There is much difference of opinion with respect to the most suitable size for the wheels of machines. Except with certain machines, this has nothing to do with the speed at which the machine will travel at a given rate of pedaling, for the wheels may be geared up or down to any extent, that is made to turn more quickly or slowly than the cranks. Thus the most suitable speeding is a separate question, and must be treated by itself.
Large wheels are far superior to small wheels in allowing comfortable, easy motion, a matter of considerable importance in a long journey. They are also far better than small for running over loose or muddy ground, for with a given weight upon them they sink in less, from the longer bearing they present, and this, combined with their less curvature, makes the everlasting ascent which the mud presents to them far less than with a smaller wheel. On the other hand, the large wheel is heavier, and suffers more from air resistance than the small wheel. For racing purposes a little wheel, geared up of course, is certainly better than a high wheel; for comfortable traveling, and in general, the high wheel is preferable. Though this is certainly the case, it does not follow that large wheels are worth having on a machine when there is already one little wheel. If the rider is to be worried with the evils of a little wheel at all, it is possible that any advantage which large wheels would give him would be swamped by the vibration and mud-sticking properties of the small steering wheel. One firm, in their endeavors to minimize these evils, have designed machines without any very small wheels; all three wheels are large, and a steadier and more comfortable motion no doubt results.
High and low gearing are the natural sequel to high and low wheels. Of course the lower the gearing the greater is the mechanical advantage in favor of the rider when meeting with much resistance, whether from wind, mud, or steepness of slope. In spite of this, for some reason which I cannot divine, the machines with excessively low gear do not seem to obtain so great an advantage in climbing hills as might be expected. To make such a machine travel at a moderate speed only, excessively rapid pedaling is necessary, and the rider is made tired more by the motion of his legs than by any work he is doing. The slow, steady stroke by which a rider propels a high-geared machine is far more graceful and less wearying than the furious motion which is necessary on a low-geared machine. The height up to which the driving-wheels are usually geared may be taken as an indication of the ease with which any class of machines runs. A rider on a low-geared machine can start his machine much more quickly than an equal man on one that has high gearing, and therefore in a race he has an advantage at first, which he speedily loses as his rapid pedaling begins to tell. For ordinary riding the slight loss of time at starting is a matter of no importance whatever.