700c vs 26"

Moriarty said:

If you'll pardon the question, I'd like to know what the difference is
between a 700c wheel and a 26 inch wheel.
Does 700c mean 700 cm?

Yes those are the 7 metre high wheels that you see out on the road, the clearance will not let them on many roads so you may not have seen many of them. They have to stay on the OD truck routes and have a high load lead and follow vehicle.

See also
sheldonbrown.comtire sizing.htmlOpen ↗

"Moriarty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

If you'll pardon the question, I'd like to know what the difference is
between a 700c wheel and a 26 inch wheel.
Does 700c mean 700 cm?

The "c" stands for "clincher", that is, not for tubular tyres. They're
bigger in diameter than a 26" but slightly smaller than 27" I don't know
what the 700 actually stands for - I initially thought it was the diameter
in millimeters, but that would make it bigger than 27" which they're not.

"Resound" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Moriarty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If you'll pardon the question, I'd like to know what the difference is
between a 700c wheel and a 26 inch wheel.
Does 700c mean 700 cm?

The "c" stands for "clincher", that is, not for tubular tyres.

Not according to Sheldon http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#french

Quoted message said:

They're bigger in diameter than a 26" but slightly smaller than 27" I
don't know what the 700 actually stands for - I initially thought it was
the diameter in millimeters, but that would make it bigger than 27" which
they're not.

The nominal tyre size ie. outside diameter around the tread.

Cheers
Peter

As usual, Sheldon Brown comes to the rescue in explaining tyre sizes:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html. 700c has a bead seat diameter
of 622mm, 26" MTB wheels have a bead seat diameter of 559mm. So for
approximately same width tyres on the wheels, the 559 wheel is about 6cm
smaller diameter.

For a road frame size smaller than about 54cm or so, using smaller 650c or
26" wheels in preference to 700c means the framebuilder has to make less
compromises in fitting the frame and rider around the wheels.

Nick

"Moriarty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If you'll pardon the question, I'd like to know what the difference is
between a 700c wheel and a 26 inch wheel.
Does 700c mean 700 cm?

Peter Signorini said:

"Resound" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Moriarty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If you'll pardon the question, I'd like to know what the difference is
between a 700c wheel and a 26 inch wheel.
Does 700c mean 700 cm?

The "c" stands for "clincher", that is, not for tubular tyres.

What I don't understand is why don't the manufacturers tell us what it
means instead of leaving it up to people like Sheldon to do it for them?
Why do we have to guess? The makers ought to just tell us so we can make
informed decisions.

Marty

Quoted message said:

Not according to Sheldon http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#french

Quoted message said:

They're bigger in diameter than a 26" but slightly smaller than 27" I
don't know what the 700 actually stands for - I initially thought it was
the diameter in millimeters, but that would make it bigger than 27" which
they're not.

The nominal tyre size ie. outside diameter around the tread.

Cheers
Peter

Marty said:

Peter Signorini said:

"Resound" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Moriarty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

>If you'll pardon the question, I'd like to know what the difference is
>between a 700c wheel and a 26 inch wheel.
>Does 700c mean 700 cm?
>

The "c" stands for "clincher", that is, not for tubular tyres.

What I don't understand is why don't the manufacturers tell us what it
means instead of leaving it up to people like Sheldon to do it for them?
Why do we have to guess? The makers ought to just tell us so we can make
informed decisions.

What informed choice do you need to make? You buy tyres from your
LBS, they can (should) advise you as to what fits. Do you
really care that 700c wheels have a bead diameter of 622mm? The
tyre will have 622 on it (x whatever width it is). Do you
want each tyre to come with a pamphlet explaining all the sizes?
Car tyres don't, so why would bike tyres?

"Peter Signorini" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Resound" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Moriarty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If you'll pardon the question, I'd like to know what the difference is
between a 700c wheel and a 26 inch wheel.
Does 700c mean 700 cm?

The "c" stands for "clincher", that is, not for tubular tyres.

Not according to Sheldon http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#french

Quoted message said:

They're bigger in diameter than a 26" but slightly smaller than 27" I
don't know what the 700 actually stands for - I initially thought it was
the diameter in millimeters, but that would make it bigger than 27" which
they're not.

