All The Six Fifty Bees Thread! (650b, 27.5 etc.).

These are going cheap: https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;product=186022;menu=1000,4,22,35;pgc%5B19572%5D%5B19573%5D=1

650b conversion finally finished to the point of being rideable. Featuring custom fork with Compass extra bendy legs.

It's been a bit of an ordeal - I've had to take the front wheel back to the shop because they built it wrong, Dremel the freehub to fit an 11spd cassette on and resort to using a v-brake on the front with a travel agent to get decent braking.

In all fairness I'd consider that an ordeal too but seeing this for the first time it looks lovely.

Result! Good work.

Thanks! I keep thinking about bits I want to change because they're not quite perfect but I just need to ride the bloody thing now.

What brake drop did the frame start off with, and which calipers did you use?

49mm brake drop on the Ribble according to the guy I bought it off but I haven't measured myself. The fork was a carbon Time Sprint which I would have kept if it had enough clearance but it got quite narrow at the top.

There's a decent amount of clearance at the seat stay bridge with 38mm Loup Loups and there isn't a chain stay bridge but I had to crimp the chain stays to get the width clearance (with some vice grips lol).

The calipers are Tektro R559s which I've used before on 27" to 700c conversions and am generally a fan of. I did try some centerpulls in an effort to maximise the mudguard clearance at the brake bridge but the improvement was marginal and they made it so I would have to deflate the rear tyre to remove the wheel.

Any of you 650 'ers interested in this? 1xdi2. Silly wheels and many wheelies possible. Don't really want to sell, but I want another set of wheels.

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That is very nice, how much are you thinkng? What size

It's a small, and probably too small for me...but hey ho. Honestly not a clue what to put it up for as I didn't expect a reaction. I'll have a bit of a chinwag and ponder it.

Will Kaffenback take 650b? or 26" for that matter. For a small person trying to avoid toe overlap.

Just what I've been wanting to hear!
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2017/07/28/tubeless-compatible-650b-x-42-mm/

I think I'm going to ditch my wtb horizons, for something a bit Slimer I'm thinking of getting 1.6" marathon Supremes. Any other suggestions?

I have 42c Supremes on my town bike, they're plush and haven't punctured no matter what I ride over.
PS I promise I'm not following you around the forum replying to every post you make. Promise.

Ha! How supple are they? Also are you running tubeless?

Erm, not sure entirely what I should be comparing their suppleness with. I can touch my toes, but can't fold in half. The tyres can fold in half, so they are more supple than a rugby player...? Certainly more subtle (once you remove the reflective stripe).
In fairness I think they're pretty good, the main tread has a lot of meat (but no punctures yet...) and the sidewalls are quite light. Not run anything like Compass so I don't have a good comparison, the closest I've come to anything like very high end tyres is some Michelin Pro4s. They're not that supple, but the sidewalls aren't too far off.
As for tubeless, I got the wheelset before it was trendy so that's a no.

Edit: that has to be the longest useless post I've made in a while. Sorry and congratulations on reaching the end.

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2017/07/2­8/tubeless-compatible-650b-x-42-mm/

#aaaaah

Supposedly a little more rolling resistance than voyager hypers, which I like to think of as really wide gp4seasons

Thanks for the ramble some what helpful.

@alialias that's good to know. The tublessness of them is what attracted me originally. I, correctly it seems, assumed that they'd be pretty fast rollers.

@edscoble did you say you'd tried them?

You're welcome. I can carry on if you like? I can tell you about this one time, at band camp... ahem.

They definitely hit a sweetspot between fast rolling and puncture protection. Have been tempted by Voyager Hypers too, haven't got a need right now though.

New to this 650b lark and can't find a definitive answer here. Will 650b with 30mm tyres fit 700c mudguards?

How wide are the guards, and what are they made from?

well, as of yet they are in a shop awaiting my decision to purchase them. Was thinking the PDW full metal in the city size (45mm wide) are what I would like, but no real idea if they will fit.

700c x 30mm would fit in there, 650b should easily. If anything the guards might be too big.

That's what I'm concerned about, but the 700x35 guards probably wouldn't be wide enough.

Calling @edscoble... it's your old saracen I'm trying to fit these on that I've bought off @Berrow. Did you ever run guards on it?