I have an older road bike with 27" wheels ... I'm wondering, why did the road bike world move to 700c? Is it more efficient, or does it stay true better, or what?
Thanks!
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It's metric.
The U.K. and the U.S. were the only countries using inches. Now the U.K. is using metric measurement. There was no reason to continue manufacturing wheels in different sizes for different markets, and it probably saves the manufacturers money throughout the industry to have one standard size.
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quote:and it probably saves the manufacturers money throughout the industry to have one standard size...yeah, but if there's one thing the bike tire industry DOESN'T have, it's standardization. Check out Sheldon Brown's site about tire sizes, it's mind-bogling. Anyhow, ranting aside, another big reason is that the 700C clincher is (supposed to be) the same diameter as the standard sewup/tubular. Big benefit for both the bike builders and especially for racers since you could easily swap one for the other and leave the brakes as they were...say, if you wanted to train on clinchers but race on tubs. And the first lightweight clinchers were French products (Module E and Rigida) so they were certainly going to make them metric, metric IS French.
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Originally Posted by unworthy1
quote:and it probably saves the manufacturers money throughout the industry to have one standard size...yeah, but if there's one thing the bike tire industry DOESN'T have, it's standardization. Check out Sheldon Brown's site about tire sizes, it's mind-bogling.
I know. However, the vast majority of bikes come in two flavors: 700c, and 26". Now, let's take one manufacturer making one model. Let's say the ACME GoFast. Instead of making some bikes for the American market, with cantilever posts set at 27", and some bikes for the European market, with cantilever posts set at 700c, ACME makes all bikes the same. ACME only has to make one bike (albeit in different frame sizes), and can sell that bike anywhere in the world. That results in lower costs for ACME.
Anyhow, ranting aside, another big reason is that the 700C clincher is (supposed to be) the same diameter as the standard sewup/tubular. Big benefit for both the bike builders and especially for racers since you could easily swap one for the other and leave the brakes as they were...say, if you wanted to train on clinchers but race on tubs. And the first lightweight clinchers were French products (Module E and Rigida) so they were certainly going to make them metric, metric IS French.
See what I mean? Standardization results in benefits for both the manufacturers and consumers.
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Originally Posted by Blue Order
It's metric.
The U.K. and the U.S. were the only countries using inches. Now the U.K. is using metric measurement. There was no reason to continue manufacturing wheels in different sizes for different markets, and it probably saves the manufacturers money throughout the industry to have one standard size.
True, but to me the ultimate irony is that the one surviving bottom bracket standard is 1-3/8" x 24 TPI. The Swiss standard made the most sense by far, being a purely metric 35x1mm, with a self-tightening left-threaded fixed cup, but it's the rarest of all. Go figure ...
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Originally Posted by lukathonic
why did the road bike world move to 700c?
Actually, it didn't. The "road bike world" was using that size since the 19th century. Dunlop introduced the 630 mm (27 inch) size sometime in the 1950s for marketing reasons, but it never caught on outside of English speaking countries, and in the 1980s it was pretty much abandoned.
Originally Posted by Blue Order
There was no reason to continue manufacturing wheels in different sizes for different markets, and it probably saves the manufacturers money throughout the industry to have one standard size.
Right.
Sheldon "Does Anybody Else Have A Rambouillet With 630 (27 inch) Wheels?" Brown
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