650C vs. 700C wheels - Need advice

Fitmiss

If you are "small" you most likely will need a WSD bike. There are several on the market. Some have 650s and other 700s. The Specialized Dolce and Trek Pilot bikes both have 700s. Check Cannondale and Bianchi's WSD bikes. Giant has an X-small frame. The size frame you need depends on how tall you are and the size of your inseam in addition to the specific bike's specs.

The problem is that there are not always a lot of WSD bikes to test ride at the LBS. It is easier to climb hills with 650 wheels but they decelerate quicker on a flat road. There are pros and cons for everything. The most important factor with any bike is that there is a proper fit. I prefered the 700C wheel and was lucky enough to find the Trek Pilot in a 50CM size that fits me perfectly. I am a "tad" under 5'2" but I think proportionately my legs are a little longer than my torso.

Regarding cadence and speed, are you and your friend in the same gear? I believe I've seen discussions about this issue (650 vs. 700 wheels) on different threads in this Women's section. Try doing a search. If it wasn't on this forum, try bikeforum.net and do a search on this issue.

Good luck.

gclark8

I am currently helping a friend find a bike, she is 4'11", and rides a MTB with slicks and 160 cranks with road gearing.

We found the Felt SR81-101 47cm 650c as Ideal for her as a first road bike, however thay are not available this year.

We have since looked at Trek 1000 WSD 650c, Felt F90-100 650c, Avanti Prima 650c as alternatives to the SR 101. The Avanti is by far the cheapest option.

If you find your bike is lower in top speed with 650 wheels, consider a change in rear cassette, say 11-23 instead of the 12-25 that most bikes come with. Or a front chainring choice of (30)/42/53 teeth and not (30)/39/52.

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Cheers,
George.

kaian

I actually just bought another bike (Trek 1500 WSD 47cm) because I was too crouched on the 1000 43cm I had and was having all kinds of problems - neck, shoulder and elbow pain. Apparently, I have a long torso and needed a longer top tube and a taller bike. I just got it today. I considered the Dolce Elite and also the Sequoia Elite (both by Specialized), but ultimately decided to stick with Trek and the 650 wheels. The fitter at the LBS made a good point. He said that as far as controlling the bike, that smaller people were better off with the smaller wheels. I used to have an Allez with 700 wheels and I have to admit, it was a little harder to handle - especially when cruising at faster speeds. There was also the toe/tire overlap problem with small frames and 700 wheels. It sucks to be making a sharp turn and having your foot rub the tire! The Sequoia was also going to be a bit long a heavy in my opinion. I kept thinking about the bike possibly weighing 1/4 of my body weight and how that would be bad going up hills!

Yeah, I may slow down quicker and I may have to work a little harder to keep up, but I pass people uphill! And that's pretty cool. I like feeling like my bike is proportionate to my body size and feeling like I control and steer the bike and not the other way around!

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2005 Kona Cinder Cone
2005 Trek 1500

esnort

I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this thread but if you are I have a question. It seems that most of you who are singing the praises of 650 wheels are shorter than I am. I'm considering a WSD frame because after years of riding my boyfriends bikes I've decided that the reach is too long. I, however, am 5' 10" and have an inseam of 34". I'm looking at a Terry Symmetry and in the size that is right for me it still has 650c wheels. I didn't expect to find this at my height. Is there any one out there who can give advice about 650c vs 700 c for a taller woman?

cmeb

I have the Trek Pilot WSD with 700 wheels, and I absolutely love it. I did turn the stem over, to lower the handle bars, and it tooks a few months of fine tuning to get comfortable.
The seat it came with had to go. I have a lot of hills where I ride, and this bike handles them great. Compared to my old bike, this one seems alot quicker, when taking off from a stop.

mikesbytes

They say that bigger wheels have an advantage over smaller wheels. The reason that there are no bigger wheels is due to regulation, otherwise the wheels would be so big that they would only suit basket ball players. Considering you height, why would you bother with 650c ?

