Cycling UK Forum

I know this has been discussed before, and I've read the previous topics, but I've still not found an answer to my problem...

I'm getting a new tourer - it will be a general purpose machine used for rides with my son on his child seat, taking him to nursery, and touring with camping gear. I have an audax bike when I'm out on my own / with friends / going fast, etc. I envisage doing most touring in Europe (i.e., a ferry ride away, or not too long on the trin/coach), but do fancy the idea of heading off to Central Asia. Realistically (with work, family, and my climbing trips) this is not all that likely, but you never know...

Anyway, from all I've read, the only significant advantage of 26" wheels is if replacements are required in distant places. Okay, so maybe they're slightly stronger (but if a 700c wheel can be strong enough for a 29er mountain bike, it'll do me) and lighter, but I'm told the bigger wheels roll "much" better (I note the article on the Thorn website conflates wheel size with tyre size). Note that I'll be keen to use fairly fat tyres (37mm+?) initially, as all bumps go straight up the rack to the seat.

So, my question is: if I were to go with 26" wheels (in case I might want to head off into the wilds), how much difference will it really make when touring the rest of the time. The thing is, I can live with a small difference, but if it's really noticable, I'll go for better preformance on the type of riding I know I'll be doing.

One other related question - how easy is it to get replacement 26" road tyres on the continent?

Thanks,

Andy.

I used a racing mountain bike for touring running on 1.5 inch tyres and reckoned that it was about 30 min slower on 100 TRT. If you want 2.25 inch tyres for rough roads and 1.25 inch slicks for tarmac, than the 26 inch wheel is for you. If travelling in the third world, note that the norm there is a 26"x1 3/8 wheel, which is a totally different rim size (590mm instead of 559mm). The mountain bike size 26" is, however, becoming more readily available everywhere, as the younger generation go for off-road bikes.

If you envisage it to be a pannier lugger and you already have an audax bike I'd go for MTB wheels. For general use and weekends away 700c are fine. You will notice the difference unloaded but with camping gear the bigger airpockets make life much easier (everything else being equal).

glueman wrote:You will notice the difference unloaded but with camping gear the bigger airpockets make life much easier (everything else being equal).

So, is there a good reason not to go for 700c wheels with fat tyres? I notice the Marathons go up to 42-622 (700x40c). Would these not only cushion nicely, but also roll over the bumps more smoothly?

AndyB wrote:
So, is there a good reason not to go for 700c wheels with fat tyres? I notice the Marathons go up to 42-622 (700x40c). Would these not only cushion nicely, but also roll over the bumps more smoothly?

There's no reason not to go for 700c wheels if you can get quality large section tyres and your bike has the room to take them, with guards. There aren't many traditional touring bikes that have the space for really fat covers.
I've toured on both and the issue with camping gear is having to pump 100psi+ by hand to avoid pinch punctures on 700's. Fatter section tyres in both diameters enable you to take more liberties with pressure which means nothing on day rides but is invaluable on extended tours. Cube the principle on a tandem
Like you I take no pleasure in working harder than necessary and as a consequence my tourer is used less than other bikes but for kitchen sink camping I wouldn't use anything less. For less focussed duties I'd go for 700c.

That makes sense - thanks. I'm getting the frame built (Dave Yates) so I can get the clearances if I want. But if you think the difference is not noticeable when touring, it might be easier to go for 26".

AndyB wrote:That makes sense - thanks. I'm getting the frame built (Dave Yates) so I can get the clearances if I want. But if you think the difference is not noticeable when touring, it might be easier to go for 26".

There are differences, 26" wheels roll noticably less well on unloaded bikes (IMO) and handling may seem quicker, like for like. These are absorbed to insignificance with four panniers aboard. You have to ask yourself how often you'll go camping compared to other riding. Since the children arrived my bike has done very little heavy touring.
If you go for a week once a year plus the odd weekend, spec which ever wheels you prefer it'll hardly matter and you might use the bike more with 700's. If most weekends will see you with a tent I'd use MTB tyres.

