Originally Posted by
BCRider
Well put Rolla. And totally agree.
A big part of why the early MTB's went with 26" is to avoid toe strikes against the front tire when turning on the trails.
The earliest MTB's were long-wheelbase Schwinn Excelsior single-speed cruisers with 26" wheels. All the subsequent moutain bike designs were developed based on those original bikes. As someone who sold Schwinn, Bianchi, Cannondale, Specialized, and Trek mountain bikes beginning in the early 1980s (from the first year that each company hopped on the MTB bandwagon), I can confirm that the issue of potential toe overlap never crossed anyone's mind in those days. Why would it?