Wheel sizes, and why 700c is not a mood

A hub kit is a wheel. The size on the card is the size that was laced, or the sizes the maker will lace. 700c, 26 inch, 27.5 inch, 20 inch and 16 inch are different rims. A 29 inch tyre and a 700c tyre can share a bead seat in some cases and still be the wrong description of the wheel you were sold. Use the bead and the brake, not a nickname.

What else is baked into the wheel

• Axle: 135 mm quick release, 100 mm quick release, or something this catalogue will not pretend is either.
• Brake: disc rotor mount or a rim surface. One wheel is not both.
• Freehub body or a single-speed thread, for a rear hub.
• Spoke count and whether the flange was meant for a heavy rider or a folder.
• Valve and rim tape, which sound trivial until the first puncture.

Front hubs on this site are 100 mm quick release unless a record says otherwise. Rear hubs that match the fit engine are 135 mm quick release. A thru-axle bike stays incompatible until a record exists for that axle. Boost, 142 mm and 148 mm are real standards. They are not rounded to 135 to make a card look friendly.

Small wheels on folders spin the motor faster at the same road speed and put the torque arm closer to heels and hinges. A 16 inch wheel that fits the rim may still foul the folder’s latch. That check is physical.