This is why I'm finding it such a difficult decision!

At the moment I'm using the bike more or less daily, with at least part of the riding loaded (with 12kg child, plus seat, so not wildly different from lightish panniers), plus the odd weekend ride with family, a two week main holiday (again with my son on back, trailer for the gear) and maybe another week sometime. For day rides I use my Audax bike. The thing is, he'll have outgrown the child seat by next summer (I guess) and I'm unlikely to do much touring that isn't with the family. We're planning on getting a tandem at some point, at which time the tourer will be used more for everyday stuff than touring.

You are tipping me more towards the 700c's though. There is just this nagging idea of heading off to Central Asia, where 26" would give a definite advantage (by all accounts)...

Thanks again!

I'm getting the frame built (Dave Yates)

Problem's solved then....just get him to build you a bike that has disc mounts and you can have two pairs of wheels, 26 & 700 and swap and change as your heart desires

If money were no object a custom 953 with clearances for those ultralight kevlar beaded 37mm tyres (Vredestein? can't remember) and a matching trailer would be nice. Audax or trans-continental trips, no worries. The bank manager would probably disagree.

glueman wrote:If money were no object...

If only! By the way, what size tyres do you use on the 26" tourer (width obviously!)?

If third world touring is only a pipe-dream (perhaps rendered even less probable by rising price of oil, hence long-haul flights, not to mention the greenhouse gases) and all your actual travels will be in Europe: 700C is the way to go.

They do roll easier, but tyre availability and choice is the main reason. Actually, it's the main reason they roll easier. Some of the best touring tyres are not made in 26in, or are only made in a vastly fatter section that will not accept a high enough pressure to deliver comparable ease of progress on tarmac.

Owners of 26in wheeled road bikes are reliant upon a very small number of suitable tyres. Ten years ago it seemed possible that the choice would improve, but it hasn't. The Germanic touring market (including Holland, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland) is much more important than UK/USA etc. and very fond of its 28in wheels (what they call 700C), ensuring that the mass-market touring tyre size remains 37-622.

So although its possible to get something similar in 559, it'll have to be ordered from a specialist supplier. And whilst you'll be able to buy tyres to fit your rims at any shop, the choice is unlikely to include somethig 1.5in wide with a touring tread. Even slim 26in tubes can be a bit hard to find.

AndyB wrote:

glueman wrote:If money were no object...

If only! By the way, what size tyres do you use on the 26" tourer (width obviously!)?

The maximum size it will take is 1.75 - at the back, the front will take larger tyres. Usually I run 1.5mm.

CJ wrote:So although its possible to get something similar in 559, it'll have to be ordered from a specialist supplier. And whilst you'll be able to buy tyres to fit your rims at any shop, the choice is unlikely to include somethig 1.5in wide with a touring tread. Even slim 26in tubes can be a bit hard to find.

Thanks CJ - that was a worry. I'm sure that most of my touring will be in Europe, so that will probably settle it. Now I just need to decide how much clearance to ask for...

glueman wrote:The maximum size it will take is 1.75 - at the back, the front will take larger tyres. Usually I run 1.5mm.

...perhaps up to 40mm or thereabouts?

CJ makes a fair point, northern europeans on their hybrids have ensured chunky 700s are the nearest thing to a standard touring tyre on the continent. Their riders will normally be found aboard volume produced flat bar bikes with all the clearances worked out. If you take the custom route ensure there's sufficient gaps all round (fork crown, cranked stays) or your tourer might end up with 32mm or even 28mm tyres once a healthy mudguard space is included. This might mean some careful choosing by your builder, I'd want minimum 40mm, preferably 42mm tyre possibilities. Conservatism may mean they'll disuade you from such a beast though I doubt Dave Yates would be guilty of that.

If you were on a world tour I'd go for a mountain bike anyhow, in steel, that could take knobbly MTB tyres if required.