Mountain Biking - Considering 650b

Anybody do a 650b swap up front.? Ive been toying with the idea for about a month or so and I think im gonna build a wheel up come next pay day. Just wanted to hear some feedback from somebody if anybody has done a conversion and how it performed etc. Theres a lot of rocky goodness in this area and I'm of the mind set that a bigger hoop might really help. Did the 9er thing for awhile and it rolled great but wasnt pleased with the handling so going for the middle ground now. Would be doing the conversion on my firebird. It is my understanding that all fox forks will clear a 650b, can anybody confirm?

Lot of good info here (http://650bpalace.blogspot.com/).

I built my Ala Carte up with 650b with a WB fork. It's an excellent wheel size for SS fun. I also converted my Stumpy FSR with 650b Crest wheels. Yes, Fox forks will clear a 2.35 650b tire (Pacenti Neo Moto). My FSR rear triangle has clearance for 2.25 tires, but you'll need to check if your bike has chain/seat stay clearance and clearance for the seat tube/front derailleur at full compression.

IMHO, the wheel size is perfect to 4-6" FS bikes for short-ish folks (I'm 5'6").

My Soul Icon is built up on the 650B platform. I think it is a GREAT SS option. I *JUST* took off a Fox Talas, and swapped that out with a rigid fork. The Nevegal 2.35 tire would rub the crown if I was running lower pressure, and had a decent sized hit, but never came close to throwing me over the front.

256319

Pacenti "Blunt" rims
White Brothers carbon fork
RaceFace cranks
Easton MonkeyLite bars
Thompson stem
Avid BB7 brakes
Ritchey stem
Nevegal 2.35 tires (tubeless)
23.6 lbs

Anybody do a 650b swap up front.? I've been toying with the same idea for a couple years but haven't pulled it off yet. Want to try it on my 303R DH for your very same reasons, so will be watching your reports very closely. I was figuring on doing it with my inverted fork, so there won't be any clearance issues at all there. My only reservations at this point are a DH-able 650b rim and if I'm willing to live with a 2.35 Nevegal up front - - would rather it were an Excavator but none in 650b yet.

Kenda makes a 650b Nevegal.

I ride a cdale rush with 650b wheels. I really like it. I just put a nevagal up front , I have a fox fork and it fits fine, a 2.35 might fit also. I tried a 29er and there is something about those bikes i don't like. It seems the top tubes are short. Although I plan on buying a salsa Fargo in the near future.

To be clear, I have ran the Nevegal 2.35 with a Fox Talas, and it would clear, but I did experience rubbing on the arch if I was running lower pressure (sub 30), and launched off a water-bar while pointed down hill. I would just hear it rub for a mili-second, it never "grabbed" or made me feel like I was going to go over the bars.

I think swapping out the 650B front wheel on a 26" bike could possibly reap some big rewards. The ride difference between my 650B and 26'er is night and day for reducing the "chatter" of the trail, the extra contact area supplied by the larger tire makes it VERY confident in cornering, and the front end does not feel any "slower" than the 26 in turns.