The nominal tyre size ie. outside diameter around the tread.

Cheers
Peter

Oops, ok. My mistake there. I don't know where I got that from.

"Bleve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Marty said:

Peter Signorini said:

"Resound" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

>"Moriarty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
>news:[email hidden]...
>
>>If you'll pardon the question, I'd like to know what the difference is
>>between a 700c wheel and a 26 inch wheel.
>>Does 700c mean 700 cm?
>>
>
>The "c" stands for "clincher", that is, not for tubular tyres.

What I don't understand is why don't the manufacturers tell us what it
means instead of leaving it up to people like Sheldon to do it for them?
Why do we have to guess? The makers ought to just tell us so we can make
informed decisions.

What informed choice do you need to make? You buy tyres from your
LBS, they can (should) advise you as to what fits. Do you
really care that 700c wheels have a bead diameter of 622mm? The
tyre will have 622 on it (x whatever width it is). Do you
want each tyre to come with a pamphlet explaining all the sizes?
Car tyres don't, so why would bike tyres?

Yeah, but then a car tyre's dimensions are pretty explicit AND consistant.
205/60/15 is 205mm width, 60% of width as treadwall height and goes on a 15"
diameter rim. You don't get 45cm rims. 4WD tyres can depart a bit from that
but they, fittingly, use truck measurements. 26" and 27" wheels made perfect
sense to me, but 700C confused me as well. I'm really still working on a
"they is what they is" basis with them.

Bleve said:

Marty said:

Peter Signorini said:

"Resound" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

>"Moriarty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
>news:[email hidden]...
>
>
>>If you'll pardon the question, I'd like to know what the difference is
>>between a 700c wheel and a 26 inch wheel.
>>Does 700c mean 700 cm?
>>
>
>The "c" stands for "clincher", that is, not for tubular tyres.

What I don't understand is why don't the manufacturers tell us what it
means instead of leaving it up to people like Sheldon to do it for them?
Why do we have to guess? The makers ought to just tell us so we can make
informed decisions.

What informed choice do you need to make? You buy tyres from your
LBS, they can (should) advise you as to what fits. Do you
really care that 700c wheels have a bead diameter of 622mm? The
tyre will have 622 on it (x whatever width it is). Do you
want each tyre to come with a pamphlet explaining all the sizes?
Car tyres don't, so why would bike tyres?

Do you think every town has a LBS? Or even one that is conversant about
tyres?
And what if I see a 700B tyre? What's the difference between a C and a
B? Is the B going to be suitable for my rim? And what does the 700 refer
to anyway? If you measure your rim it's nothing like 700mm. Does it
convert to inches somehow? If I'm swapping my singles wheel with my
clincher wheel how much effect will it have on my speedo?
How the hell do I know if the manufacturers won't tell me!
For a while Velocity were making wrong sized rims and insisting the tyre
manufacturers were making bad tyres. How do we work out who's right?
I just bought a Continental ultra sport that has 700 by 23C written on
it, is that the same as a 700c? Will it have the same diameter as 700 by
25? If the outside diameter is different then why do they call it 700?
These are things I like to know.

Marty

Marty said:

Do you think every town has a LBS? Or even one that is conversant about
tyres?
And what if I see a 700B tyre? What's the difference between a C and a
B? Is the B going to be suitable for my rim? And what does the 700 refer
to anyway? If you measure your rim it's nothing like 700mm. Does it
convert to inches somehow? If I'm swapping my singles wheel with my
clincher wheel how much effect will it have on my speedo?
How the hell do I know if the manufacturers won't tell me!
For a while Velocity were making wrong sized rims and insisting the tyre
manufacturers were making bad tyres. How do we work out who's right?
I just bought a Continental ultra sport that has 700 by 23C written on
it, is that the same as a 700c? Will it have the same diameter as 700 by
25? If the outside diameter is different then why do they call it 700?
These are things I like to know.

Every industry has their own terminology, rules, etiquette and standards. They are not explained in detail, on every item, all the time. Purchasing requires a little knowledge of the industry. This is why there are websites like Sheldon's, books like "Food Blending for Dummies", magazines like "PC Buying Tips"..

