Originally Posted by
sillygolem
Why 650b over 26"? Is this more of a fit issue for a 700c bike?
650b is 26" but remember there are many different 26" specs. 650b is just one of them. See
http://sheldonbrown.com/26.html for complete information.
650c is uncommon and seems to be racing oriented. I've only seen very narrow tires in that size. 650a is the same as wheels that came on English 3-speeds and many other bikes. Rim and tire selection isn't very good. 650b has some excellent rims and tires available. Unfortunately for me, they're all pretty expensive, so I won't be doing 650b conversions any time soon.
JunkYardBike, it's not that conversion is complicated, it's that it's expensive. And wait a sec. It can be complicated. Sometimes brakes actually are hard to fit, depending on the situation. And you better make a prediction about BB height or you get a pretty lousy bike. The 70's Raleighs have some low BB's.
Originally Posted by -holiday76
i'm converting all of my bikes to 650b or selling the ones that can't be converted.
Pay attention to this silly man. He never says anything he means.
Clubman, it's possible you overinflated those tires, which would explain your dissatisfaction. Or maybe they were just crappy tires. I don't know about those.
Originally Posted by bionnaki
I think "underwhelmed" would be more common particularly in the face of so many reports of 650b being the greatest thing ever...like riding on magical marshmellows. I think wide tires and low psi are great, but they're not that great. Keep expectations healthy and on this side of reality, and you'll be very pleased.
Maybe, but when I took a very short test ride on Zaphod Beeblebrox's 650b bike, I was totally amazed. He has the Hetres on it.
Personally (and perhaps this is controversial in the C&V forum), but I think if the major tire manufacturers put a little research and development into 650b tires...or have the tech/research/knowledge of compounds trickle over from their high-end 700c offerings...then things can get awesome. The current state of available 650b tires is still on the basic, low-end (i.e. Panaracer built tires). People love Panaracer tires just fine, but their tires simply are not on par with the offerings of Schwalbe, Continental, Michelin, and Vittoria.
To each his own. Panaracer are my favorite tires, and they've been among my favorites for about 30 years. Every brand makes some excellent tires, but the amazing thing with Panaracers is that even their low end tires are pretty darned nice. I recently rode an old Schwinn with original Schwinn-branded tires made by Panaracer. Very impressive.
Also, many years ago, I had some Panaracer tubular tires. At the time, I think they were the only tubulars made with nylon casings rather than cotton or silk. The ride was excellent, the price was super-excellent, and so was the durability. I think a lot of Panaracer tires don't get respect because their prices are too low.