Ten Year Retrospective: My 650b x 32 Cypres Frameset
 

I built my first 650b bike about 10 years ago when the Cypres 650b x 32 was new and, aside from the CdlV, one of the very few 584 tires available. It was fitted with fenders, a front rack and pretty much classic "road bike" gear; Superbe Pro long reach brakes (which made fenders and rack mounting a challenge but I was pleased with the results), Cyclone GT changers, Stronglight 99 crank. That tire was an epiphany! Although I'm in the middle of a frame for the RTP 559x54 I am, after seeing Andy's Gios Professional, getting a bit of a bug to make another. It doesn't make a lot of sense, aside from the aesthetic. Or maybe it does. No lights/generator, maybe not even a front rack....just as light as possible. And maybe 747 tubing and 32 spoke wheels (I'm kind of a 36 hole kind of guy). The engine will still be old and tired....but I'm working on that. More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/216244...th/2649523137/

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c4bbfd9afe.jpg

I got the idea from a visit to Cycles Alex Singer in the early '00s, and this bicycle which was hanging in the front of their shop (not my photo...I misplaced the ones, quite a few, that I took).

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8f92ec67a6.jpg

Something that might be worth noting is the manner in which the front rack was integrated into the Suntour Superbe Pro LR front brake. Getting 32mm wide tires, a fender and a front rack (a cobbled Mark's Rack) playing well together, in the shadow of the lower headset cup and on an LC17 crown (my fave for "skinny tires"), took a little bit of finesse. If you're in a similar situation you can make it happen, it's just fiddly. For pure, smooth road riding the 32 is very nice and very responsive. It's not like the 42 but it will scoot! I really liked that bike.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...025954e5b3.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a3140672ec.jpg