I ride a 46cm Aegis Swift with 650c wheels and I have no trouble keeping up with other gals in our club (except for the A-paced riders; I'm not in their league, but that's not about the bike but the engine). I find that the 650 wheels accelerate fast, and the other nice thing about them is that they are lighter than 700s! Like Annie notes, I do have to carry my own tube and patch kit, but I've been lucky enough never to have a flat on this bike so haven't had to use it. I can't imagine riding a bike with 700c wheels at my size (5'2"), but I've never tried it so can't really compare - other than a Terry with a 700c in back, 24" in front, which was more of a pain b/c of the two different tire sizes, and it was a heavier bike, so I was slower on it.

I guess I just don't see what the big deal about 650c wheels is; this topic comes up again and again here, and I've heard so many gals, even shorties like me, say they just didn't want to ride 650c-wheeled bikes. I don't give a flying fig about what anyone else thinks (but I get tons of compliments on my pretty Aegis, even from the guys); I want to ride a bike that fits me and is not too much bike for me to handle - I even have a 20"-wheeled Bike Friday for touring and utility rides and love it!

Actually, I almost forgot: I have had a 700c-wheeled bike in the past; it was a hybrid and felt HUGE and ungainly to me, even though the reach to the handlebars was okay. I would never go back to a 700c-wheeled bike.

The way I look at it, 650c-wheeled bikes must be pretty fast because so many triatheletes use them!

Emily