-holiday76

what prompted me to ask that was this Raleigh Portage I'm building. The bike was designed for 650b. Obviously it has no tires, and I should have taken the pic with the crank facing down, but I jumped on it as is and noticed it's probably not ridable unless the tires really lift the bike up some. that crank is just super low to the ground!

LeicaLad 

Wow! That is a low BB. Tires will certain raise it, but it sure looks low.

BTW, didn't you snag that 60cm Dutch mixte from Mel? How have you built that up?

Jus' curious.

brockd15 

Sweet, I'd love to find a Portage. I don't know what the measurements are on one, but it's surprising that the bottom bracket is low when it was designed for 650b. You would think that would have been accounted for.

-holiday76

i did not actually. Timing ended up being bad with some things going on and he ended up keeping it.

fender1

^^ Portage came w/ 175mm cranks. Here is the link to thr catalouge. In the pic it looks as if the tires are difference maker as the crank arm & rims would seem to be equal on the downstroke.

https://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleigh...5/pages/2.html

-holiday76

yeah you're right, look at that. Kinda crazy! Doesnt leave much room. I guess I won't be racing it in that crit.

fender1

Just think, you'll be able to stand flat footed just taking your feet off the pedals.

thinktubes 

1974 Nishiki International

cs1

Four years and still running. Looks like you hit a home run, congratulations.

cs1

The French always seem to march to the beat of different drummer.

sd8450

I am gathering parts for a 650b conversion and would like to see more examples..

iluvnoise

Is it just me, or does your Nishiki have both of its downtube shifters on the right side of the downtube?

unterhausen

I got my wheel parts, and I'm buying tires. I was wondering if anyone has tried using the Schwalbe Fatty on a conversion. Looks like the biggest road tire around.

I was happy to see that Peter White has Nokian studded tires in 650b, I think I'm getting a set.

southpawboston

It might be the biggest, but does that mean it's the best? With all that "stoutness" I wonder how well it would ride... Unless I was riding through broken glass shards all day long, I'd stick with a lighter, suppler tire at the expense of a couple of mm.

ColonelJLloyd 

+10

Why go to the trouble and expense of using 650B wheels if you're going to use a lead tire? Note that 650B is becoming more popular for MTBs, but I'd avoid those tires for road use. Unless I was going on an long, unsupported tour in no-man's land I'd never use any Schwalbe tire.

The Schwalbe Fatty weighs 900g. A Hetre weighs 412g. That's not insignificant weight to cut from the place that it is felt the most (the outermost part of the rotational mass). We're talking over two friggin' pounds here!

unterhausen

I have reason to believe that the Hetres are a little more fragile than I want, but point taken. I was curious if anyone had made the Schwalbes fit on a conversion to see if I should bother to try to make my frame clear something that size in the event I find a tire that size I want to use in the future. The Nokian studs probably are the biggest tire I'm going to want to clear on this bike. This is going to be my dirt road bike, so tire weight isn't up there in the list of priorities.

On edit: actually the Nokians are only 35mm tall and less than that wide according to Peter White's web site. I probably will want to clear a 41mm tire since that seems to be the biggest mainstream size.

ColonelJLloyd 

You might consider the Riv Fatty Rumpkin. It has Kevlar for puncture protection and is nearly as wide as a Hetre. The Soma Express tires have a puncture protective liner in them but are a bit narrower. I installed a pair of the 700c version on my dad's bike.

frpax

My 1972 Triumph:





Frame / Size / Year:
1972 Triumph Roadster
Handlebars / Stem:
Soma Sparrow bar
Front Wheel / Hub / Rim / Tire:
Schwinn / Sun Rims CR18 / Panaracer Col de la Vie Randonee 650B
Rear Wheel / Hub / Rim / Tire:
Sturmey Archer 3 speed / Sun Rims CR18 / Panaracer Col de la Vie Randonee 650B
Crankset / Bottom Bracket:
Original
Saddle / Seat Post:
Brooks Team Pro Copper
Pedals / Chain:
MKS quill with toe clips & straps
Shifters / Derailers:
Sturmey Archer 3 speed
Brakes / Brake Levers:
vintage

Notes:

$5 Craig's List bike! Borderline basket case was saved! Originally:
Right side seat stay had broken away from the seat lug
Broken mattress saddle
Wheels were completely shot
Had "ape hanger" Stingray-style handlebar
Shimano 3 speed shifter (not working, of course)
Right side crank arm cotter was worn, and the crank arm had a few inches of play
Chain was so rusty, in several places, 3 or more links were 'fused' together
All (and I mean ALL) cables were toast
Brake pads were as hard as rocks...

So $400 later, here's what I ended up with.

Added:
Brooks Team Pro Copper saddle, Honey color
Soma Sparrow bar 520mm width
Some cheap old quill stem off of Ebay that was pretty cool
MKS pedals with toe clips & straps
Sun Rims CR-18 rims
Panaracer Col de la Vie Randonee 650B skinwall tires (nice vintage vibe!)
New brake cables & pads
Cleaned & adjusted the Sturmey Archer 3 speed
Electra rubber handlebar grips
Electra bullet headlight
Topeak Explorer rack
New chain

tashi

I would try a light tire and tube with Stans fluid in the tube to protect against punctures. Best of both worlds.

You need to either use schrader tubes or Presta tubes with removable valve cores (many good ones are) and the injector tool that Stans sells, and then you're sorted.

I plan on doing this to my 28c GB's that I run on my SS commuter once I "get around to it".

https://www.notubes.com/2oz-Tire-Seal...r-P348C16.aspx

https://www.notubes.com/Stans-Tire-Se...nt-P94C14.aspx

sd8450

[QUOTE=frpax;13659932]My 1972 Triumph:






Very nice! What is the seat tube length of your bike?

stefan s

1986 Raleigh USA Grand Prix

Velognome 

More please

pcb 

Here are some Jersey conversions. Best-case scenario, I suppose, is room for Hetres. None of my three get there. The Marinoni Special is a great-case conversion, the frame swallows 35-36mm rubber now and was transformed from a nice road bike to a b*lls-out big-fun all-rounder. Running Col de la Vies now, could probably go a little wider. If my son ever gets out of bed today and we manage to hit the trail, I'll prolly be riding this. The Stout is a good-case conversion, chainstays make bigger than 34mm pretty tight, but 32-33mm make it a much more versatile and fun ride. The Waterford is a worst-case conversion, in a way, even 32mm 650b is very tight at the chainstays, and I can't find any 650b tires narrower than 30-31mm. But even 25mm 700c tires were really tight before, and I don't get along with rubber that narrow these days. I like it better with 650b, but I wish I could get a little more width in the rear. I'd love to squish the chainstays a bit to get more clearance, but it's ultra-thin air-hardened yadda-yadda 853 or similar, and doesn't take kindly to squishing. Pix:

Velognome 

Nice collection pcb! I just aquired a Raleigh Comp GS frame trying to decide if 700x28's are going to be big enough for an "All-Arounder" build or if I should go with 650b's? I'

Puget Pounder

Thanks for the pics. Lovin' the Stout. Are those Maxy or Nifty tires? I have some Maxys that are about to go on a project. How do they ride?