700c to 650b wheel conversion
 

Suffering from "should have bought a touring bike, bought a racing bike instead" guilt...I'll be riding this summer in an area with muddy gravel roads, and I have NO storage room for a second bicycle :(

Considering converting my Specialized Allez Triple to a 650b-wheel commuter, just want some input.

I'd be getting these wheels:
http://www.ebikestop.com/dimension_r..._3x-WE6539.php
http://www.ebikestop.com/dimension_f..._3x-WE6538.php

These brakes:
http://www.lickbike.com/productpage....=%271314-00%27

Haven't decided on tires yet, or fenders...any input, guys?

why do you want 650c wheels?

What tires are you going to use that will be narrow enough to fit in your frame?

x2.
I ride a 650b bike and although i don't have a problem finding tires, 32mm are the narrowest I can find. And they are all tan sidewalls. Works on my bike but some don't like the tan color on their tires.
I like my 32mm tires, but sometimes I wish Scwalbe would make a bullet proof 28mm tire in 650b with black sidewalls.

Doesn't seem like a good idea to me. You can't just go throwing the wrong size wheels on a bike and expect it to ride worth a crap. And you lower the BB by about an inch, so you're going to increase pedal strike risk. If you want 650 wheels, buy a 650 wheel bicycle.

The outer diameter of a fat 650B is similar to that of a skinny 700C so BB height and steering are very similar. The point of 650B conversions is that you can fit a fatter tire into a frame designed for a skinnier one at a similar weight with minimal effect on handling.

I want smaller wheels to increase the clearance under my seatstays/front fork crown to larger than 1/2cm, so I can fit fenders and thicker tires on there.

No need for snark, I didn't just come up with this idea out of the blue. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/650b.html

ISO 622mm to ISO 584mm requires a caliper that can reach down 19mm more over your current one.
tektro are about the only maker that I know of that makes that sort of caliper.
either that or you use a drop bolt.

Yes, I linked to tektro's "long-reach" brakes in my post. Thanks though :)

Pose this question to the commuter forum. You'll get better info there.

I think you should just bite the bullet and sell the Allez for whatever you can get, then buy the bike you really want/need. I think you'll be throwing good money after bad with a 650B conversion, and you'll be left with extra brakes and 700C wheels and tires. Plus, those Deore/650B wheels you're looking at are nothing great. Get a proper touring bike, cross bike, or something like that, or even a bike designed for 650B wheels from the outset.