Loading video…
Loading video…

Video
Why Have Bike Wheels Stayed The Same Size For 100 Years
Watch next
All from GCN Tech →
Up next
Tech At La Vuelta 2026 ⬇️
Keep the session moving with another watch from the same channel.
Ever wonder why your road bike uses "700C" wheels, even though that measurement doesn't actually exist? From French engineering history to the future of gravel cycling, we dive deep into why the entire cycling industry standardised on one wheel size and why that might finally be changing.
00:00 Why are all road bike wheels the same size?
00:50 Are all wheels actually the same?
01:04 What is Bead Seat Diameter (BSD)?
02:29 Why do we call it 700C?
04:45 Why did 700C become the global standard?
05:34 Will gravel bikes change the rules?
06:51 The UCI’s role in wheel standards
08:09 The evolution of tyre size
Useful Links:
GCN Tech Uploader 👉 gcn.eu/techuploader
.co/
Insurance: Viewers in the USA and UK can explore GCN Insurance products 👉 gcn.eu/GCNinsurance
Sign Up To The GCN Newsletter 👉 gcn.eu/Newsletter
Visit the GCN Shop 👉 gcn.eu/gcnshop
GCN WhatsApp Channel 👉 gcn.eu/GCNwhatsapp
GCN Instagram Broadcast Channel 👉 gcn.eu/instagrambroadcast
Join the GCN Club on Zwift and ride with us! 👉 gcn.eu/GCNClubRides
If you could redesign the cycling industry from scratch, would you keep the 700C standard for road bikes, or would you move to rider-proportional wheel sizes?👇
Watch more on GCN Tech...
📹 👉 youtu.be/x-A3CYOnYqo
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 gcntech.co/EditorsChoice
📹 Watch the latest GCN Tech Show 👉 gcntech.co/GCNTechShow
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Ends - vvano
Soul Palette (Instrumental Version) - Adelyn Paik
Luv - bomull
Slow Sunday - Rebecca Mardal
📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency
Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech is the only channel you need for all things bike tech – past, present and future.
Simply put, we’re obsessed with tech: we seek out and showcase the best in bikes, components, tech, accessories, upgrades and more from races and events, tech shows and product launches across the globe to bring you the best in road bike technology.
We’ve got great maintenance videos to help you get the most from your bike; pro-bike tours from all the biggest races; special features and the weekly GCN Tech Show!
Thanks to our sponsors:
Canyon Bikes: gcn.eu/-Canyon
Orbea Bikes: gcn.eu/Orbea
Pinarello Bikes: gcn.eu/Pinarello
Topeak Tools: gcn.eu/Topeak
CamelBak: gcn.eu/Camelbak
Pirelli Tyres: gcn.eu/Pirelli
Hunt Bike Wheels: gcn.eu/Hunt
Wahoo Fitness: gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: gcn.eu/-parktool
Selle Italia: gcn.eu/SelleItalia
Zwift: gcn.eu/Zwift
Gtechniq: gcn.eu/Gtechniq
Core Body Temperature: gcn.eu/corebodytemp
Precision Fuel & Hydration: gcn.eu/precisionhydration
Elitewheels: gcn.eu/Elitewheels
CeramicSpeed: gcn.eu/GCNCeramicSpeed
HJC Sports: gcn.eu/hjcsports
Shimano: gcn.eu/shimano
Cyclowax: gcntech.co/cyclowax
Sena: gcn.eu/Senacycling
Princeton Carbon Works: gcn.eu/princetoncarbonworks
P1 Race Technologies: gcn.eu/p1racetechnologies
POC: gcn.eu/POC
Watch our sister channels:
Global Cycling Network - youtube.com/@gcn
GCN Racing - youtube.com/@gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - youtube.com/@gtn
GCN Italia - youtube.com/@gcnitalia
GCN en Español - youtube.com/@gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - youtube.com/@gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français - youtube.com/@gcnenfrancais
GCN Training - youtube.com/@GCNTraining
Global Mountain Bike Network - youtube.com/@gmbn
GMBN Racing - youtube.com/@gmbnracing
GMBN Tech - youtube.com/@gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network - youtube.com/@embn
Press play above — the video streams right here. The free Spot Sports app also queues clips like this one alongside your followed teams and athletes, plus live uci scores.
From the GCN Tech channel. Tap the channel link below the title to browse more uploads.
Spot Sports' watch-cost tool maps your zip to the cheapest legal stack for uci games, accounting for DMA-locked RSNs, league passes, and direct-to-consumer apps.
9 minutes.