Brake reach schmake-greatch!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Q...hPPzA/X-FD.jpg

I get around brake reach with Drum Brake hubs. They're great.

Tom, those World Voyageurs are full chrome under the paint. The paint on mine is pretty bad so I sanded off the crusty spots and wound up with a bike with Chrome spots :lol:

So buy stock in Mongoose?

I just received my XL-FD hub that i'm using for this 650B wheelset.
Compared to the X-FD (which I have on a different wheelset) the XL-FD is Enormous! The flange diameter has gotta be over 4 inches!
beautifully made alloy hub shell as well. Its a real nice unit to hold. Quite a bit nicer than my X-FD just in terms of perceived quality while holding it in my hand.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=206880

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=206881

If this doesn't stop ya, nothing will.

So cross-5 is out of the question????

guess that would solve the reach issue... actually, I have a couple old Alesa 650B rims that I scavenged off a Schwinn Mirada that I may mount on coaster brake hubs. We gots piles of them at the Earn a BIke shop I volunteer at. Keep hoping to find a 2 vintage speed kick back but nothing yet.

650B conversion
 

Does the Hetre have a TPI count significantely greater than 66, which seems to be a standard Panaracer design?? As a first approxiamation, suppleness should follow TPI count.

John Hawrylak
Woodstown NJ

I have one of those X-FD hubs. It's going on my International, which originally had sorta long-reach Weinmann centerpull brakes. It is a beautiful hub to hold. I hope I'm not disappointed with the braking. I've never used a drum brake.

for extensive 650B info and opinions, I suggest subscribing to the listserv and presenting inquiries there... lots of friendly folks with plenty to say about tires

650b@googlegroups.com

I reckon you could join at Google Groups online

here is my current project. The bars are temporary (they will eventually be Velo Orange Porteur bars). The whole Bottom bracket crank thing is always a bit bewildering but I'll figure it out somehow

John Howard KHS Turbo
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/...2d0ea76f_b.jpg

What are you guys using for reasonably priced 650b wheels?

I don't know the actual TPI count, but here's what Jan Heine has to say about the Hetres:

My portfolio is full of the stuff as of this afternoon.

That description gives me goosebumps and makes me want to do a conversion.

Try a Sturmey Archer. I've got a bike with a Shimano FHR in the rear and a Sturmey Archer X-FDD in the front and the Sturmey is the stronger of the two brakes. And its not just because its the front. Personally I found the Shimano roller brake a bit tricky to get dialed in but once it is, I think it works well. Just not as well as the Sturmey

And just in case that description doesn't convince:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/...aed17b5c_b.jpg

I really want to do a conversion but I'm concerned that a fatter tire will make me feel slow. Will the bike still feel responsive and sporty ?

Or any of the tens of millions of hybrid bikes sold in the last 20 years or so.

I can understand your reluctance. I had the same concerns before I built up my 650b specific Kogswell P/R with Hetres. But after I rode the bike. Wow. Just wow.

Like you, I read review after review about how great thes tires are. And I finally came across my Kogswell frame that was designed for 650b tires, so I took the plunge:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g...2009.11.24.jpg

Equipped like she sits in this photo... complete with double leg kickstand, dyno lighting, frame pump, and huge honkin' porter rack... the bike weighs exactly 30 pounds. Not exactly a lightweight.

But it rides like greased lightning. And smooooth as silk. This bike really surprises people... they're not used to seeing a fat tire bike cruising so fast. I've had more than one person comment on how fast the bike feels... and last Saturday at my LBS I had a line of employees and customers waiting to take a test ride on it... and 3 people tried to buy it from me on the spot!

But keep one thing in mind:
If you're building a bike around these specific tires, then go all the way with your wheelset. The tires will not be stellar if the rims, hubs, and spokes are trash. I built my wheels myself with Velocity Synergy rims, DT Swiss Revolution spokes, alloy nipples, SON front hub, and Shimano XT rear hub with SRAM PG990 cassette.

These wheels are light. Insanely light for a wheelset built for a 42mm tire. But they make the bike leap forward when you stomp down on the pedals. And smooth. Did I say smooth yet?

Riding these huge fast tires is unlike anything you've ridden before, but the oddest thing about them is the sound. Yes... the sound that they make. You know the echo type of sound that a kid's kickball makes when you thump it? That hollow balloon echo inside of the ball? Well these tires make that that noise, but it's constant. You can hear it when you're out away from traffic and everything is quiet. It's a ballooney thrumming sound as the tires roll across the pavement... very comforting to me... kind of neat. It's not a loud obnoxious sound... just a comforting background hum that you hear when it's quiet around you.

I'm glad I drank the Kool-aid. As a matter of fact, I'm considering putting 650b wheels on my Surly Pacer now. She weighs 21 pounds ready to ride with 700x23C wheels. That bike ought to be really fun and fast with some Pacenti Parimoto 38mm tires on it. Most of the reviews I've seen say that those are some of the fastest 650b tires that you can get your hands on!

For me it's my fat *ss that makes me slow. There's a lot of reasons to do a 650B conversion. Speed isn't one of them. Good luck

I don't intend to do it to be fast. I want the looks, the feel and the ability to ride unpaved roads with more ease. I want it to be my commuter, light tourer and randonneur. But i must be able to ride reasonable fast without feeling like i'm on a slow, sluggish tank.

I'm half tempted to convert my new 87 Trek 400T Elance. If i hate it, i can always sell the wheels and brakes.

Any complaints about running the uber long reach tektro dual pivot?

OK, I've got a Raleigh International frameset waiting to be built. I'll see if 650B is in the cards. I haven't built the wheels yet, so ...

Tom, I've tried fitting 650B wheels to 23" Int'l frames and found the BB to be too low. Ymmv.

Neal

BB height was the issue, not tire clearance?

I like that kogswell.

Yup. I remember clearance being fine with 38mm Col de la vie tires.

Neal

OK, I'll go with those. How do the Col de la Vie compare with the Pasela?

I could convert this, but it's already on 38s. I suppose I would be able to put huge tires on it, but I'm not sure I'd want to. The 38s are cushy enough for me and the cost of brakes, tires and parts to build 2 wheels is considerable. I haven't tried a good tire larger than 38. Maybe I'd be convinced after a test ride.

http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/27...600x600Q85.jpg

This thread makes me think that the tires on my Rudge 3-speed are not as nice as they should be. Bumps are extremely uncomfortable. I'm riding on Schwalbe Delta Cruisers.

I'm curious about this as well. The more I read about the Hetre's the more intrigued I become.

I have three sets of 650B wheels. The best ones were an eBay find: Rigida Sphynx rims and Campy Record hubs. Far down in the hierarchy are a set I built with Weinmann Zac-19 rims and Dura Ace 32-hole hubs. The most frustrating are a cheapo set of Sun CR-18 rims and Shimano Nexave hubs. Those Sun rims were slightly oversized, so mounting a tire is quite a struggle.

Neal