Originally Posted by
John N
Thanks. At this point I am leaning toward bikes that can handle both 700c and 650b. That way I can have narrow "paved" tires and wider "unpaved" tires depending on the tour. While I would guess most frames could theoretically handle both wheel sets sizes, it is the 650 width that seems to be the limiting factor. The total outside wheel diameter going from a 700x35 to a 650x55 should be about the same so the bike's handling should not change all that much.
Tailwinds, John
My Thorn Nomad Mk II, I usually use that with 57mm wide tires, but I did try some 40mm wide tires on it to see how it would handle, handled just fine. The width difference was 17mm.
You are looking at tire sizes that range over 20mm, not much greater than the 17mm range I cited. My point is that you might want to get the 650b wheels. See how 55mm and how 35mm tires work on those wheels. You might decide that a second wheel set is not needed.