[Closed] 26" to 650b conversion?

interesting, how much of an issue are forks ?

and will mud clearance be a pita ?

Once you've swapped the back end are you goin to need a 29er fork?

Just been looking at Mrs R's medium camber and I can't see how it can be done. Definately no space upfront with the REBAs 🙁

[i]Once you've swapped the back end
are you goin to need a 29er fork?[/i]

fox and rs have 650ml b forks on the way iirc

Forks are a pretty big issue, as the likes of Rockshox simply won't fit 650B. Hense the rumours/stories of them being redesigned for the 'new' 650b market. MTBR's 650B forum also has a list of convertable frames and also forks if your interested.

[i]Once you've swapped the back end
are you goin to need a 29er fork?[/i]

fox and rs have 650 forks on the way and magura have 3 for 2013

http://m.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/magura-offering-29er-and-650b-suspension-forks-33409/

white bros already do one
as seen on the jamis dragon 853 framed beast , personally is go for one of these !
[img]www.dirtragmag.com/userfiles/Interbike 2011—Day 1—Dirt Demo—WEB_Hor (101 of 117).jpg[/img]

Once you've swapped the back end are you goin to need a 29er fork?

As I implied there are a number of forks that will already take 650b, just not that many, but loads more than the limited list on that 650b site. I've had a 'vague interested' since seeing a (lefty equipped) 650B Prophet years back, but never seen the tyre or rim available mainstream. My real question is now though, how much bigger are 650b tyres compared to the likes of the larger (higher volume?) 26-er tyre you get now?

I guess there is no chance of Rockshox producing 650b lowers that can be retrofitted to 2011/2012 forks. A lot of rigid forks should have space...

The x fusion velvet fork is 650b ready

My real question is now though, how much bigger are 650b tyres compared to the likes of the larger (higher volume?) 26-er tyre you get now?

The difference in rim diameter is 1", so a 1/2" bigger tyre on a 26er would have the same rolling diameter - ie a 26x2.5" is the same diameter as a 650bx2".

Personally I really don't get it - is it just because it's another niche to be a part of?

aracer I thought it was 1.5 inches bigger

who knows maybe it really is the golden wheel size. no ons can say till they've experimented with it.
I understood that Scott among others are developing freeride bikes in 650 flavour because 29ers are too compromised in terms of geometry, clearance and suspension movement for bigger travel bikes.

Just been looking at Mrs R's medium camber and I can't see how it can be done. Definately no space upfront with the REBAs

My Ardent tyre only just fits with minimal mud room, so how on Earth you'd be able to fit a larger wheel in god only knows.

you can't hense the re-design...

I have a set of 650b wheels that I have ran in various frames and forks.

Fork wise I have ran them in Fox, Deville and some Rock Shox, bare in mind that whilst they fit I believe they would not be covered by the warrenty.

Frame wise I have ran them in a few different ones both FS and HT, you don't just have to fit them in but also check to see if they foul on the seat tube at full compression on FSers.

As to whether they are bigger than a 26 with a big tyre, it is all relative, 26 plus big tyre cannot be bigger than 27.5 plus a big tyre!!

Why bother at all??? Good question and at the moment the biggest problem is there are very few bikes designed for them which means running them in 26'' frames so the greatest downside is the higher BB.

They do roll better and grip better but the higher BB takes some getting used to but once you get your head around it they work great.

Downside for me is that they tend to tame things down and I like drifting and being on the edge so these are good but bad... hey just like all the other things about mtbing...

I suspect that bikes designed for them will become the dominate force over the next few years as they offer high speeds for less skill which is what seems to sell bikes.

More speed with less skill? Yes, count me in.

They do roll better and grip better

So why not a 29er? They presumably roll better and grip better than a 650b? Is the improved grip down to the increased contact area? 😉

I thought it was 1.5 inches bigger

You've been taken in by the 27.5 marketing then? 26" is 559, 650b 584 (29er 622), so 1" difference between 26 and 650b, 2.5" difference between 26 and 29 - they should really be described as 27 and 28.5.

just buy a 29er and be done with it 🙂

I considered it as I have a 29er and love it, so was thinking of putting them on my 26" bike. They fit in pretty much all Fox forks and obviously the White Bros. They don't fit at all in Rebas or SIDs but they apparently do (just) fit in 15mm Revs.

Turned out they wouldn't make that much of a difference as the rim size is not that dissimilar. That said, if anyone wants to lend me a set of 650b wheels I can try...

GB

Hiya I've been thinking about retrofitting 650c / 27.5" wheels on to my 69er setup, I've found this site that has a useful chart for comparing wheel diameters with different sized tyres etc http://www.bikecalc.com/wheel_size_math

I'm certain 650c would fit but put of experimenting at the moment as I'm still looking for reasonable priced rims.