Custom Bike - 650 vs. 700 wheels

[tulip]

Susan, you've had a Bike Friday, so you already know to carry extra tubes and tire with you. Just do the same for the 650 if that's what you want to go with.

My Luna has 700c wheels. My Bike Friday has 20" (451) wheels. It's no problem with my Bike Friday to order extra tubes and tires. I carry two tubes with me, which ever bike I'm riding. When I ride the Bike Friday, I also carry a spare tire (folding).

As for handling, I can only compare my 700c-wheel bike with my 20"-wheeled bike. I notice very little difference. I've broken spokes on my "big bike" but never on my Friday. That brings up another thing--I tape some extra spokes to my bike--both of them. Just good to have, like a tube and tire. I actually think that I climb better on my Bike Friday, but since I'm not much of a speedster I don't really pay that much attention to it. I don't do criteriums on either, and both are really great to ride.

EDIT: Not for Susan, but for others who are considering travel bikes--I have a high-end, high-performance Bike Friday. It is awesome to ride; very fast and responsive. I ride it as much or more than my "regular" road bike, and it's wonderful for traveling both in a plane and to stick in the way back of my little car when I go on business trips and to visit my family. There's no compromise in ride quality with my Bike Friday. Just a little side thought in case someone is wondering.