LHT sizing and wheels Fix it, repair it, how do I do it, what's the best part to use, and now: how do I get there?

[tehschkott]

Dutch Bikes is now selling Surly. Woot. I'm ordering my LHT from them.

Our good friend mr Nygard was kind enough to do my official measurements since, gee why not, and where I thought I was supposed to be riding 56 - 58's, by the numbers it looks like I should be at about a 54-56cm. Didn't see that one coming.

To the point. 54's come with 26in wheels, and 56's come with 700c. Are there benefits to 26 inch wheels? Drawbacks? I know a couple guys that swear by them and go out of their way to get bikes with them, others not so much. I really have no idea one way or the other.

I'm leaning towards 56 simply because 700c are ubiquitous and standard.

Opinions?

(I'm already aware of the Long Haul Trucker Motherfuckers official position on 26in wheels kthx).

[zuvembi]

Pros:

26" wheels are stronger - simply a function of the physics of it. A smaller wheel is stronger than a larger wheel given the same number of spokes and similar materials and design.

Wider tires easily available, not as true for 700c

Cons:

You'll need wider tires to get the same cushioning effect you would get on a thinner tire at 700c. Tire suspension is a function of volume.

You need to gear higher to get 'road gearing' out of 26" wheels. i.e, the wheels are smaller, so you need a bigger cassette / chainrings.

Edit: I personally would go for 700c, but that's because almost all my bikes are. Only the Xtracycle is 26".

[henry]

[joeball]

[jeff]

[tehschkott]

[the dreaded ben]

[joby]

[Alex]

[lantius]

[koos42]

[henry]

[surlykat]

[SeditiousCanary]