700c vs 26"

leamcorp

100 W
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Jun 30, 2008
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I've noticed that most are using 26" MTB bike vs bikes with 700c wheels (hybrid/road). I had both and like the 700c due to faster speed. The shock/bounce doesn't bother me too much - but is that the reason? Just curious?
 
some reasons:
more choces in 26" tires,
26" wheeled Mtn bikes more likely to have needed suspension and/or be built for more abuse.

d
 
The condition of the roads locally make a fatter 26" tire and full suspension nice. I've never broken a spoke with suspension bikes. Broke some on hardtails though.
 
Smaller wheel equals more torque so better hill climbing and acceleration. Heavier wheels means they are more durable. Fat tires take more punishment and deliver less of the same to the rider and bike. Comfort and less pain might be a couple one of the main reasons I would guess. I started with a hard tail and graduated to full suspension on build two because the serious jarring I was taking from my bike was causing physical damage to my lower back. I see many others doing the same.
 
I don't know what it is about the 700c but it just feels better to me. I built a Specialized Rockhopper 26" and it's really hard to pedal with the thicker knobby tire and even after changing over to slicks, its not same as my Scott Sportster with 700/28 (also tried on Trek 7/3fx and same result). Maybe I'm just used to road bike feel as I'm a roadie to begin with (700/23c tires). I don't have any issue with jarring roads either so that could be it too. Thanks for the response.
 
Rider age may have something to do with it too.

My Willingness to absorb road shocks versus the copay to medical providers was greatly changed by the use of bike "shock absorbers" .

d
 
leamcorp said:
.. it's really hard to pedal with the thicker knobby tire and even after changing over to slicks, its not same as my Scott Sportster with 700/28

Right, that makes perfect sense though. Most of the 23/25/28mm 700c tires are built for first and foremost with low rolling resistance in mind. They do make 700c fat knobbies too.. aka 29er tires. But these would probably feel even worse than the 26ers, because you would have the same high rolling resistance of a fat knobbie along with even more weight. All else being equal the 29er wheels would be weaker too. And like was pointed out, you can't beat the selection/price/availability on the 26" stuff!

Another thing you can do is compromise and go with a 700c with a 30-40mm width. There are a lot of cheapies in this range, but also a few higher end choices.
 
Not to wander too much from the OP... But I have similar question.
I have a front hub (26" x 1.95 tires).
I would like to put the whole hub/rim/tire e-set-up on another bike.
The other bike has 700-38c tires.
Tire width will fit fronts forks.
Anyone know of an "adapter" if the brake shoes will not go down low enough to fit the 26" rims?
Trek has center pull brakes --- brakes=shimano STX M-System w/dia-compe
 
What is the actualy size difference between a 700c and 26in rim? I don't know that
i have even seen a 700c i wrongly assumed there was only 18,20, 24 and 26in rims :shock:
What was this 700c initially made for, road bikes im guessing?

KiM
 
What was this 700c initially made for, road bikes im guessing?
In the 1990's they were derived from French numbering, and used a lot on Hybrid Bikes.

The Wiki answer = 700C Road bicycle wheels / ISO 622
Touring, race, and cyclo-cross bicycles may have vastly different design goals for their wheels. The lightest possible weight and optimum aerodynamic performance are beneficial for road bicycles, while for cyclo-cross strength gains importance, and for touring bicycles strength becomes even more important. However this diameter of rim, identical in diameter to the "29er" rim, is by far the most common on these styles of bicycles. It rolls more easily than smaller diameter tires. Road wheels may be designed for tubular or clincher tires, commonly referred to as "700C" tires.
and the Two-Niner answer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/29er_(bicycle)
AND the Sheldon Brown answer = http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rim-sizing.html

SO Generally --- 622MM bead seat diameter for 700C , 559MM for 26".

Then it gets more complicated for fitting them with fatter tires >>> http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/tire_dimensions

Short answer is that they are tall & do roll great. But they often come on a "hybrid" inner-rim width (and lower spoke count) that is somewhere between a wide mountain bike and a narrow road bike. I wish my 700C size had a better rim for a fatter tire. My 700-38C is nice on roadways and hard pack trails, but the e-hub motor and the way I ride now, sure makes me want the fattest tire I can get on a hard tail frame.
 
deardancer3 said:
Rider age may have something to do with it too.

