Just being having a think… is this genius or nonsense?

Multiplying the frame size by the Golden Ratio* gives you a ‘Golden wheel size’.

16” small frame multiplied by 1.618 gives 26” for the wheels,
17” medium frame multiplied by 1.618 gives 27.5” for the wheels,
18” large frame** multiplied by 1.618 gives 29” for the wheels.

Also your 15” jump/park bike multiplied by 1.618 gives 24” for the wheels,
If a BMX*** is 12.5” then that gives 20” wheel size.

Hooray I hear you cry… the wheel sizes finally justified and an excuse for a new 32” wheel size for XL frames!

*If you don’t know what the Golden Ratio is look it up.
**Ok so a large frame is usually larger than 18” but a lot of modern #enduro bikes do size up a bit shorter in the seat tube.
***I have no idea if BMXs are really 12.5. If not perhaps now they should be.

Why should someone buying a 16″ frame put up with the most inferior wheel size?

To abide by a concept which underpins some of the most successful designs scotrouts.

Inferior… I think the 650b marketing men have got to you.

16” small frame multiplied by 1.618 gives 26” for the wheels,
17” medium frame multiplied by 1.618 gives 27.5” for the wheels,
18” large frame** multiplied by 1.618 gives 29” for the wheels.

Are you sure you didn’t just divide the golden ratio by the wheel size to get your frame sizes 😉

Come on, fess up

Although I completely agree with you – wheel size should be based on frame size

No, it really shouldn’t.

I can see an argument for wheel size being related to rider size but how many vehicles can you think of where the size and shape of the tyres is chosen for anything but the terrain?

yes – size and shape of the TYRES should be based on terrain

Although I completely agree with you – wheel size should be based on frame size

Disagree here. Apart from really short and light riders, I don’t see why frame size or height would be linked to handling and riding style preferences, which is essentially what wheel size is about.

All these proportional wheel size bikes.. “we’ve scaled the wheels to fit the frames of this new model” – not really, you’ve just made 2 or 3 different bikes. If the wheel size made no difference to the character of the bike or didn’t have any influence on the geometry there wouldn’t be a debate or some faux science posted up every other week.

Why should someone buying a 16″ frame put up with the most inferior wheel size?

Luckily they don’t have to 😀
Feel sorry for the large bike riders though 😥

Are you sure you didn’t just divide the golden ratio by the wheel size to get your frame sizes 😉

That would have been a bit more direct.

I was looking to see if the Golden Ratio could be used to relate wheel size and frame size and popped a few numbers in Excel. I was pretty chuffed with what I stumbled upon.

I don’t think that gun is in the right proportion for the cat. Multiply the size of the cat by 1.618 for the “golden gun”

You do know that 650B isn’t 27.5″, right?

If what I think I know is correct scotrouts, the diameter of a 650b wheel including a tyre is approximately 27.5″. The exact measurement will depend on the tyre.

It is an interesting one that one.

It’s more like 27. The Marketeers prefer 27.5 because it makes it sound like more of a difference to 26 which as we all know is shit and will kill all riders of them. Also it clearly puts it between 26″ which are twitchy and 29ers which are slow so it’s perfect. Again.

🙄

If it is, then the same tyre on a 26″ wheel will be 26.5″ diameter.

That’s all going off on a bit of a tangent from the original point.

The golden ratio pops up in some interesting places.

As far as I’m aware nobody else has ever suggested using it to pick a wheel size which best complements a frame size.

As far as I’m aware nobody else has ever suggested using it to pick a wheel size which best complements a frame size.

So, back to the ‘genius or nonsense’ Q : )

shouldnt it be TT length, rather than a the random dimension of seat tube. Maybe measure the BB to saddle rails…… or does that not work with your numbers?

Just to chuck a spanner in the works, fat bikes are 26″ rims, but because of tyre come out closer to a 29er, so which size frame. It also means all road frames would have to be the same size.

I think a visit to the golden arches and counting the number of fries to the number of gherkins in you big mac would have helped you more with the golden ratio.

shouldnt it be TT length, rather than a the random dimension of seat tube. Maybe measure the BB to saddle rails…… or does that not work with your numbers?

There’s an idea. Perhaps the TT should be 1.618 times the length of the seat tube.

Where getting onto the golden frame now…

…or even more nonsense!

haha.. Funnily enough the first frame I picked, a Mondraker foxy r, has a seat tube of 380mm and a top tube which is 1.618 times longer at 615mm.

This ratio is only true for the small frame though.

Golden Foxy

That doesn’t chuck a spanner in the works Benji. Again I’m just suggesting ‘tongue in cheek’ the golden ratio could be used to suggest a wheel size which best complements a frame size. It would make sense to base this on a measurement at the outer radius of the tyre. Perhaps the width of your fat bike tyre should be 1.618 times it’s profile.

couldnt we have it in green?
gold is a rubbish colour for a frame