What are the differences between a 26" wheel and a 28" wheel?

Question

Most old utility bicycles used either 26" x 1 3/8" wheels or 28" x 1 1/2" ones. Was there any difference in performance or purpose between the sizes?

Answer 1

their is a size differnce

Answer 2

the 28" wheel is 2" bigger

Answer 3

2 inches

Answer 4

Wow... I love all those other answers.

Since we are talking about old bikes here I am assuming that we are talking about lightweights, not mountain bikes. This is going to get confusing so read carefully.

26" wheels were the American answer to the European standard of 28". 28" wheels were eventually phased out in favor of 26". Many 28" wheels can be fitted with 700C tires.

Anyway, since many bikes built in the UK were exported to the US, the manufacturers were pretty much forced to comply with their biggest customers so 28" was phased out. This was a simple matter since 26" lightweights and 28" are almost exactly the same diameter. This resulted in the 26" standard. What makes matters worse is that there are 3 incompatible 26" sizes that I can think of... the lightweight, the MTB, and the Schwinn.

Now, to make matters even more confusing, one can get a bike with 29" (!) wheels that are an almost perfect interchange for 700C even though 700C AND 29" are smaller in diameter than the now almost obsolete 27".

From a performance perspective, 28" wheels were generally wider and were made for rod and roller brakes while 26" wheels were generally calipers. Regarding efficiency or speed, well, there is none, practically speaking.

To avoid all this confusion, use the ISO standard which uses the actual bead diameter of the tire instead of some arbitrary fractional conglomerate.  

Answer 5

on one full turn of the pedal

28"wheel travels 87.92"

26 wheel only travels 81.64"

so you get to where you are going quicker and use less energy

performance depends on terrain and tyre used

well thats my theory

Answer 6

Don't they call 28 inch wheels 700c?

Answer 7

From your previous questions I am assuming that your are referring to vintage British bikes.  The obvious answer is size (635mm and 597mm according to the late Sheldon Brown).  On a utility bike the difference in performance is probably small but a larger diameter wheel will ride over rougher surfaces more smoothly and faster.  The smaller wheel will be slightly stronger if built to the same specs as the larger one.                 Here is some more info I have found on Sheldon Brown's website.  28's were used on "roadster" style bikes.  These were heavier utilitarian style bikes with no attempt to lighten them.  Mostly likely used by letter carriers and policemen.  The 26's were "light roadsters".  They were the bikes that most citizens would use for commuting and recreation.

Answer 8

yess there's a difference the bigger wheel can go over rocks and rough terrain better then the smaller one

like in mtb they have 29'' wheel it's also good for taller riders and it helps with balance(acts like a gyroscope) it keeps u up straight with less chance of falling it might do the same on dirt bikes( i dont see why not!)

Answer 9

Think about the chain rings.  The larger the front ring is, and the smaller the back ring is, the faster the bicycle can go on flat ground, right?  Say 1 360 degree rotation of the front ring causes the back ring to spin 3 times.  So if you had 2 bicycles, one with 28 and one with 26, and the same 1:3 ratio on the gears, and you had two people pedal those bicycles 10 times round(and stop as soon as pedaling stops), the tires would make 30 rotations on each bike.  But because of the difference in circumference, the 26" bicycle would be about 180 inches behind the 28".  If that is what you're looking for, the 28" would be the better choice.

There are other factors.  There would be a slight weight reduction from a smaller wheel.  It is easier to build a frame for smaller people with smaller wheels.

I have bicycles that range from 12" to 28".  Bigger wheels make distances much shorter.

Answer 10

There is a difference in size and performance. The bigger the wheel the faster the bike will go.

Answer 11

Mirage has confuzzled me yet again. hah!