Anybody ride a 650b wheeled mountain bike, SS or not?
What options are about or would you have to have a custom bike built?

there is a ginger bearded man in the forest of dean with a jewel encrusted SS one, custom built by the elven people on a full moon after ingesting psilocybin

most popular option is the towel rail 😀

If you go back 30 years then people like David Wrath Sharman (Highpath)were using 650B tyres.

Oh no you're going to set the 'tollah off now.

haha, surely the towel rail can't be the only one on here?

Surprised you haven't gone for one yet Stu…?

bonesetter – Member

Surprised you haven't gone for one yet Stu…?

They're for fence sitters and ladyboys.

650b has bee round for years on the road though, niches are very niche these days

I've built a Hummingbird recently with some 650b's just to give it a try. The Pacenti Quasimoto just squeezes in the back. I'm using a Fox 80mm fork up front. A Kenda Nevegal is up front and both tyres are running tubeless on Stans rims with Caffelatex sealant.

My opinions are a little biased as I come off having been riding 29ers pretty much exclusively for the past ~5 years. By comparison it feels very small and cramped, even though the TT length is the same as a large Swift, which I can happily ride. I feel very much perched on top of the bike. To be honest it really felt the same as riding 26" wheels from my perspective, small, very maneuverable, easy to wheelie. However it also had the downsides (in comparison with 29") that I normally attribute to 26" wheels, feels slow rolling, skittish and nervous.

However I think that for someone coming the other way – i.e. riding predominantly 26" wheels, the opposite might be true. A little more stability and a bit more in the bike feel. My expectation is that for folks from around 5'6" to 5'10" this could be a really nice option. Those for whom 29" wheels just feel a bit too big and unmanageable – especially where they prefer a more aggressive, attacking style of riding – might find 650b just right.

One downside of course is that rim and tyre (and even spoke) availability in the UK is rather limited. In fact it's quite limited everywhere, though in the UK virtually non-existent.

A genuine question – why?

Why do lady boys always cop for bad press when crap sized wheels are mentioned. One you can't knock untill you've tried, the other is just wrong and you will be humiliated in front of your friends for getting involved with. Constant changes of rubber can also be expensive not to mention the avialiablity of desirable models in the uk..

650b has been round for years on the road though, niches are very niche these days

That's true to a degree – 584mm bsd tyres have been common on French touring and 'porteur' bikes for many years. However what is new here is the width of tyre available in that rim diameter. 650b traditionally is quite a narrow designation (~32mm), however the letters appended to the end of tyre sizes have really lost all of their original meaning. So 650b and 650c (571mm bsd) tyres really 'should' have the same external diameter (650mm) though they reach that through different width tyres on different diameter rims. What is new here is that we are talking >50mm wide tyres on a 584 diameter rim.

tomhughes46 – Member
A genuine question – why?

Variety really. I always say that ideally you'd have as many wheel sizes as you do frame sizes. However in the days of mass manufacturing that's not really possible. 650b (for off-road use) is a step in this direction and I think a nice option for people who find 29ers too big. Whether there is really sufficient difference from 26" for it to be a sustainable market I wouldn't like to say.

Sam – any plans for a ti version of the hummingbird in the future?

nunuboogie – Member
Sam – any plans for a ti version of the hummingbird in the future?

Yes, they are available. We have done one for Dan at Head for the Hills. The next run is going in shortly and we can certainly include a Hummingbird. Drop me a line if you are interested. Pricing and optionas are as per the 29" Pegassus.

I'll let you have a go on the spork some time nunuboogie.
I can see you point Sam but coming from a 26 inch wheel as you've also said it makes sence for me!
Foe me it's the best of both worlds, rolls like a 29er handles like a 26er, on saying that my frame was custom built for that wheel size and lots of work went into getting the angles and lengths right.

Why?
Same reason as there's umpteen different stem lengths, crank lengths, frame sizes! Everyone is different!

65 ob is the future.
.
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
is your a mincer who cant handle the big wheels

😆

I have a one 650B bike on the go (haro Beasley) and another being built.

I used to ride with the lads at Chevin Cycles (29er centre) and it cannot be denied that bigger wheels help on long climbs and smoothing things out.

However, the geometry changes always meant the bikes seemed a bit sluggish to me. 650B is a way of reaping the benefits of a larger wheel size but staying nimble and, as others have mentioned, shorter chainstays help you get the front wheel up and over larger obstacles.

http://www.dinosaurbikes.com sells a small selection of 650B products in the UK.

I don't know why people pooh-pooh the idea of 650B, the manufacturers producing 650B stuff aren't making any bold claims- try it if you want.
26" wheels came about by convenience, much as 29ers did "hey, let's try a ROAD sized wheel in an MTB"

650B is the first time someone (Kirk Pacenti) has taken stock, thought about it and decided to start from scratch on the most "appropriate" size for MTBs considering things like handling and long-travel considerations.

There's no BS here

My mate has been riding the spooky horror taxi 650b that was reviewed in STW a while back loves it was a weapon on the downs and did seem to climb better may be the wheels or placebo effect on me! Either way was a lush bike mate.

650B in a pipedream frame

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=136184&id=131226129024#!/photo.php?pid=3898600&id=131226129024

650B is the first time someone (Kirk Pacenti) has taken stock, thought about it and decided to start from scratch on the most "appropriate" size for MTBs considering things like handling and long-travel considerations.

There's no BS here

Except 584mm bsd has been around for a long time, as noted above. So in the same way as 29ers, an existing rim diameter (albeit a much less common one) was employed though using much larger tyres.

My mate has been riding the spooky horror taxi 650b that was reviewed in STW a while back

Didn't they say that while they liked the bike a lot the wheels didn't seem to be a factor as they were pretty much the same diameter as a set of fat 26" tyres?

I seem to recall it was a nice looking bike though, unlike most 29ers.

Still thinking about that 650b bike so thought I would have a play about first, I know an 26" inbred will take a larger wheel up front anybody experimented with the back end?

Do you just want to have a go on my IF? You can do it at night if you like so no one will see you 😉

Have a look over on MTBR as there's a section dedicated to 650b, including a 'who's tried which frame' thread.

The ayatollah's IF is a thing of beauty 😀

I'm going to give 650b a try with a Curtis I have hanging in the garage

RE: Inbred

I wondered the same …

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=592697

KHS do one.

after trying a number of 29ers i think that at 5 10 a 650b would be the ideal for me but alas ive no money so im sticking to what ive got

Cheers Ayatollah may take you up on that offer soon.

No Probs, just le time know when you're ready and we'll go ride somewhere one evening?