First time with 451 wheels

[Vargas]

Bought a Quest 451. But didn't receive it yet .
This is the first time I will ride 451 wheels.
Considering ideal conditions (no harshness, no wind, same weight etc), to run a 451 at the same speed as a 559 under the same pedal cadence, the 451 will require a higher gear.
But will the rider of the 451 notice any higher effort requirement because of the higher gear required?

 

[Charles.Plager]

The efficiency difference

The efficiency difference between 451 and 559 wheels is much smaller than efficiency differences between different types of tires.

 

[Romagjack]

I've never compared my Q2 559

I've never compared my Q2 559 to a 451. But, riding in a higher gear in on any bike requires more effort. The 559 is a pretty fast bike and I cruise at an average 16 mph using the the high gear on the SRAM Dual Drive in 5th gear which is perfect gearing for me using the stock setup. I'd probably run out of gears, or be peddling at a much faster cadence, using 451s at that speed. There are quite a few recumbents where I live with 20" wheels (haven't seen a 451 yet) but none seem to care much about speed. I'd be interested to hear how you are faring after a few hundred miles.