However, a male bike is entirely unsuitable for a female as the frame is too long and more specifically the handle bars are entirely unsuitable. For most females you will not be able to reach the brakes when down on the drops and after having to put a friend of mine in an ambulance due to her not braking quick enough while doing a paceline and running into the back of another rider then hitting the ground, I highly recommend that females make sure that they can reach all of the controls from the drops, before buying.

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Little Jackie

I can't say for sure as I am only short (5') but I have a 24" wheeled mountain bike as well as my 650c road bike. The wheels on the mountain bike do spin up more quickly and although it is not a performance bike, it goes! I have upped the gearing to 12- 28 I think it is (it is 7 speed). Could be a similar scenario.

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Jackie

Road Bike: Felt F100

XS Ladies Giant Upland (modified)- see it go!
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t363004.html

60ish

I'm a little taller than you are, but have the similar long leg - short arm torso. The biggest advantage, as you know, to women specific bikes is the relatively shorter top tube some have and the longer head tube some have. Defying all logic some women specific bikes have shorter seat tubes; so be careful while you're looking; those sales people are trying to sell bikes.

Ah yes, your question, 650 wheels absolutely take more energy to go AN EQUAL distance; the distance you go with one crank spin (one wheel spin) will be less so you'll need more spins to cover the distance. However, the energy spent for one spin will be less because you went less distance. Tires will be harder to find. The re-sale will be less if you ever decide to sell it. But in the final analysis, if the bike fits you better than any before, and you feel a little better closer to the ground; it may be right for you. But if you have to make the same adjustments as your other bike, high seat post, short stem, and 50mm. of spacers on the steerer, why bother.

What are you planning to buy if I might ask. I got a Lemond set up very nicely, 90mm stem and 40mm spacers.

HOW DID A 2 YEAR OLD THREAD GET TO THE TOP OF THE LIST???

roguedog

I'm not sure how a 2 yr old thread got up to the top.. but all I can say is that it was perfect timing.

I am looking at some bikes and test rode the Trek Pilot 1.2 and noticed it was 650 wheels. I've since test rode the Specialized Dolce and Ruby.

I was just wondering about the 650 vs 700 question and lo and behold .. there's a thread on it.

I didn't/haven't noticed the toe rubbing thing yet that so many people have talked about but then I"ve only gone on some "look and see" rides.. nothing really longer than like 10-15 min.

Tks all for the info.. and I love that this forum has a women's specifc area.

gclark8

I just has afternoon tea with the GF, she is 4'10" on a bad hair day. One of the topics we discussed, at last, Giant will be importing OCRs into Australia in 2XS and 3XS sizes with 650c wheels, just like the USA!!! She is stoked!!

This means many of her friends will now be able to have an affordable Road Bike that Fits and the Wheels, bars, cranks will all be in proportion to the frame and rider!!!
http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030...asp?model=11332

If you have any questions about road speed and small wheels, feed your bike's details into this: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/ The GF's Mountain Bike with city slicks does 45kph @ 90rpm with 152mm cranks on 24" wheels!!!

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Cheers,
George.

gclark8

Seen today, a 2007 Giant OCR3W-650c 2XS size, a very pretty bike any young girl will be proud to own.

See the Giant USA page for 2XS geometry: http://www.giant-bicycle.com/us/030...asp?model=11332 This bike is on display at Runners World West Perth.

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Cheers,
George.

jcbarnett

Here's a question I'd appreciate you fine folks answering: if you switch from 700C to 650C wheels on a bike, are there any component changes that will need to be made (i.e. brakes, etc.)?? I just bought a TT bike and am considering 650C wheels vice the 700Cs that currently are on it. Thanks!!

Eden

To the best of my knowledge you cannot switch the wheel size on a given frame. The fork and rear triangle are sized for one wheel size or the other. if you tried to put 700's on a 650 bike the dropouts wouldn't reach the skewer and conversely if you tried to put 650's on a 700 bike the brakes wouldn't touch the rims. Maybe someone out there knows how to jerry rig something, but it just doesn't sound like a very good idea.