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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 3, 2011 at 4:14am

Not only is the mini-velo neat for shorter riders, it also is much shorter in overall length which makes it ideal for easily dragging a bike inside through narrow halls and up tight stairs as well as finding room to store it while inside.  This is especially important in high crime areas where it just isn't safe to store a bike with any value outside no matter how many locks you put on it.

 

A 700c bike for shorter riders becomes downright rediculous at times.  My wife is 5'6" and her bike is ridiculous (IMHO) with 700c wheels.  She's got a short crank on it but even with the rear wheel nearly rubbing on the BB with little room for a kickstand the front wheel is seriously interfering with the crank and she has to be really careful about slow-speed maneouvering so that the front wheel doesn't interfere with her pedaling.

 

A mini-velo does away with this issue.  There is nothing inherently "slow" about smaller wheels other than maybe a problem finding tires that have the least amount of rolling resistance possible.  As long as the geometry of the bike is halfway correct (rake/trail/wheelbase and rider fitment) a mini-velo should be just as easy to pedal and ride on the street as a bike that was designed with big wheels and optimized for a track-only environment.   In fact, the bike may be much easier to maneuver on the street due to zero toe/wheel overlap and much shorter overall length without compromising actual wheelbase where the rubber meets the road.

 

I think if I were in the market for a "road" bike I might get a mini-velo if they were commonly available (and thus not super-expensive for what they are for being rare.)

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