I assume you own a PC and use it to post here. When you bought it you probably learned at some point what USB, SCSI, IDE, PCI, RAM, ROM, HDD, FDD, PCIMCIA, etc meant.. right? Same deal with bikes and any other industry - you might need to buy a book, browse a website or ask someone for information. Try asking here 🙂

hippy

hippy said:

Marty said:

Do you think every town has a LBS? Or even one that is conversant
about
tyres?
And what if I see a 700B tyre? What's the difference between a C and a
B? Is the B going to be suitable for my rim? And what does the 700
refer
to anyway? If you measure your rim it's nothing like 700mm. Does it
convert to inches somehow? If I'm swapping my singles wheel with my
clincher wheel how much effect will it have on my speedo?
How the hell do I know if the manufacturers won't tell me!
For a while Velocity were making wrong sized rims and insisting the
tyre
manufacturers were making bad tyres. How do we work out who's right?
I just bought a Continental ultra sport that has 700 by 23C written on
it, is that the same as a 700c? Will it have the same diameter as 700
by
25? If the outside diameter is different then why do they call it 700?
These are things I like to know.

Every industry has their own terminology, rules, etiquette and
standards. They are not explained in detail, on every item, all the
time. Purchasing requires a little knowledge of the industry. This is
why there are websites like Sheldon's, books like "Food Blending for
Dummies", magazines like "PC Buying Tips"..

I assume you own a PC and use it to post here. When you bought it you
probably learned at some point what USB, SCSI, IDE, PCI, RAM, ROM, HDD,
FDD, PCIMCIA, etc meant.. right? Same deal with bikes and any other
industry - you might need to buy a book, browse a website or ask
someone for information. Try asking here 🙂

hippy

Uhmm..ok.
But you're missing the point. We know that ROM means Read Only Memory
and RAM means Random Access Memory because the letters give us a clue,
but what does 700C mean? It's not the outside diameter of the tyre and
it's not the rim size, so it doesn't actually impart any information
about the tyre. If the tyres were simply called what they are then
someone new to cycling could simply measure the rim and order the
appropriate tyre, they wouldn't have to ask anyone at all! Seems easy to
me. This is my last posting on this subject, it annoys me too much.
I hope you're still enjoying your travels.

Marty

Marty said:

Uhmm..ok.
But you're missing the point. We know that ROM means Read Only Memory
and RAM means Random Access Memory because the letters give us a clue,
but what does 700C mean? It's not the outside diameter of the tyre and
it's not the rim size, so it doesn't actually impart any information
about the tyre. If the tyres were simply called what they are then
someone new to cycling could simply measure the rim and order the
appropriate tyre, they wouldn't have to ask anyone at all! Seems easy to
me. This is my last posting on this subject, it annoys me too much.
I hope you're still enjoying your travels.

Okay, I guess it could be more logical, that would definately help. But logic is often left by the wayside when it interferes with profit-making or produces more work for Jimmy Beancounter.

hippy

Marty said:

hippy said:

Marty said:

Do you think every town has a LBS? Or even one that is conversant
about
tyres?
And what if I see a 700B tyre? What's the difference between a C and a
B? Is the B going to be suitable for my rim? And what does the 700
refer
to anyway? If you measure your rim it's nothing like 700mm. Does it
convert to inches somehow? If I'm swapping my singles wheel with my
clincher wheel how much effect will it have on my speedo?
How the hell do I know if the manufacturers won't tell me!
For a while Velocity were making wrong sized rims and insisting the
tyre
manufacturers were making bad tyres. How do we work out who's right?
I just bought a Continental ultra sport that has 700 by 23C written on
it, is that the same as a 700c? Will it have the same diameter as 700
by
25? If the outside diameter is different then why do they call it 700?
These are things I like to know.

