Quote Originally Posted by lunacycles View Post
I will say this on every post I see it, and everyone can ignore me or disagree as much as they like..., but: 26" (or 650c) wheels are not slower!
Sorry Margo, but I think I am confused.
I do understand that some cyclists cannot fit on bicycles equipped with 700c wheels and rewuire frames that use 650c or 26", and that's fine. Luckily I fit on 700c's so I never even questioned whether to use a different size.
What confuses me is that you are saying that there is no difference in speed.

I am not a mechanic and don't cycle for a living (sometimes I wish ...) so forgive me if I don't get it right - but this is how I always thought about it:
700c wheels have a longer circumference than 650c wheels. So, if you pedal at the exact same cadence and use the same exact gear ratio, and all other factors being equal, when you use 700c wheels you will cover a longer distance for each revolution than you would cover with 650c.
In other words - if everything else is the same, your speed will be higher when you use 700c wheels.
The way I see it, it sounds like the physics test back in college - you take wheel size, gear ratio, number of revolutions per minute... calculate the distance covered - you have the time interval, and voila' - that equals a certain speed. Now if everything else is the same - except the wheels, I would think you'd be faster with the bigger wheels.

So what makes you say that there is no difference?