700c to 650b wheel conversion
04-10-09 | 12:50 PM
#1
Thread Starter
girl anachronism
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 137
Likes: 0
From: Westchester, NY
Bikes: ~1962 Fréjus Torino, 1978 Centurion LeMans
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:
https://www.ebikestop.com/dimension_r..._3x-WE6539.php
https://www.ebikestop.com/dimension_f..._3x-WE6538.php
These brakes:
https://www.lickbike.com/productpage....=%271314-00%27
Haven't decided on tires yet, or fenders...any input, guys?
Considering converting my Specialized Allez Triple to a 650b-wheel commuter, just want some input.
I'd be getting these wheels:
https://www.ebikestop.com/dimension_r..._3x-WE6539.php
https://www.ebikestop.com/dimension_f..._3x-WE6538.php
These brakes:
https://www.lickbike.com/productpage....=%271314-00%27
Haven't decided on tires yet, or fenders...any input, guys?
04-10-09 | 12:51 PM
#2
Carpe Diem
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 13,149
Likes: 1
From: MABRA
Bikes: 2007 CAAD9; 2014 CAADX; PedalForce CG1
why do you want 650c wheels?
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"When you are chewing the bars at the business end of a 90 mile road race you really dont care what gear you have hanging from your bike so long as it works."
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04-10-09 | 02:10 PM
#4
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,914
Likes: 1
From: Houston we have a problem
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.
04-10-09 | 02:19 PM
#5
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,522
Likes: 7
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.
04-10-09 | 02:48 PM
#6
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,275
Likes: 6
From: SE Minnesota
Bikes: are better than yours.
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.
04-11-09 | 08:28 PM
#7
Thread Starter
girl anachronism
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 137
Likes: 0
From: Westchester, NY
Bikes: ~1962 Fréjus Torino, 1978 Centurion LeMans
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. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/650b.html
No need for snark, I didn't just come up with this idea out of the blue. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/650b.html
04-11-09 | 08:44 PM
#8
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 12,257
Likes: 5
From: A Coffin Called Earth. or Toronto, ON
Bikes: Bianchi, Miyata, Dahon, Rossin
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.
tektro are about the only maker that I know of that makes that sort of caliper.
either that or you use a drop bolt.
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Food for thought: if you aren't dead by 2050, you and your entire family will be within a few years from starvation. Now that is a cruel gift to leave for your offspring. ;)
https://sanfrancisco.ibtimes.com/arti...ger-photos.htm
04-12-09 | 12:15 AM
#10
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,123
Likes: 4
From: Near Portland, OR
Bikes: Three road bikes. Two track bikes.
Pose this question to the commuter forum. You'll get better info there.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
04-12-09 | 05:45 AM
#11
Not so new
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 142
Likes: 9
From: Pennsylvania
Bikes: Klein Quantum, Schwinn Peloton, Moulton AM Esprit
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.
