@Rando Guy 63597 wrote:
Cyclingfool – I’m asking this just for pure education but why would you choose a 26” rather than a 700c? Curious, I have 700c now…really, just asking because I am curious. 
I used to have a 700c Surly LHT and I loved it. So nothing against 700c. In fact I preferred 700c aesthetically for a long time. I thought that larger frames with 26″ wheels looked odd. I’ve warmed to them aesthetically, at least in my size range, after seeing how they look complete with fenders and racks, which I like to have on my bike, so that prejudice against 26″ is gone for me now. My Surly was stolen in the spring. I ended up replacing that bike with the one I have now, a 1995 rigid Trek MTB frame that I’ve converted to drop bars and added a rack and fenders to. So, the simple answer is that I already have a wheelset I really like that is 26″. If I were to buy a new frame (like the Camargue), it would be in order to swap everything possible over from my current MTB frame, so I’d want a bike that I could throw my current wheels onto, i.e., 26″
I’m picky about wheels because I am solidly in the ranks of the clydesdales, and when I hit upon a solid combo like the one I have now, I tend to want to stick with it. Not to mention that theoretically, all things being equal, a 26″ wheel will be somewhat stronger than a 700c wheel, or so it is often claimed. That alone would not be enough of a reason for me to switch to 26″ from 700c if I already had 700c. I had found a pretty solid rear wheel for my 700c Surly. But since I now have 26″ wheels, I see it as a very slight advantage and a reason to hold on to what I have. Plus I like running fatter (smooth) tires on my bike, and 26″ fits the bill better for that.
So, basically it’s a combination of circumstance and an evolving personal preference. Nothing more.