In NAs, it seems that the 26” rim size is dominant, with any holdouts riding 700c wheels.
From a cursory glance at the Bikes of Polo thread, it seems like a lot of Euro players are using 650b wheels (or at least a higher percentage than in NA). I’m curious as to why that might be.
If you use 650b, what led you to that decision? Is it a “best of both worlds” balance between 26 and 700? something else?
There are some pros for bigger and some for smaller wheels, I’ll try to summarize everything I can think of at the moment:
Pros for smaller wheels:
-lower weight (in theory)
-easier to accelerate
-higher angular stability
-turns easier
-higher braking force due to mechanical advantage
Pros for bigger wheels:
-more area for blocking shots
-keeps more momentum
-wide availability for fast rolling tires (650b/700c)
There are probably some more on each side that I’m forgetting right now, but I guess 650B seems to mark a good compromise for many people…
And also let’s not forget the actual wheel sizes are much more gradual than that as you need to consider tire width as well. A thick tire on a 26" rim can have the same outer diameter as a thin tire on 28" (matter of fact, road 28" and MTB 29" use the same rim diameter)
I think 650b is the perfect Wheelsize for Polo because its still way bigger than 26 but also quicker and more agile than 700… for really tall people it makes sense to play 700. Also its reasonable that even 650 is “too big” for some people… But I really think 650b is the best for the majority of players… Its not so easy to get good tires like for 700 but still…
Idk why its not that common in the US, probably they will figure it out soon (:
Cheers
Levin
I went from 26" to 650b because my 26" ended under a car and Stolen proposed me an interesting price on a new frameset and 650b was a condition for it. They were sure that they would do a geometry that would be good for the small guy like me and … They did it perfectly.
I’ve also switched from 26" to 650b because 26" seemed to be dying (hard to find with rims and tyres, Mavic EN521 with Maxxis detonator 26x1.25 for me). At the end, 5 years later you can still find very good stuff for both 26" and 650b.
I’ll be very honest : i’ve never felt any difference between 26" and 650b because both geometry of my 26" and 650b framesets were very good.
Nothing really surprising if you look at the numbers :
26" rim = 559mm, add a 1.25" tyre (32mm) and you have a theoretical radius at : 311.5mm
650b rim = 584mm, add a 28mm tyre and you have a theoretical radius at : 320mm
8.5m of radius is nothing that light components and a good geometry can’t compensate.
Anyway, I understand very well all the physical and theoretical discussions about speed, acceleration, maneuverability but I still can’t do half of what Luca Semeraro (just a bit taller than me) can do with a 10 years old 700c and a pair of ******* heavy 48 spokes wheels … So … I guess the best choice is the one you are happy with !