[Closed] Will road bikes ever get bigger wheels?

Larger wheels have already been done on road bikes many years ago.

Not if the UCI don't allow them in competition...

Cheers,
Jamie

No ...they have THE perfect size wheels now for a bicycle

Road bike wheels got smaller they are 622 now used to be 630 or in old money 700c now used to be 27 inch

Ignoring the UCI

make wheels bigger and you will have to make the wheelbase longer, Overlap is a real issue on road bikes now.

As you can't really make the top tube any longer the only thing to do is kick the headangle out or change the fork.

Basically your going to screw up the handling, and what do you gain?

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and before you suggest a bigger back wheel.

I was just going to look for Mosers hour bike ,you saved me the trouble

I hope they do, because seeing really tall people on road bikes looks ridiculous, makes it look like they have 20" wheels.

No need to. The road equivalent of 650B is discs... the industry is now telling us we 'need' disc brakes (which just happens to mean whole new bikes) 😉

if you believe all the brompton fanboi hype we'll have SMALLER not bigger wheels on road bikes.

As brooess says though, the "game changer" (ie. need to buy new everything) in road bikes is likely to be discs, as soon as the UCI sanction it for racing.

Odd that - I have never felt the need for disc brakes on a road bike.

On a mountain bike I can see the advantage of being able to stop on a dime (or 10p piece depending on your location) but on a road bike?

Of course that won't stop the marketeers giving it a damned good go and the STW'ers to debate it to death in countless threads such as 'Do I need disc brakes on my roadie? - a slightly different angle'.

Oh I can't wait...

Cheers

Danny B

but on a road bike?

Maybe because i've always ridden mtb's and have only just got a road bike, but I literally HATE how poor the brakes seem to be on the road bike, especially in the wet. The sooner I can afford to do something about it the better!

On discs: I use my Tricross Disc as a winter bike / go anywhere / tourer and discs are definitely a good idea. Agreed thought that for pure summer road riding discs would add unnecessary weight.

dannybgoode - Member
Odd that - I have never felt the need for disc brakes on a road bike.

Me neither really.

But now I have them (on my CX bike that I use for road too but it very much blurring the lines between what is a CX bike and what is a road bike), I find that my 'proper' road bike's brakes are a bit lacking in feel in comparison. They're still ok of course, just not quite as good as what else is out there.

Now, I'm not going to rush out to change my road bike frame to one which will take discs but when the time does come to replace the frame/fork, I'll probably be looking to make the switch unless there ends up being a 'no-disc' rule that might cause problems (though I can't see myself road racing any time in the future now).

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Current road (700c) = 622 ERD
Old road 27" = 630 ERD
Rod brake roadsters (700B) 28" = 635 ERD

I've got bikes with those sizes. With standard tyres of around 25-35mm, the biggest wheels (28") feel the best to ride on our battered roads.

Although my 29er (700c) with 2.35" Big Apples eclipses all - it has the largest overall diameter - and is my first choice for an enjoyable ride over any distance.

Discussion about performance and speed I'll leave to the seriously fast, I'm just about enjoying the ride.

Was looking at some SRAM raod disc brakes a month ago. Resevoir makes the hood huge. I'm running Ksyrium wheels with the exalith rims which, stop much quicker than conventional rims and are great in the wet.

I cant change to disc brakes yet, most of my road bike still use 1 inch threaded steerers and one has downtube shifters .I need time to catch up!

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Way to hi-jack the thread guys. If everyone wants to discuss discs on road bikes shouldn't you start a new topic on it? Just saying for the OP's sake.

Given that the starting point was actually

I mean there must be some cash to be made out of roadies

I'd say that discussing discs on road bikes is bang on topic 😉

Can't see discs on road bikes taking off until the premium names like Bianchi start doing disc frames...

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[url= http://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/bianchi-unveil-oltre-xr2-disc-as-part-of-revamped-2014-range.html ]Boom![/url]

Like clubber, I have a disc CX bike that I use on the road and I find I quite like being able to stop, even when it is rainy and muddy.

I guess the big win for "true" roadies is that discs means they can run lighter carbon rims with no braking surface. Plus they won't be grinding down £2k rims every time they brake!

officialtob - Member

If a car pulls out right in front of me while I'm doing 30mph, I want to be able to stop. On a 5p piece. Regardless of the bike.

That doesn't require discs, though. My "road" bike has canti mounts, so I fitted BMX Vs, standard cheapo pads, running on Open Pros. The limiting factor's the tyres not the brakes, in all conditions.

So maybe the actual need is for road brakes that don't suck donkey balls 😉

Well in a sense but it's the same as with mtbs IME - discs vs Vs. It's not a question of power, more the control.

Maybe they will get smaller! the fastest bike uses 24" wheels ... http://www.varnahandcycles.com/press1.htm

The limiting factor's the tyres not the brakes, in all conditions.

All?

