pbmiata

This is a first attempt to upload pictures. Early 1990 Trek fitted with Grand Bois Hetres, tektro brakes and Sram Rival shift gear. Came out better than I thought it would!

Chris W.

Very cool!
Does the rear end have as much clearance as the fork?

Cheers,
Chris

noglider 

Nice job, pbmiata. How does it ride?

redxj

I guess this would be the place to post this as well. I just finished phase one of a VO Polyvalent rando build. I was thinking of the Boulder or the newly available In 650b for all sizes Bog Dog Pelican for myself. I went with the Polyvalent to test out a low trail 650B bike at a more reasonable price. I built mine just a few days ago and today was its first 40 mile shakedown ride. So far i love it and happy with my most recent n+1. I am also thinking of maybe changing it to a porteur city build and buying a Boulder further down the road.





Mine is a 60cm and built with Sram Rival group. I call it phase one build because i am currently borrowing the wheels (Tiagra/dyad/soma b-line) from my PX10 conversion. I am planning this week to order some Hetres and Berthoud fenders. The rest of phase 2 build is a generator wheelset with Cyo front light and a Seculite fender mounted rear light. I plan to build up the next wheelset myself, but i am still preplanning what parts to get. I already have a Dh71 dyno hub to use. I just need to figure out a rear hub, rims, and to get all the parts.

pbmiata

No- The chain stays are a little tight - about 3/16" to 1/8". I have about 300 miles on this setup so far and the rim has remained true so no worries yet.

pbmiata

Thanks! It rides very nice. Once I zeroed in on the tire pressures I found that it rolls very quickly without much "mushiness". The roads in my area are mostly chip seal and decomposed asphalt. The Hetres really suck that stuff up. I did find that the larger cross section of these tires changes the way the bike feels on intial "turn In". Once you lean into the turn the geometry of the bike takes the bike around corners with very little input from the bars. Once I got used to this I find that it holds an arc through turns without any input correction from the bar. I'm really fond of this none for asphalt, broken up MUP paths, gravel and dual track dirt roads we have here.

Creme Brulee

i keep looking at this...https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/3156913130.html... its too expensive.... but i still want it kind of

pbmiata

I am hoping to find a person locally that can move the cantilver studs from the original 27" location to 650B config. This is a 1987 Miyata 215 that I fitted a 700c wheelset, Sram Rival/Apex shiftgear, Velo Orange front rack and bag, B17 Brooks. I really like the way it handles the front load but am spoiling for 650B Hetres. Perfect winter bike as I'm always adding/removing clothing during a ride.

pbmiata

REDXJ, Nice! I would love to see a similar build in the 54CM-56CM sizes. Anyone?

RosyRambler

Quote by ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX..... "All I know is that the World Voyageur frame is crap compared to the Gran Course... mostly I was trying to determine if it was the wheels or the frame that made the bike fatiguing to ride and from what I can tell it was more the Frame or the setup than the wheels."


Zaphod, are you saying that you used a Schwinn World Voyageur frame for a 650B conversion, and weren't satisfied with it? If so could you elaborate a bit on why?

I have a '73 World Voyageur frame and was planning on converting the 27" wheels to 650B. Your comment has me concerned about it. Is the Gran Course a Raleigh?

redxj

Some better pics and more progress on my Polyvalent build up. Only thing left now is the mounting and wiring the taillight.

pcb 

Here's a shot of my early, in-flux conversion of a '94 Waterford 1200. Really tight chainstay clearance on this puppy, very tight with 25mm 700c tires, passable with 30mm 650b, very tight w/32mm 650b. Hard to find 30mm 650b tires. She's got Michelin Megamium front/rear now, they measure 30-31mm. Fair amount of updating since I shot the photo last spring. Installed Paul Racer calipers, the std/long Shimano calipers were still hitting rubber at the bottom of the slot, with tight clearance underneath. I switched to aero brake levers so I could add 'cross levers up top, swapped the PowerGrip'd pedals for spiky platforms, went to a modern external-bb compact double crankset and an XTR rder to take up the extra chain. French fit for me on this one, frame at 65cm is on the large side. I wish the paint weren't so purty, I'd send it to Waterford for a rework/repaint, have them either cut/braze a scallop in the chainstays or maybe replace them. It's using way-thin heat-treated steel, not a great idea to just crimp the stays methinks.

