hey people, i was just wondering whether anybody knew the cruising speed of a 26 was, im planning on doing 140 miles across 4 days when my legs better 
here’s a thread that should put you in the ballpark: average/expected speed per tire size?
That being said, I noticed a huge speed gain from 26 to 29. I was running 125’s on both wheels, and there was really no comparison. If I remember right I could cruise around 7mph on the 26 as compared to 9+ on the 29. My 36 has 150’s, and cruises comfortably around 12-13mph. I suspect that when I’m comfortable with the 125’s on the Coker it will be faster.
Pulling a cruising speed out of the air isn’t very meaningful. What really determines your cruising speed is how fast you pedal. If you know the range of RPMs you usually pedal within, you can calculate a speed from that.
I’d go with the 29" if you have the choice; it’s just that much less pedaling!
Pulling a cruising speed out of the air isn’t very meaningful. What really determines your cruising speed is how fast you pedal. Knowing how fast someone else pedals is not necessarily useful. If you know the range of RPMs you usually pedal within, you can calculate a speed from that.
I’d go with the 29" if you have the choice; it’s just that much less pedaling!
hehe, id get a 36 for it but i know i’d never use it afterwards and dont have enough money for two uni’s, i know i’ll Muni after the trip :D.
if i train hard will it be possible to do the C2C in four days on a 26? or should i see about finding a big wheel. although id much much much rather not
35 miles per day at 6 miles per hour for six hours a day.
On the flat, with experience and technique, you should cruise at 8 - 10 mph, but then you need to allow for rest breaks, food, hill, headwinds, and leaving your camera bag on the roof of the car and having to go back.
An average of 35 miles a day on tarmac shouldn’t be too bad on a 26, but you certainly wouldn’t want to go any smaller. You’ll want to use a nice smooth road tyre (Big Apple or Hookworm are great), and fairly short cranks.
If it is just for a one off ride, it might be worth asking around if anyone has a 29 or 36 that they don’t mind lending to you. You might just find someone kind enough to make your life a lot easier.
STM
okay i think im going to do it on a 26, im going to get the nimbus 26 :), im going to buy a cheap pair of ISIS cranks and stick them on for the ride as 165’s seem a bit too long, should i get 125’s? or 114’s? and how much speed will i lose with a 165mm crank compared to a 125mm?
I didn’t notice that much change from 24 in to a 29 inch. Here are my stats from a Sigma cycle computer.
24 in uni, tire (Hookworm) diameter = 24.9 in, 127 mm cranks
Outings = 28
Max speed = 10.6 km/h
Average = 9.2 km/h
29 in uni, tire (Schwalbe Marathon) diameter = 28.1 in, 127 mm cranks
Outings = 80
Max speed = 12.7 km/h
Average = 11.3 km/h
On average speed I gained about 23% from the bigger wheel. Not what I call huge, but significant. My cadence is still dismal, but some slight improvement is evident.
The difference in average speed becomes more noticeable over a long ride for three reasons:
The bigger the pie, the bigger the slice.
You travel further per pedal stroke and as you get tired, your cadence will reduce.
The bigger wheel smooths out the minor bumps so it requires less rider input to maintain balance and momentum.
I woudl not ride that didstance on anything longer than 150s mm cranks. On a 26, I would use 125s or smaller.
thanks everyone, im going to just use the 125’s on my trials uni for the trip then ill use the 165’s that come with the muni - for muni
I hope you mean “from” your trials uni, not “on” it! 
well i meant the 125sfrom my trials, bad grammar, sorry