24inch and 26inch rear wheel opinions

Danschutz

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Yes I searched!

So Im hovering over my keyboard just itching to order my parts and the last thing Im pondering is using a 24in wheel instead of the 26in wheel in back keeping the 26in wheel up front.

Benefits of the smaller diameter is more torque, higher efficiency in a DD and lower center of gravity.
Downsides are, slightly slower speeds, steeper angle on bumps and possible peddle clearance in corners.

I like the idea of using less watts overall with the smaller wheel and bumping the volts to add a little more top end.
Recently as some of you know Ive been bouncing from 48v to 72v and now I have a email in to Paul about building me a 60v battery
seems to be a reasonable compromise between battery size and top speed. I think with a 60v battery (Paul usually makes them run
a bit higher voltage) would get me into a comfortable 35mph and using the sim tool it seems to be more efficient.

My question is for those that have replaced a stock 26 inch wheel with a 24in is do you like it? Did it change the cornering ability much?
Have you caught a peddle in a corner? Would you recommend this over a 26in motor?

My plan is to put this on a full suspension bike but I haven't had a ton of luck finding the right used one so possibly a hardtail and I should include
my GT Dyno Cruiser into the mix of possibilities. The downside to the Dyno is the dropouts will need to be spread to fit the wheel but I had to
do that with my other Dyno when I motorized it.

Thanks...............Again!

Dan L.
 
Going from a 26" wheel to a 24", rear only, on a hardtail, will result in little difference on any of the parameters that you have mentioned.
Most 24" tires will be taller than a 26" tire and the overall diameter is not much less.
My first conversion was a very tall FS Mnt-bike and I swapped both ends out to lower the seat height. It made a difference, but peddle strikes become a problem(the soft rear suspension contributed). I had to change out the BB to be able to use shorter cranks.
As far as changing the overall gear ratio and the effects to motor system performance, there may have been some small changes, but not really enough to notice.
I could have analysed the data from the C.A., but my motivation was mainly lowering the seat height.
 
I'm in the same boat 3540 24' wheel or 3525 26' wheel or just keep with what I have and go with 3540 and the 26' wheels?
 
I can't help with experience with 24" but I can say that I greatly enjoy my HS3540 + 26" combo. Yeah it might be fractionally more efficient with a smaller wheel, but frankly I haven't found efficiency to be particularly important. Fuel (kwh) is exceptionally affordable and as long as your battery is adequately sized for your expected journey, who cares whether you charge for 30 or 32 minutes?

Too slow? Turn up current! The only circumstances where efficiency seems to come into it would be trying to stick to the ridiculously low arbitrary limitations many countries place on assist. Or if you have a very weak battery. You can easily make it 'fast enough' despite 'compromises' in efficiency.
 
What are you using the bike for, to get around in general or are you lookin to go off road, 24 would be better in my opinion for both as long as you can find the tyres you need, Im running Maxxis Hookworms on my rear 24" and they are 2.5" wide so that makes the circumference 2005mm wheich is the same size as a 26" but they dont make those tyres anymore in 24" but there are a few other nice road tyres out there.

If your looking to do off roading then go the 24" as there are many knobby tyres out there around the 2.2 to 2.4 " that you can use.
 
Good info guys, thanks.

TotalConfusion said:
What are you using the bike for, to get around in general or are you lookin to go off road, 24 would be better in my opinion for both as long as you can find the tyres you need, Im running Maxxis Hookworms on my rear 24" and they are 2.5" wide so that makes the circumference 2005mm wheich is the same size as a 26" but they dont make those tyres anymore in 24" but there are a few other nice road tyres out there.

If your looking to do off roading then go the 24" as there are many knobby tyres out there around the 2.2 to 2.4 " that you can use.

About 15 percent of my riding will be off road, pretty flat stuff overall. Im looking at the Cheng Shin Cyclops tires in 2.4 width. Nearly the same as the Hookworms that were discontinued in 24's.

I also like the feel of more torque compared to top end speed that's why I figure 35 top end with torque is a good compromise.

The simulator shows the 24 inch wheel as being more efficient.

My only fear are manufacturers discontinuing more 24 inch tires like the Cyclops...

Dan L.
 
I recently went through this same dilemma! I decided to go with the 24 rear on my 4060 motor I'm about to order..

One major benefit for me going to 24" rear is being able to use a much larger and higher volume tire, like a 3".. should increase comfort and stability dramatically on a hardtail. There are drawbacks too.. such as the limited overall tire selecton, bit sad to see that the 24 hookworms are now hard to find.. but I still feel there are enough tires to keep me happy (for now).
 
Fast motors are happier with much better reliability in a 24" wheel. If you are gonna ride a 26" on the front, you need to select a bike that handle good with a 24" on the rear, or mod one to proper geometry. Riding both 24" wheels, you only need to buy a shorter crank. DH racing frames that are made with variable geometry settings are making the 24" option very easy to tune, they are expansive but very good rides at high power and speed.

A slow motor in a 26" wheel is making the best off road ride by far, and offers the largest choice of tires.
 
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