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[img] ?w=640&h=426[/img]

😀

All?

I'd say so yes, as both brake tracks are totally clear of mud...

Gah, it blocked my first image:
http://thevirtualmusette.com/posts/2007/11/20/dirty-bike-clothes.html

I'd say so yes, as both brake tracks are totally clear of mud...

Yeah.. spotless.. 😆

Not if the UCI don't allow them in competition...

Back to the OP, apparently big wheels on road bikes [i]are[/i] catching on:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2013/jun/10/penny-farthings-making-comeback

GrahamS - Member

All?

That doesn't look that much like road riding! (but taking it seriously for a mo, it still works, I bet 10p that in those conditions I'd run out of tyre grip before brake power. With my Pro3s 🙂 )

So have MTBers been conned then?
Why do we [i]need[/i] disc brakes while our tarmac cousins travelling at much higher speeds don't?

That doesn't look that much like road riding!

Second pic (in the link) is apparently a Roubaix road race. Surprisingly messy. But even the pros get bad weather:

[img] [/img]

😀

if you believe all the brompton fanboi hype we'll have SMALLER not bigger wheels on road bikes.

"As a radical design, the Moulton bicycle - the first small-wheeled adult bicycle - needed credibility in the market and Alex Moulton realised the importance of this when planning the launch of the bicycle in 1962. Aided by his Marketing Manager David Duffield, himself a record-breaking cyclist, several riders were actively supported by Moulton. Coventry CC pursuit team were unstoppable on the track, their Moultons allowing them to keep in a tight group to reduce aerodynamic drag; road riders benefited from the reduced aerodynamic drag of the small wheels and, with reputation established, the Moulton became acceptable to the most discerning club cyclists. Following the introduction of the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) rule 1.3.018, Moultons are not permitted in road-racing events - this is why you never see them in events like the Tour de France - but they are still used in time-trials and for ultra-distance events. "

http://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/heritage.html#recordsracing

I hope they do, because seeing really tall people on road bikes looks ridiculous, makes it look like they have 20" wheels.

Oi! I resemble that remark!

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I think the problem with disks could be the weight. The brakes weigh more, and you also need more spokes/heavier build to trasfer the braking forces from the hub to the rim? I have noticed road bikes with discs dont have radially spoked front wheels. Just look at that Bianchi.

Discs weigh more but the rim is lighter.
The rim has more rotating inertia as its further from the centre so it makes sense to move the weight further in.
I'm no expert at all but I'll buy into the disc arguments.

Too tall, where did you get that, was it a custom job? Whats your inside leg?

I'd love a bike that fitted:)

Too tall, where did you get that, was it a custom job? Whats your inside leg?

It is a 27" Cannondale tourer from 1987 - and came from a fellow tall rider (Agency_Scum) when he found another 27" bike he wanted to do up.
I'm 6'7" with a 40" standover, so this is a good bike - other than being a bit of a harsh ride with that large ali tubing.

TooTall, it does look like it's got baby wheels on.

Out of interest, what size wheels would it need to make it look proportionally correct?

I'd have thought bigger wheels on road bikes would make the most sense on tourers where steady speed performance and comfort would take precedence over acceleration and low weight. However, tourers are a small sector of the market and in my experience not ridden by the sort of people who would chop in a perfectly good bike to be part of the latest fad, hence it would not be worth any manufacturer's investment in R&D and tooling.

Well...this is a 6'10" guy riding a 36er designed by someone my height. I think the proportions look about right.

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[url= http://dirtysixer.wordpress.com/ ]http://dirtysixer.wordpress.com/[/url]

I'd have thought bigger wheels on road bikes would make the most sense on tourers where steady speed performance and comfort would take precedence over acceleration and low weight.

Interestingly, tourers often come with smaller (26") wheels for strength.

32 inch wheeled go-anywhere bike? Another niche for Surly to fill?
How about a 32 inch Cross Check?

A few years ago a mate of mine had a custom road bike built by Dave lloyd who was doing research into wheel size at the time and concluded 26" was best for road racing [!]. Unfortunately my mate is 6' 4" and the bike looked really weird and even weirder with him on it. Needless to say he bought a 700c bike shortly after although I think the Lloydy still lurks in his cellar.

Discs weigh more but the rim is lighter.
The rim has more rotating inertia as its further from the centre so it makes sense to move the weight further in.
I'm no expert at all but I'll buy into the disc arguments

Disc/aero rims are generally heavier than standard rims, but are considered faster. Far heavier disc hubs, lumps of cast alloy and discs are considered less aero.
But what will be will be. Personally I think discs look vile, prefer concealed.

Disc/aero rims are generally heavier than standard rims, but are considered faster. Far heavier disc hubs, lumps of cast alloy and discs are considered less aero.
But what will be will be. Personally I think discs look vile, prefer concealed

I really like the Magura hydro rim brakes, they look many awesums. Don't know how they work though.

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