For a sporty, all-purpose road/off-road bike, 650B is thus a better option now than 26in. Cannondale was an early adopter of 650B for the road, launching the Slate to raised eyebrows two years ago.

If the chainring is twice the size of the rear sprocket, the rear wheel turns twice for each crank revolution. Such a bike with 26in wheels would travel the same distance per crank revolution as a ...