Are smaller wheels less efficient than large wheels?
No. On the contrary, small wheels actually have many performance advantages compared to larger wheels.First, smaller wheels have a lower moment of inertia that allows significantly faster acceleration and more responsive steering. Second, small wheels have lower aerodynamic drag than larger wheels. Third, small wheels can be built to be lighter than larger wheels. And finally, small wheels are by definition stronger than larger wheels. In fact the world speed record for a bicycle ridden in an upright position was set 20 years ago on a bike with 18″ wheels. In fact, the only significant disadvantage of small wheels is when riding on uneven surfaces.
