Originally Posted by
chaadster
Practically speaking, though, 20" wheeled bikes tend to be slower at spirited road riding speeds because they are under-geared and tend to put the rider in a more upright position than a racing type drop bar bike.
I have a 20"er with a 60t large chainring and an 11t rear, but while that's more gear inches than a typical Dahon folder, it's less than the Verge X20, and far less than your average 53/11 gear combo on a 700c.
I think your gearing is larger than the X20. As far as I know, the X20's largest gear is 55/11.
I have a heavily modified P18 (w/ 20 speeds)
I do a fair amount of riding with fairly decent riders on full size CF bikes w/ 700c wheels. On flats and hills I'm right there with them and often ahead of them on hills. However, on descents, I don't have a chance. It's simply impossible to keep up. They lose me every time.
I agree that it largely comes down to gearing. My largest chainring is 56 and smallest cog is 11.