Small wheels vs large wheels - steering responsiveness?

[Cataboo]

Actually, you might remind him that bikes steer by leaning, not by manhandling the handlebars ;-) (Consider all those folks who ride "no hands.")

I was noticing that when I was riding yesterday - I actually rarely use my handlebars to steer.

And I'm just boggled by a 6 foot guy saying that they feel like they have to manhandle handlebars to turn a 700c bike, but can steer a little wheel bike with their pinky.

I usually ride on 700C wheels, but also have a Bike Friday Tikit with 16-inchers, which is very maneuverable. That has a whole lot more to do with the fact that the Tikit has very little trail, and a short wheelbase than the actual size of the wheels.

I had thought of the short wheelbase issue, but when I googled, I found stuff like this which was making me think possibly it was the wheel size:

Dahon's website says this:
Are smaller wheels less efficient than large wheels?
No. On the contrary, small wheels actually have many performance advantages compared to larger wheels. Firstly, smaller wheels have a lower moment of inertia that allows significantly faster acceleration and more responsive steering. Secondly, small wheels have lower aerodynamic drag than larger wheels. Thirdly, small wheels can be built to be lighter than larger wheels. And finally, small wheels are by definition stronger than larger wheels. In fact the world speed record for a bicycle ridden in an upright position was set 20 years ago on a bike with 18" wheels. In fact, the only significant disadvantage of small wheels can be when riding on uneven surfaces.

[msincredible]

Yes, I find my folder (18" wheels) more maneuverable than my road bike (700c).

I don't notice on most roads, but I will notice a bit on technical (very tight twisty) descents.

I would notice more if I were doing something like riding around a bike barrier in a pedestrian underpass or overpass. (ahem )

ETA: It is not just the wheel diameter, it is also affected a lot by the bike geometry and to a lesser extent the tire width.