Originally Posted by
Bekologist
I know why grant petersen and the francophile randonneur groupies wanted to reintroduce 650b to the bike world (the "lookamebike" syndrome) but why push it on the masses as a new mountain bike wheel?
... so, 584 began picking up momentum, and now its getting foisted onto the masses. blech.
Well, yeah--and I admit to being a Grant fan, so I'm biased. But my wife had an old 700C Bridgestone roadie she almost never used because it "feels too nervous" (wouldn't fit tires bigger than 25mm). I had some long-reach brakes that fit it, and I had to replace her wheels anyway because I stole the rear for my singlespeed, so I converted her to 650 with some fat tires from Rivendell. I haven't ridden the bike (it's about 15cm too small for me), but she didn't like it before and loves it now.
Would it have been better for such a small frame to have been designed around 26-inch rims or had enough room for fatter 700s? Sure, but in the '80s they didn't do that.