3speed

How Does that happen? I still can't figure out how we went up hill 80% of the time for over a week in WA... We began and ended at sea level. It should have been equal!

Madison, WI also has a weird phenomenon where no matter what direction you're riding, there's always a *&#* headwind!

TiHabanero

"Madison, WI also has a weird phenomenon where no matter what direction you're riding, there's always a *&#* headwind! "

Amen, brother. West Michigan seemed that way to me until a few years ago when I figured out that land and sea breezes do affect inland wind direction as well. Now I head east or west depending upon the time of day to take advantage of tailwinds created by the Big Lake.

tcs

World's fastest bicycle. 296kph. 17" wheels. Call it.

djb

the only reason I can think of wheels that size was for strengthness?

I remember seeing that report of the record, and wondering how the tires could handle that speed. I mean, these arent motorcycle tires, designed for these speeds.....pretty wild the whole thing. Especially for me as I have ridden a motorcycle over 260kph, but on a bicycle at 30 klicks more, on a salt flat, behind a dragster......just absolutely bonkers and scary up the ying yang.

fietsbob

No in the Old King's Navy it's Rum, sodomy and the lash . .. but you do get your ration of Grog.

cyccommute 

fietsbob

650 B was already long running ,...in France now AKA 27.5"

djb

for rolling over stuff off road, I get the larger circumference thing. And the 27.5 being in between is a logical adjustment, but for touring, I really like how the faster steering thing that 26 tends to have compared to 700, makes my troll steer nice and reasonably quickly loaded. I know frame geometry plays a part, but I really do like how my bike steers on downhills and is nice avoiding holes and such.

thumpism 

Hey, it might be flat but it's not rectangular.

skidder

You might want to find the build specs for her bicycle (they're on YouTube and more detailed on the web). Those 17 inch wheels were built to motorcycle standards (as was the fork's suspension system).

Regarding motorcycles, bicycles, and wheel sizes - motocross motorcycles went to smaller wheels a while back. That was probably to allow for more suspension travel, at higher speeds, over rough ground. Don't see why 26 inch wheels on bicycles would be any different and why 29r wheels give any advantage on rough ground; more tire travel per wheel revolution, but that's about it.

Now back to my flat earth worship.

badger1

Precisely. Factual accuracy is important in these matters. Below is an artist's rendition predicated on a rigorous review of current scientific knowledge. Caveat: experts disagree as to whether elephants or hippos provide the secondary support; at present the Elephantists are in the majority.

badger1

I hope so (#notkidding). Still have, love, and ride my old NORBA-geometry 26er on/off road with no issues. Would like to see a comeback.

thumpism 

I'm particularly impressed that you would not be able to sail off the edge, as is popularly believed, because the thin ribbon of Antarctica on that edge that would prevent sailing off. That's what we learned at More Science High School.

badger1

One can only hope that this is the case.

But staying on-topic: I think that this state of affairs is also one more argument, paradoxically, for the inherent superiority of the 559 wheel-size.

If it is true, as proponents of 29/27.5 argue, that the latter wheels 'roll more easily over bumps', then the conclusion is obvious. When one on a world-tour bumps up against that protective barrier around the edges of this beautiful planet, one is less likely inadvertently to roll over that barrier on a 26er than on a 27.5er or 29er.

Tourist in MSN

I used to advise bike buyers that if they wanted narrow tires on a touring bike, buy 700c, as it was easy to find narrow tires but hard to find good touring tires wider than about 37mm wide and if they wanted wider tires, buy 26 inch (559mm), selection of tires narrower than 40mm was poor but wider was good. Then they started making wider 700c mountain bike tires and some wider non-nobbies soon followed. So the theory of wheel selection based on tire width was not a good method any more.

But, I will say that all my 700c bikes that have fenders give me a toe overlap problem, but none of my 26 inch wheel bikes with fenders have any toe overlap.

And my S&S bike has 26 inch wheels which makes it easier to pack, but if you are not packing wheels in a 26 inch case, that criteria does not matter to you.

For rolling over stuff or for quick steering or anything else, I really can't tell much difference between 26 inch (559) and 700c. If you can tell the difference, good for you but to me they handle the same.

I regularly ride some 700c bikes and some 26 inch wheel bikes, when I go for a ride or plan a tour I do not choose based on diameter, I choose based on other factors. Today I went for a 20 mile exercise ride, it was easy to pick a bike today as I only have one bike with studded tires on both front and rear, and it is really icy outside today.

thumpism 

But if on 26s and determined to proceed one would be well advised to have serious knobbies, chains or even studs in order to make forward progress, at least until gravity finally took over.

tcs

Hmph, Flat Earth Reformed. Flat Earth Orthodox believe that Australia and Antarctica (shown on your flat map) are fictional conspiracies, and the people who claim they live there are paid actors.

tcs

Have.

...on that bicycle...

Ayep.

tcs

36er is a thing.

thumpism 

I know all about that kind of stuff. A friend of mine has long maintained that South Dakota is a hoax perpetrated by the United States government. I mean, I've been there and they fooled me.

3speed

Lemond1985

Yeah, I saw a YT video from a flat-earther who claimed that the JFK assassination was faked, staged by crisis actors. The video's narrator says JFK was wearing an exploding wig or toupee, so it only *looked* like a fatal headshot. And that this segment was ingeniously spliced into the Zapruder film after it passes the street sign. So apparently JFK is still alive.



You learn something new every day ...

tcs

Nope. EA3.

cyccommute 

djb

well you have a ton more off road experience than me, and that makes sense too. I suspect that frame designs are much more planted that older stuff. I relate that comment to motorcycles, and how the very infrequent times I get to ride a modern motorcycle, it's amazing how the chassis and suspension are just light years ahead of older stuff for them being so much more stable and planted and secure at speed and around corners. I suspect that mtbs have had the same advances, so any downsides of wheels are offset-- again, conjecture on my part.

clearly though for my very average touring speeds, I just don't see a downside to 26 for the mostly road riding I do and moderate dirt stuff I encounter.