This is not very successful conversion IMO, I can ride it with fatter rubber in 650b than 700c, but even the narrowest 650b tires are still tight. Megamium are out of production, anything new and available gives me just 1-2mm clearance at the chainstays. I've since landed a few nice steel frames with clearance for 35/38mm 700c tires, so the 1200 hasn't seen any miles in quite a while.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Looks like I found the Frame I was in search of.



Its an Austro Daimler SLE of undetermined age. I'm gonna wager early 80's but could be older.

Its got everything I wanted and then some. Nice short chainstays, lightweight, quick steering, and BB is acceptably high for 650B. Plus I lucked out with dual water bottle bosses and sweet sweet smoked chrome as well as the frames being quite well built and silver brazed if I'm to believe the literature.

As seen here its a 48-28 TA crankset with a 16-22 7 speed corncob and Shimano 600 drivetrain bits.
Final build is in process and is shaping up to be a 48-38-28 TA Triple, 14-25 9 speed in the back, Dura Ace 7800 derailleurs (and maybe barcons), and Mafac Racer brakes with some Cane Creek Aero levers. Wheels will be Electra Ticino Hubs rollin on Velocity A23 rims.

KonAaron Snake 

That looks so awesome Zaphod...love it.

dirty tiger

Wow. this bike makes me a 650Believer!

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Thanks bud, I can't wait to get the new wheels on there and lose the drum brakes. In my mind it will make a huge difference. In reality I hope my mind is right.
As it stands now it rides really well and goes like a B-- out of Hell down hills.

dirty tiger

LUCKY! That thing is beautiful. I've never ridden a 650b bike, but I totally "get it". A fat tire road bike is a wonderful thing. I run 700x47 and it makes the ride sooooo smooth.

Grand Bois

Why don't you like the drum brakes?

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

I don't dislike them, the stopping power is fine, but in this case I want a lighter wheelset.

The weight of the drum brake assembly is very close to the center of the wheel so its debatable how much effect that weight has on performance....my decision to build lighter wheels may or may not net me much performance gain. We'll see.

ColonelJLloyd 

My money is on "very noticeable".

redxj

I've noticed lighter is better on my latest wheel build. My previous borrowed wheelset was Tiagra hubs laced with 2.0/1.8 Dt Swiss spokes to velocity dyads. The new wheels added a Shimano 71 generator hub which isn't very light by itself, but the lights are a big deal for me. The rest of the build is 2.0/1.8 Dt Swiss spokes laced to Velocity a23 rims and a balleur Dt Swiss 190 rear hub. I used stans rim tape instead of velox cloth as wheel since I plan to try the Hetres tubeless in the future. On the same route I am faster at a number of hills on the new wheels, and I am no where near a "climber". The only problem I have found is I want to coast more to hear the awesome angry bee sound on the 190's freehub!

The pacenti or a23 paired with some nice butted spokes to some nice hubs (Dt Swiss, WI, king, etc.) would be a killer setup. A23 ad the Pacenti rims can be set up tubeless with Hetres or Pacenti PM for a fat, fast and light wheelset. I could have lost some weight going to a Son dyno hub, but I already had to Shimano so I used it.

rotharpunc

what tires, crank, and RD?

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Currently, Grand Bois Hetres 650Bx42, TA Crank 48-28 and Shimano 600 RD.

Will be changing the RD to Dura-Ace 7800 (long cage) and adding a 38t ring to the Crankset to make it a triple.

djkashuba 

Motobecane Grand Record avec Grand Bois Hetres


Motobecane Grand Record 650B by djk762, on Flickr


Motobecane Grand Record 650B by djk762, on Flickr


Motobecane Grand Record 650B by djk762, on Flickr

rotharpunc

I think Im going to build my 1974 Trek with 650b

I can't find info for spoke length for the velo orange rims and campy(record?) hubs