26 inch Wheel Or 700C Wheel for torring?

[amelia_hart]

I am planing to buy a lovely thorn bike (hooray!) and I am unsure whether to go for a 26 inch or 700 cc wheel. Presently I have 700cc wheels and really enjoy riding my bike, but I am trying to think practically about the long term and which wheel is better for touring.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

Many thanks,

Amelia

[georgew]

I am planing to buy a lovely thorn bike (hooray!) and I am unsure whether to go for a 26 inch or 700 cc wheel. Presently I have 700cc wheels and really enjoy riding my bike, but I am trying to think practically about the long term and which wheel is better for touring.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

Many thanks,

Amelia

I think that for a woman rider it may be better to go for the 26" wheel in that the reduced top-tube length required for most female riders, can sometimes cause some toe overlap. Certainly frame-builders who specialise in building frames for women tend to favour this choice because of this problem.
You can't go wrong with one of Thorn's 26" wheeled tourers as both the Sherpa and the Nomad are tough and extremely comfortable bikes.

[glueman]

If you're serious about touring, meaning camping or regular use of loaded panniers I'd go for 26". If club rides or weekends away are your thing I'd opt for 700c.
If you're 5' 5" or less there's a reasonable case to be made for 26's as well.

[amelia_hart]

Hey Georgew and glueman,

Thanks for the advice, I think I am going to go with the 26inch wheel as I am pretty serious (in my book) about long distance touring. (even if i can't spell touring some times!)

About the top tube, I went down to Bridgewater to have a chat about frame size and the like as I thought I would need a shorter top tube but found out that I actually need the long one e.g. 535L as i am 5.8.

I was just really taken with an Club Tour Used Solo that they have in stock at SJS Cycles and was toying with buying a club instead of the Shera, but I think you are both right 26 inch wheels are the way forward.

Thanks so much for your input.

Amelia

[glueman]

At 5'8" Amelia, you could ride what wheel size you like. Remember Thorn are the leading polemicists for MTB sized wheels for everything, so keep an open mind. Don't think I'm against the size, my cycle camper has 26" wheels but it would be a good idea to work out what percentage of your time will be spent in loaded touring.
It's something only you can answer.

Narrow, quality 26's (say 32mm and below) are a bit thin on the ground if you decide you want to bomb everywhere with your local chain gang.