21 inch vs (other) front wheel size handling issues.

[Dusty]

I always thought small tires/wheels fell into road bumps,and made for a harsh road ride. Where as the 21" can roll over those dipes,and holes in a road,and smooth out the ride???

 

[Jeeter]

I always thought small tires/wheels fell into road bumps,and made for a harsh road ride. Where as the 21" can roll over those dipes,and holes in a road,and smooth out the ride???

That's exactly correct, which is one of the reasons that dirt bikes use 21 inch fronts, they roll over obstacles better.

 

[Jeeter]

Jeeter, those understeer pictures look downright dirty. I think i agree with the "balls like a bull". i'll throw some oversteer into a corner to have some fun, but that goes WAY beyond. I'm terrified and fascinated at the same time.
to the original question, i dont know the technical answer, but i think 21's can look cool

In the end, on a bike with as many design limits as mine will have (a rigid framed street tracker) I think it really won't matter enough to make any large handling differences.

It may .. stress the word "may" .. have less side grip than a 19 inch wheel/tire setup will, but I have to ask will the bike I am building really be able to exploit the greater sidewall area of the 19 inch wheel/tire? I'm not sure it will.

That said, I think the 21 is an option I can leave open. If I decide to try it out, I think it would work fine. It will probably come down to "looks" in the end. It's difficult to say which one will fit the aesthetics of this bike since it is a bit unique in it's configuration. So picturing it is difficult.