Every industry has their own terminology, rules, etiquette and
standards. They are not explained in detail, on every item, all the
time. Purchasing requires a little knowledge of the industry. This is
why there are websites like Sheldon's, books like "Food Blending for
Dummies", magazines like "PC Buying Tips"..
I assume you own a PC and use it to post here. When you bought it you
probably learned at some point what USB, SCSI, IDE, PCI, RAM, ROM, HDD,
FDD, PCIMCIA, etc meant.. right? Same deal with bikes and any other
industry - you might need to buy a book, browse a website or ask
someone for information. Try asking here 🙂

hippy

Uhmm..ok.
But you're missing the point. We know that ROM means Read Only Memory
and RAM means Random Access Memory because the letters give us a clue,
but what does 700C mean? It's not the outside diameter of the tyre and
it's not the rim size, so it doesn't actually impart any information
about the tyre. If the tyres were simply called what they are then
someone new to cycling could simply measure the rim and order the
appropriate tyre, they wouldn't have to ask anyone at all! Seems easy to
me. This is my last posting on this subject, it annoys me too much.
I hope you're still enjoying your travels.

Marty

I always heard it was 700 cm rolling distance per turn of tire .. C for
clincher type rim, but really who the hell cares? Its the tire size
you need if you have a modern roady. Your only going to get it wrong once.

Try shooting. .17 .17magnum. .22 .22LR .22 short. .22magnum
..22/250 .222 .32 .38 .41 .44 .44mag .44.40 .45 .50 .500 .600nitro
..357 .357mag 6mm 7mm nine 10mm 410 12Guage 10guage , get it wrong
and it might just blow your hand off

Marty said:

Uhmm..ok.
But you're missing the point. We know that ROM means Read Only Memory
and RAM means Random Access Memory because the letters give us a clue,
but what does 700C mean? It's not the outside diameter of the tyre and
it's not the rim size,

The same is true of "26 inch."

Actually, when these designations originated, they _did_ refer to the
outside diameter of the tyre. "700C" tyres were originally 700 mm in
diameter.

However, as time went by and roads got smoother, people started running
narrower and narrower tyres on the same rims, so the outside diameter
inevitably shrank.

Quoted message said:

so it doesn't actually impart any information
about the tyre. If the tyres were simply called what they are then
someone new to cycling could simply measure the rim and order the
appropriate tyre, they wouldn't have to ask anyone at all!

Right, that's the reason for the ISO/E.T.R.T.O. system. "700C" tyres
fit ISO 622 rims. This problem has already been solved, but not
everybody in the industry has gotten with the programme yet.

There's really no reason to actually _measure_ rims nor tyres though,
because the size is generally moulded into the sidewall of the tyre.
Most tyres are clearly marked both in the obsolete systems such as
"700C" _and_ in the modern ISO system. All you need to do is read the
numbers.

I explain the history and details of tyre sizing in excruciating detail
at:

http://sheldonbrown.com/tyre-sizing

Sheldon "ISO/E.T.R.T.O." Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts

(Don't blame me, I voted for Kerry)

Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Marty said:

Uhmm..ok.
But you're missing the point. We know that ROM means Read Only Memory
and RAM means Random Access Memory because the letters give us a clue,
but what does 700C mean? It's not the outside diameter of the tyre and
it's not the rim size,

The same is true of "26 inch."

Actually, when these designations originated, they _did_ refer to the
outside diameter of the tyre. "700C" tyres were originally 700 mm in
diameter.

However, as time went by and roads got smoother, people started running
narrower and narrower tyres on the same rims, so the outside diameter
inevitably shrank.

Quoted message said:

so it doesn't actually impart any information
about the tyre. If the tyres were simply called what they are then
someone new to cycling could simply measure the rim and order the
appropriate tyre, they wouldn't have to ask anyone at all!

Right, that's the reason for the ISO/E.T.R.T.O. system. "700C" tyres
fit ISO 622 rims. This problem has already been solved, but not
everybody in the industry has gotten with the programme yet.

There's really no reason to actually _measure_ rims nor tyres though,
because the size is generally moulded into the sidewall of the tyre.
Most tyres are clearly marked both in the obsolete systems such as
"700C" _and_ in the modern ISO system. All you need to do is read the
numbers.

I explain the history and details of tyre sizing in excruciating detail
at:

http://sheldonbrown.com/tyre-sizing

Sheldon "ISO/E.T.R.T.O." Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts

(Don't blame me, I voted for Kerry)

Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com