Originally Posted by
nlerner
Seems like a worthy project. Biggest issue will be finding effective brakes that have the reach you need. Standard steel brakes already have fairly long arms, and you'll need another 3mm of reach. Perhaps do-able with existing brakes?
Re: brakes, I'm hoping the originals with some kool-stop pads will be suitable, though I do have a tektro set handy that would likely provide the needed reach. Neal, you've posted a 650b winter commuter with Soma tires before and I'm taking it as inspiration. I am not quite prepared to modify my Competition for 650 x 42mm quite yet, and I don't want to subject it to our very nasty winters. I've tried 35mm studded tires on an old hybrid during a few winter commutes, and I find that the low temps here render the rubber portion useless, and I end up riding only on the studs, which isn't great heading into corners. I like your solution of wider and yet grippy tires for stability.