My Willingness to absorb road shocks versus the copay to medical providers was greatly changed by the use of bike "shock absorbers" .

d

I'm in mid-forty if that means anything (most of my roadie buddies are over 60's :) ). Again, I think I'm just used to road bike - I even replace shock fork with rigid version. I got very nervous at high speed with the shocked fork. I don't seem to have that problem with rigid forks as I know what to expect as conditions change.
 
leamcorp said:
I've noticed that most are using 26" MTB bike vs bikes with 700c wheels (hybrid/road). I had both and like the 700c due to faster speed. The shock/bounce doesn't bother me too much - but is that the reason? Just curious?



I think a lot of it has to do with the person's history which for me has always been cycling on the road and road bikes have always meant big wheels. Heck the first bike I bought with paper route money was a 27" 10-speed road bike from Sears and it's been an assortment of 27" and then 700C bikes ever since. When I decided to motorize my first bike I simply chose one I already owned, a 700C bike. My second ebike was simply a refinement of the formula used for the first with an eye towards a bit more comfort but since performance while pedaling was still high on the list once again I selected a bike with 700C wheels. That said if I were to build a "moped" type E-bike for transportation it would likely be based on a 26" bike.

-R
 
FeralDog said:
Anyone know of an "adapter" if the brake shoes will not go down low enough to fit the 26" rims?
DIYed from the brake arms off a kid's BMX junker, just cut off and bolted onto the arms on this triangle.

Keep in mind that to really get this to work you need to put spacers between the brake shoes and the adapters, so that they end up at the same distance from the adapters as they would have from the original arms, relative to the new length of the arm. I did not do that here and they worked ok with my wide steel 24" rims, but not well enough. Would have if the pads were closer to start with, at the right angle.
DSC02716.JPG
View attachment 2
DSC02718.JPG

(this was part of the "Adding rear suspension to CrazyBike2" ideas; not shown in that thread (though I thought I had, it's wasn't there, so I added it now).
 
700c or 29ers will be faster because of the higher gearing the larger wheel provides. A motor can only do so many RPMS per volt, so a larger wheel would make for a higher top speed.

It's worth noting though that with large 2.5 tires a 26 inch wheel (like mine) has a larger diameter than a 700c.

Unless your resources are endless I would go with what ever you have. Unless your going to be running lead and you only have a road bike! That sort of load will squish a 700c road rim.
 
auraslip said:
700c or 29ers will be faster because of the higher gearing the larger wheel provides. A motor can only do so many RPMS per volt, so a larger wheel would make for a higher top speed.

It's worth noting though that with large 2.5 tires a 26 inch wheel (like mine) has a larger diameter than a 700c.

Unless your resources are endless I would go with what ever you have. Unless your going to be running lead and you only have a road bike! That sort of load will squish a 700c road rim.

A "29er" rim is 700C (622mm) so it's a matter of semantics. It's more of a marketing thing with the really big 700C tires being called 29'ers.

Your 2.5" tires on a 559mm rim makes it roughly 27" tall which is a bit smaller than a 700x35mm tire on a 622mm rim.

Even skinny road rims can take a lot of load as long as they are built with a sufficient number of spokes. Sure they can't survive big jumps but many tandem bikes use them, some even with 700Cx23mm tires pumped up to 150psi!

-R
 
I have a Schwalbe Big Apple 29 inch x 2.35 front tire on my 96'r MTB on-road xtracycle conversion (26x2 in back, shoulda gotten the 2.35). Holy crap! It's fat and baloony, but has a tapered profile so it rolls like you wouldn't believe. It act like it's own suspension. You will need MTB type tire clearances as well it's a very tall and wide tire. It also gives a bit of a gyroscopic stabilization effect at high speeds. I would not hesitate to use it on an e-bike at all.

hmmm, Surly Karate Monkey conversion!
 
Re: 700c vs 26"
I have both on the same bike.. a 26" 2.35 rear schwalbe on my bike with a 700c front suspension fork. I figure why do I need a fat 26" tire up front with the suspension doing its thing? Not as much cushioning out back as a rear shocked bike, but like you say pretty damn nice. Rolls well and rides soft.

I wouldn't motor a 20-28mm tire bike. It doesn't make sense. I would however do up a 700c by 30 thru 40mm, like a hybrid or cross type frame.. 30-32 is where I would draw the line.
 
'Nilla, I second that 30-ish wide is the minimum. I have tried it and it leaves something to be desired when you operate at e-bike weights and loads. It is just barely enough for a very light e-bike. It requires too much attention to watching for hazards and not enough attention watching the road.

My Schawlbe 29'r profile tapers to that size at the contact patch, so it's a bit like the best of both worlds.
 
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