650B?

penexpers

Anyone here using 650B wheels on their bike? Vaguely thinking about converting one of my bikes in the future. Main advantage seems to be the ability to run wider tires with mudgaurds because frame clearance becomes less of an issue. Main disadvantage seems to be lack of available parts (not many rim or tire manufacturers around).

Lumen

Braking?

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

Braking?

I think you would need to be running discs.

How wide do you want to go? Is there a limit?

Is lateral frame clearance (e.g. between the forks/guards) not as much of an issue as to the fork crown?

penexpers

Lumen wrote: »

Braking?

Long reach (or maybe even medium reach) calipers should have enough reach. Sheldon says to add on about 19mm to the reach when comparing 700c to 650b.

penexpers

blorg wrote: »

I think you would need to be running discs.

How wide do you want to go? Is there a limit?

Is lateral frame clearance (e.g. between the forks/guards) not as much of an issue as to the fork crown?

Widest 650B tires are 42mm, not sure about the narrowest. 42mm would be nice

And yes the lateral frame clearence is not as much of an issue from what I can gather.

Here's a conversion that makes for an interesting read

http://www.bikeman.com/content/view/1897/147/

ednwireland

could do with this on my commuter, runs 25mm tyres at the moment wonder what i could go upto, what wheels would you run ?

good old sheldon

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/650b.html

i cant fit bigger the 28 on my commuter (but no room for mudguards if i do that) this'll deinitely need some investigation

blorg

penexpers wrote: »

Widest 650B tires are 42mm, not sure about the narrowest. 42mm would be nice

OK, that is not in crazyland so. I have just ordered 35mm Marathon Racers (700x35) for my own commuter although I reckon I could probably go to above 42 in 700c (I can go to 37 I think with my existing mudguards, I am pretty sure they are more of the limiting factor than the frame/fork.)

Does sound like a fair bit of effort though- what is the max you reckon you can go on 700 with your current setup? Is it the Crosscheck? Note they changed the fork on the linked conversion.

As to disadvantages for the purposes you are looking at I think the only one would be the expense- and that you would not have a lot of flexibility in choice on the tyres... I am sure you can get them no problem but you mightn't be picking them up discounted in the sales. 650c _tends_ to be used on high performance bikes for small people so 650x23c is going to be more common than 650x42c.

rottenhat

penexpers wrote: »

Anyone here using 650B wheels on their bike? Vaguely thinking about converting one of my bikes in the future. Main advantage seems to be the ability to run wider tires with mudgaurds because frame clearance becomes less of an issue. Main disadvantage seems to be lack of available parts (not many rim or tire manufacturers around).

Be honest, have you been looking at the Rivendell website again?

penexpers

rottenhat wrote: »

Be honest, have you been looking at the Rivendell website again?

Hah no. actually came across while looking for reviews of the Surly Pacer.

rottenhat

I see their 650B bike is gone now anyway, but Grant Peterson was very enthusiastic about it for a while...still using it for some of their smaller frame sizes, I think. I was thinking about it for a while, but then I remembered that I could probably go up to 35mm tires on the bike I have, so not so much to gain.