Cheers James,
If it was for me, I’d go big, but the it’s mrs r’s, bought so she can spend less effort keeping up in groups and have an easier time on the hills and clipping along on the flat. Current bike is the noughties steel 26″ clockwork ltd. reissue jobby. Fun when the trail points down, but there’s something about it that means it drags, rides heavy, could be the actual weight, tubing, geometry, bearings, the tiny, tiny, outmoded wheels…
Wary of taking the Swift build too far down the “handles great, just needs a bit of effort to get it moving/up the hills” as that’s what we’re trying to get away from. The Swift is already a step down that road, but she tried one and liked the ride, liked the looks, didn’t like pulling the dually/knard combo up the hills. Thunder Burts on my stans 340s felt much easier, but more skittish.
I guess one option is to build up a blunt 35 wheelset, if she doesn’t get on with them, we can find something lighter for her and I can save the blunts for the odd occasion when I might need to take it out for a “safety check”.