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

Training wheels innit.

I like mines, it’s true they don’t feel like hurrying anywhere but I wasn’t completely put off by them either. Might try something else once they wear out.

Well, I had 700x42 on the back and haven't touched the mudguard and the 650Bx47 fits under it with lots of clearance. Depends on the bike's clearances as to whether fatter rubber will fit. If it's designed for it like the Kinesis I'm using it'll be fine.

Hmm yeah 40 is the max I've had them and I found them reasonably quick at that pressure. They're a LOT slower sub 30psi

Thanks!
This is the frame:
https://www.thelightblue.co.uk/Sport/FMLBR50O/Robinson-Frameset

Well yeah, these are for gravel race and a foray into Tubeless so I gotta test them out. I was riding a singlespeed with 2.3" ramp tyres to slow me down on commutes so this will also fit that bill. After all the claims about being 'just as fast' though they were more obviously slower than most other tyre swaps I've made in recent history.

I want to try lower to see how they handle and where they start to bottom out. Need to check their max, 40psi was kinda arbitrary starting point.

That looks more like standard audax so might struggle when you try and go wide. The wheels would fit but even at lower diam, when you add 47mm rubber it might contact the stays. Can you borrow a 650Bx47mm to test fit?

Also re pressure - I found them to be a bit scary on tarmac at low pressures eg 20 psi and less, the bike sort of resists leaning into corners and then suddenly leans somewhat but resists leaning further. I like them at 40 for every day, down to 30 for more comfort without getting that weird behaviour, up to 45 to go faster. Bike and me and all must be around 95, 100 kg so your mileage may vary. #whatpressureyourunning

30-35psi felt spot on, 40psi for riding like a road bike (abet bumpy), and 15-20psi for off road.

Before I hit the classifieds...

I got some Vee Rubber 650B tyres from PX which are too wide for me.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TYVEESPCXG­/vee-tyre-co-speedster-cyclocross-gravel­-tyre

Currently priced £9.99 each + postage

They are marked as Vee Rubber SPEEDSTER 27.5x1.95 and made by VeeTireCo.
The official sizing is 50-584.

On a clincher rim with a 20mm internal width, they come up at 48mm wide and 42mm tall at the max 50 PSI recommended (3.5 bars).

Although new, you can see some grazing on the sidewalls so definitely runabout tyres and not touring. But hey, they're cheap!

£15 for the pair to avoid me returning them?

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This is road only at the moment but the bike will be used for Badlands, probably with more gravel-esque tyres (unless I buy a sexier bike before then). How much do you weigh?

85kg, bear in mind the weight include the occasional saddlebag.

It’s slower than 700c 28mm on unbroken smooth road, but find it more relaxing on rough surface and more forgiving on rider error (such as wheel slip inbetween a crack on the road or the Croydon tramline.

Oh yeah, the 'oversteer' is fun when you're running squidgy tyres. It made for some interesting traffic weaving yesterday :)

The sidewall says 35-55psi, so I might try them a bit higher and see how they feel.

Sidewall pressure are to be taken with a pinch of salt tho.

Like CX tyres running at 35psi when it said 60-80psi.

Like Shimano's RD ranges sidewall ratings are conservative, presumably to keep the lawyers at bay when someone tries to ride their gravel tyres at 200psi and wonders why their rims are missing pieces of sidewall.

That's a good point. I'll ask around. Thanks!

So, adding another 10psi to take it up to 50psi exposed a leaking valve #fuckingtubeless and the fact that they'd not held the original 40psi on the first ride - they were probably down to 20 or so. No wonder they felt slow as shit.

Wiggled the valve so the sealant filled some gaps and reinflated and it seems to be holding more air this morning. Much nicer ride in. I still need to have a look at power data to see how much extra effort it took.

Anyway, 40-50 psi is much better than ReallyFuckingLowBecauseTubelessValveBollocks psi

classic user error, i forgive you

Which part is user error? The valve doesn't seal properly - indicates to me the wrong valve is in use or the valve is faulty. Don't tell me valves 'need' sealant to prevent air leaks. My road wheel didn't need that. #fuckingtubeless

Also, without knowing today's duration, pressure and today's energy requirements they could still be wasting loads of energy for the same speed. This is only data point 2, pre analysis.

I think I've been lazily riding Paselas at about 20psi with tubes.

They are fucking slow, but then again - so am I.

I used to let my 700x23/25 etc get down to about 40psi over the course of months before I bothered reinflating. You knew it was time for more air when the tiny bunnyhop up the curb at home could no longer be done without a bottom out on the rim.

Will keep eyes peeled for further data points :-) glad you made it today too. Dont forget to stock up on survival gear in case of #fuckingtubeless

I've got a tube, a full anchovie kit, 3 tubes of superglue and a pump (because I'm too lazy to unpack it all). I'm going to try and find a new valve today but I'm not sure if I'll use these for the 200k in Wales yet - I'm not exactly confident given their history.

I'd like to find a small container for spare sealant too but that might be asking too much. Maybe I'll just carry my tubed 700C wheels on my back...

It’s worth buying a small bottle of Stans for this purpose. I use it for tubeless set-ups too as it’s easy to manoeuvre and you don’t need to measure.