Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
I certainly didnt mean to misquote you. I took 'ruin' to mean blowing the tire too. Basically, ruining a tire could be any number of things- one of which is blowing a hole in the casing which was my example.
Even if I was used your exact word, ruin, my point still stands- it is incredibly rare for someone to need to replace 2 tubes AND a tire on a ride. So rare that it isnt planned for by most and for good reason- it isnt needed for most all people during most all rides.
I would disagree that 'its really easy' to ruin a tire while riding paved roads(the forum we are in).
Also, riding with a spare tire is exceptionally rare. Excellent that you have needed it. The riding you describe- remote, rural without cell service, mountain climbs in the rain is not even attempted by probably 80% of road cyclists.
You seem to take your experiences, which are hardcore and probably awesome, and apply advice for that style riding to all riding by claiming 650 is a bad idea due to your sub-sub-section of road riding. Most people ride within 50mi of their house. Most people live in an area where cell signal exists at all times for calls, even when in the country away from city roads.
Most dont carry an entire extra tire because it isnt needed for the majority of road riding. Your riding is really cool sounding, but hardly common.
Someone who rides like you surely knows the grueling needs and requirements to be successful and can opt to rock a 700 wheel even in a 50mm frame. That doesnt mean 650 shouldnt be available for the super-majority of smaller riders who stick to riding closer to home and who dont have the tires that ruin really easily.
The reason I commented is really that 650B was for a time much favored by randonneurs, who do very lonely rides on bad roads. The reason for the favoring in the first place was that they are pretty much interchangeable with 700C as long as frame clearances are large enough. I don't see them much anymore, perhaps for the reasons I gave. I believe there are other reasons for the 650B thing among randonneurs, probably something to do with trail or some such handling difference. Or maybe just that with 650B, the large tires favored by some will fit in many ordinary 700C frames, while such tires on 700C wheels would not.
In any case, there's no reason for a small person to favor them because they're about the same as as 700C. Whereas 650A is a completely different, much smaller size, with ordinary road tires available for it. To whom on occasion I have not been able to loan a tube, falling back on patching.
BTW it's really very easy to cut a sidewall, for instance coming around a sharpish bend at speed, holding your line, and having few sharp rocks very suddenly appear right on that line. Or finding oneself on a bit of gravel with similarly sharp rocks. Let's see - when else have I cut a sidewall - riding on an unswept shoulder with a scattering of 1" - 1.5" rocks and not being clever enough to avoid them all. Etc.
Yeah, yeah, "most people." They're all fine until they're not. There's a reason I carry the ten essentials on even the most mundane day hikes. Boy Scout motto, you know.
In any case, there's really no strong reason to carry a spare tire or even tubes. All you need is a patch kit, a boot kit, and a pump. The patch kit is only problematic in the rain, but then most people don't ride in the rain. Or if you're trying to stay with a group, but then most people don't ride with a group, etc. When I was a kid, that's what I did. Patch kit and pump. And 2 peanut butter sandwiches.