A dozen different 26 x 1 3/8 tires are as close as Amazon, including the Bell Sports Flat Defense and Goodyear Road, both folding tires.

Specialized Roadsports and Bontrager T1s are available in 26 x 1 3/8. Your local Trek or Specialized shop probably won't inventory them, but they're available on the 'net.

Hmmm- I wonder if it was Cycles Toussaint? The 650B wheel set they sell (currently sold out) looks in the photos like the rims could be CR-18..

This conversion is a fine idea and won’t offend anyone here. But it’s a big investment and not necessarily worth all the expense and work. People here like the Schwalbe Delta Cruiser tire, but for me, they rode like rocks. Maybe I overinflated them. I tried a cheap Kenda tire and was very pleased.

If you decide to go with 650b, be sure to know your spoke counts. A lot of Raleigh Sportses had 32h front and 40h rear.

Both my hubs and the recently acquired 650b wheels are 36hole. They look like very generic wheels, from a bargain basement 27.5" MTB.

I actually have two sturmey archer 3 speed hubs, both 36hole I believe. I may lace up the 650As with my spare hub, and try it.

Another reason that I'm excited to try 650b wheels is that I can get studded winter tires in this size, and there's no hope of getting those in 650A size.

The supply chain for 650B rims in 40º is thin.

I think there are fewer 650B tires in the 35~40mm wide range available than there are in 26 x 1 3/8. (I could be wrong.)

Unsure new wheels in 650B is the answer. In the 80s, 90s and 00s there was actually a 'Save the 650B' society. Time and past for 'Save the 26 x 1 3/8 - 650A - EA3'?

Contact SUNRinglé about CR18-590 availability:

https://hayesbicycle.zendesk.com/hc/...=360002741253\


Fun fact: 26 x 1 3/8 is a common wheelchair tire size.

This is working out for you. 36/36 on the Raleigh and 36/36 on the 650b's. Be sure to get before and after pictures. In fact, you may want to use this thread as a build thread. Brake fit, assuming that you have rim brakes, tire choice and size, clearances will all be interesting.

Depending on how old your Raleigh is, you may find that it has a 40° rear rim and 32° front rim (Raleigh change to 36° front and rear in the mid-70s). That may further limit your rim chouices. The Sun CR-18 used to be available in 590mm (650A) diameter and 32°, 36°, and 40° drilling, but as others have noted, they don't seem to be available anymore. Tandems East may have something in 40°, 650B diameter.

Pay attention to the OLD of your fork as well. Raleigh forks are spaced at 90mm, but use has often changed this; most I've seen get narrower somehow. If you're going to stick a modern 100mm OLD hub in a Nottingham fork, you'll need the blades widened and the dropouts modified. A standard 9mm axle from a new hub won't fit a Sports model from any of the TI Raleigh subsidiaries, as they used axle washers with a flange/spacer to center them in the fork. The dropouts are rather keyhole shaped so the axle will fit in then the washers will center the axle in the larger hole in the dropout; it also acts like a "lawyer" tab.
You've already got your rims, but for thread info's sake, Velocity currently offers the Dyad and the Atlas in 650B with 32, 36, 40 hole drillings. I'm probably going to be using the Atlas for a set of rider wheels on my *fingers crossed* new-to-me Rudge Clubman. What can I say, I have a Sturmey AW Alloy hub that needs a bike to reside in.

Okay, it's been a couple of days and everyone's had the opportunity to contact SunRinglé about CR18 availability (post no. 30).

But you haven't? Do it now!

Thanks all for the replies...I've been swamped with work recently so I haven't gotten back to this, but the plan is to do a little work over the weekend. I may lace up my rear rim and give it a try. I don't know what it is about autumn...but i think a 3spd in good condition, with leather saddle bags...looks right at home when the leaves start to turn.

In terms of cosmetics, what is the concensus on look? Should I try to achieve a polished aluminum look by removing the anodization and polishing the rims? Or should I leave it as-is and sport the matte black look?

Will send pictures as I progress!

Thanks, Ivan

Hi all, Joining this discussion just a bit late ... but 650a rim availability still a problem ... Am thinking 650b is the best solution, but wondering if anyone here has actually switched to 650b rims on a Raleigh Superbe (mine is circa 1970). The pads on the rear brake are bottomed out is (plenty of room for adjustment on the front), and I am concerned that they will not reach the rim with 650b, even though 650b is only a few mm smaller in radius. Any thoughts/experiences would be appreciated! I suppose it might be possible to find a caliper with even longer reach than the old Raleigh sidepull--any ideas about that would also be appreciated. Thanks!

I bought a set, they are not cr18s but they are really nice wheels.

650b is nice, just don't go crazy on tire width. A longer brake is probably your best option. There are bmx style ones available with huge reach.

Sounds like a pad extender would work: https://www.ebay.com/itm/395643033605

Braking might be a bit spongier than original, but if your front has enough reach, that shouldn’t be a problem.

I have used those and they work well.

Thanks to you both, much appreciated! I took a run at the rear brake and it was not seated properly--causing pads to ride a bit lower than they should. Looks like 650b is going to be fine.

iblackford i have a nice set of Araya 650A aluminum rims laced to Shimano hubs, with a 5-speed freewheel installed. if you're interested in buying them, let me know and we can discuss via email or PM.

Hi, sorry for the late reply, I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm good for the moment. The 650b's I replaced them with are quite good, and recently decathlon has put 650b tires on clearance, so I have enough to last me for a while.