lungimsam

I am new to this and was wondering.
I did not get 650b because of clearance, or fatter tires, that people usually get them for.
I just wanted a nice Rivendell road-ish bike and wound up with a great opportunity to get a Bleriot.
I really like it alot. The most comfortable road-ish bike I have ever sat on.

But the different tire sizing has posed some new challenges for me.
All were pretty easy to overcome, though. But it was wierd not being able to have tires/tubes and stuff at one's fingertips, like with the mega-available 700 tires and wheels. And the lack of selection with and without puncture resistance.

They should have a 650b forum on here for future 650b riders because there is alot a new rider could gain from exprienced users. Such as where to buy wheels/tires/tubes when no LBS has anything on hand.

Apparently 650b was picking up in popularity back on '06, but with only a handfull of tire selections out there, it makes me wonder if it is going by the wayside.

ironwood

There is a 650B thread on the Classic and Vintage forum. Most posts are about conversions, but some are about new 650B bikes also.

Werkin

If you want iron clad puncture resistance, comfort suffers. 650b wide tire/low pressure construction in most high mileage models allow the tire to be puncture and cut resistant without non-resiliant armor.

Not going by the wayside at all, new 650b wheels for mountain bikes are a-plenty this coming year.


Why should the 650b genre be relegated to vintage era discussions? I have a modern bike with 650b wheels, and if the public is allowed to think forward rather than be saddled with conventions of the past, demand/desire will drive future markets.

Currently most interested 650b users think the only appropriate brakes are inadequately effective cantilevers (V-brakes are better), or poor leverage long reach rim brake options. I believe disc brakes are superior in every way, and rim & tire options increase.

650b wheels and tires don't automatically force one to choose "comfort" geometries, utilitarian cargo carrying frame features, poorly accessible down-tube shifters, or less than optimum bar-end levers, the appearance of which classic & vintage sterotypes are made of.

rebel1916

I hunt with a gun that shoots a caliber called 7.65 Argentine. I used to race an American made motorcycle called an ATK. Hell, my road bike has Campy. Point being if you know you are using something a little off the beaten path you need to plan better than the guy using the industry standard. It's like a corollary of if yer gonna be dumb ya gotta be tough. If yer gonna be weird, ya gotta work a little harder for it.

ThermionicScott 

Bite a guy's head off for trying to be helpful, why don't ya. At no point did ironwood say anything like "...and that's where it should stay!"

ironwood

There is a 650B discussion group on Google, and there is the Internet-bob group also on Google.

Some of the suppliers of 650B tires and tubes that come to mind, are Rivendell, Boulder, Compass, Longleaf, VO, and Harris.

One of the reasons there is a lot of interest in 650B is on the V&C forum is that a lot of bikes from the eighties can be converted into great 650B bikes. Another is that some 650 bikes are real classics.

Actually we need more than a forum; we probably need a group like la Confrerie des 650B like they have in France. They sort of kept the size from going extinct.

Cyclist01012

650b is getting to be a bigger thing in the MTB world. Kenda will be coming out wiht a full line of tires for 2013 as will many other tire makers. Also look for more companies to start producing parts geared at them. X fusion sells 650 suspension forks and I think Fox and Rock shocks has them coming out soon.

ironwood

It's too bad this thread didn't stay active longer. The OPs idea of a list of suppliers of 650B bikes, wheels and tires is a good one, but do we want a new forum for it? Interest on 650B overlaps the C&V, MTB, Long Distance, Utility, Commuting, and Touring Forums. I doubt it will catch on with road racers and wannabes.

The OP is wrong about '06. It was just beginning to be revived in this country, and hanging on by a thread in France. There is a lot more good stuff available now than in '06. The two products which have unfortunately disappeared since then are the Mitsuboshi Trimmline, and the Rigida Shinx rim, but there are suitable replacements.

Flying Merkel

I would like to convert my 26" MTB to 650b with street tires. Buying a 650b disc wheelset is cost-prohibitive. Waiting for one to show up on C-list.

My Schwinn Mirada from the 80's came stock with 650 b rims. Rear was damaged too badly, so I ended up converting to 700c due to the lack of replacement rims.

ironwood

Depending on the placement of the cantilever studs it might be possible to convert to 650B with certain Tektro or the new Velo-Orange cantis. It was on the VO blog a few months ago.

Camilo

I don't post this question to be arumentative or cynical, just an honest question from ignorance.

But, why 650B? What inherent advantages does it have over the ubiquitous 700c / 29'er or 26". The reason I ask is that it's obvious that the 650b wheel size poses tire supply issues at this point, so since there is additional effort and pre-planning needed (and I might assume additional cost since there's not the scale of production?), there must be a compelling reason for using them.

Is it the diameter of the wheel? Why is it better than 26" or 700c/29?
Is it the size of the tire? - if so, how is it better than commonly available 700c/29'er or 26" tires which range from 23mm - 32mm+ for 700 c road tires and 1 1/8" to really fat for 29" and 26"

I'm somewhat of a rifle hunter. I know that there are so many calibers and loads that it's mind boggling. However, there's so many that just have subtle and virtually meaningless differences in functional trajectory, muzzle velocity, etc. that people sometimes buy a different caliber just because it's new and/or to be different or just because they like to collect a bunch of different guns with ever-so-slightly nuances that exists on paper, but not in any real sense in the field.

Is this the case with 650b?

Flying Merkel

I'm looking to make the bike a gravel path racer- cyclocross inspired- potholed street bike. 650b 40mm Panaracers are very close to the 26" 2.1 tires I am currently using. Got discs now, would like to keep them.. I found a set of 650b disc wheels on C-list but didn't call in time. This is not strictly a practical project, more for fun. Budget is tight.

650b has a place. Think it would make a good commuter bike tire size, just like the French bikes. Shorter road bike riders would benefit. Still can't figure out why Schwinn used 650b on a low-end ATB.

ThermionicScott 

The answer to most of that is, 650B is in between the two other standards. It allows for fatter tires without making the wheel diameter too large, yet isn't as short as a 26" wheel, which will end up well below 26" if you're using a thinner tire.

shelbyfv

I think I read that Schwinn used 650b because they were trying to avoid a tariff on 26" mtn bikes.

lungimsam

650b use explanation:
https://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=88

Werkin

Build a set of wheels using the existing hubs. Inexpensive quality spokes https://www.danscomp.com/products-PAR...ted_Spoke.html , quality rims from Velocity https://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=724 , Stan's https://www.notubes.com/ZTR-Flow-650b...lack-P796.aspx , Pacenti https://www.bikelugs.com/store/. There are other 650b rim makers also.

The best reason to go 650b, Grand Bois Hetre tires. They're supple, yet have good resistance against cuts, which deal death to my high pressure road tires quickly.

Since a disc brake equipped bike is not restricted to rim brake options, wider rims can be used, and the wider the better. For tires wider than 40mm nominal, a rim wider than 30mm is optimal. I have 35mm rims with Hetre (42mm nominal width) tires mounted, the tires deflect less while cornering and I can run lower air pressure without the risk of pinch flats or tire flop.