permit wide tires and fenders.

Yes, that is also under consideration. Was also looking at the Rivendell Sam Hillborne which come 650b in my size and I know Soma is working on a low trail 650b model as well (the Grand Randonneur), which will likely be a better price point than the Riv. I basically want a bike that will be comfortable for long rides that I can also do light touring with. But I think I need to try some out first and see what I like.

However, when talking about the problems of getting a 700c tire replacement, 600b would probably be even harder to find.

I would not say I want to go 26", but was reading reviews about a the LHT and Soma Saga which sound like good bikes, but they only come in 26" for my size (51-52cm road bike equivalent sizing). Honestly that bothered me because I have only used 700c on the road in the past. I realize there are other options that are 700c, but I like the price points for these two as well as the good reviews.

700c for protestants, 26 inch for Catholics. Ironically, "neither of the above" may chose either of the above. 650B is not fit for reasonable people (except when riding in France), but Jainists are free to use 650C in any country. Care to look into any 20 inch flavors?

What would be 20"? Like a folder bike? I have not explored that.

Bike Fridays Travel Bikes Use 20" wheels, they are designed to make getting to your trip easy,
because they fit in a suitcase, and that suitcase can become a trailer towed with your gear in it.

derailleur or IGH , it's US BTO bike ..

You can always carry a folding spare 650b tire such as the Soma B-Line. Also, you can get a spare delivered overnight practically anywhere.

As bikes frames get smaller, they get fitted with smaller wheels in order to keep the geometry as close to optimal as possible. That is why when frames get very small, they go to 24" wheels. Otherwise, the head tube angle needs to change too much to keep the front wheel from hitting the down tube or causing toe strike. As it is, the head tube angle is reduced on smaller bikes in order to fit wheels. The seat tube angle also gets steeper on smaller bikes to fit the rear wheel and I think in order to create the proper weight balance front and rear. Check out the geometry charts and you will notice the change in angles as the frames get smaller. A smaller wheel also allows for the head tube to be longer, which is better. 26" wheels are fine. As others have mentioned, there are numerous tire options in 26" and they are easily sourced. 650b would not be my choice for a touring bike - no way. Too few options, quite expensive, and difficult to find. Get a bike that fits you well with the size of wheel that makes for the best bike. It sounds like for you that would be 26" wheels and that is just great.

Yeah, I was thinking about that. No reason I can't carry an extra tire! (or two, I was a Boy Scout, so I always like to be prepared) That would work for 700c as well, like their new Express tires. I used to ride sew-ups, and always had an extra tire (or two for long rides).