I fancy a new full-sus’ frame when the weather cheers up and am thinking of 650b. I haven’t got any 650b wheels or forks so was wondering if I can run my 26″ kit until I raise the money to buy forks and wheels for the new frame.

Anyone know?

You could but don’t expect it to ride very well.

As per this thread…stick some high volume tyres on rubber queen 2.4 etc and the difference will be negligible. http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/26-wheels-in-a-650b-frameinstant-death

Thanks for the link Darren. Sounds like it would be OK short term until I can get the rest of the kit.

Surely using a nice 650b frameset with 26″ wheels and 2.4 tyres gets you started,you can buy wheels when finances allow and the rest of your parts can run ’til you want to upgrade (luckily we have discs now wouldn’t work with cantis..)??.Good frame plus ok parts is better than Ok frame and good parts….?.

There are also frames with interchangable dropouts from the likes of Banshee for instance, so you could run your old kit with no issues and buy new dropouts when you can afford to do the switch.

Thing is, if you’re convinced that big tyres on 26 inch wheels will work the same as 650b, why even buy a 650b frame?

did a demo ride on 650b this weekend. There is a marked difference between the two in terms of grip and rolls better. Downside I think they are a little heavier and so take more effort to spin up.

Got a bronson C and amazingm much more stable at high speeds planted and just feels so much better than the zesty 914 i had which just kept cracking.
You can if you wish build one lighter with carbon wheels etc to getthe weight down, remeber not all 650b bikes will be aimed at enduro, also the large volme tyre thing….. nahhh forget it 650b is as every one knows going to take over thoigh 29ers will have there place too.
Rode a spesh 29er enduro expert & truly amazing.

.stick some high volume tyres on rubber queen 2.4 etc and the difference will be negligible.

Are you sure?

26″ RQ 2.4 left
27.5 RQ 2.4 right
In 26″ fork

Comparing high volume 26 to low volume makes no sense, why would you even consider a low volume 27.5 (or 26 or 29) tyre?

Loads of mud clearance there then…… oh & by the way i tried 650b wheels in the zesty 914 & fitted, but 26 inch bikes with 650 wheels just dont handle right, the benifits are real, why are manufacturers stopping production of 26……

Unfortunately we are all subject to market pressures and if we agree or don’t agree with 650b it is the future. 26 will remain and manufactures will support it for a few years however for people wanting to ‘future proof’ themselves who have a limited budget buying a 650b frame and using 26″ components (as a stop gap) will not die on trails and for the most part not notice any issues in my opinion.

It was a Bronson I demoed and agree with yourkcsl. Very planted feel and carved corners really well. Downhill it was even more impressive.

Pawsy_Bear – Member
did a demo ride on 650b this weekend. There is a marked difference between the two in terms of grip and rolls better. Downside I think they are a little heavier and so take more effort to spin up.

Unless you were comparing the same frame setup with 2 different wheel sizes I’m not sure how you could tell it was the wheels making the difference. I tried one and it was a great bike but no massive difference to a 26″ wheel.

Always good to see wheel-size being a factor for justifying how good a really expensive frame is…

i.e. I’ve just demoed a 5k carbon bike and it rides so much better than my 2k/3k one

Must be 650b

Well said. No doubt different geo, sizing, and suspension yet it must be the 20mm bigger diameter wheels.

You can run the Banshee Spitfire as 26″ or 650B – the quoted geometry on their site is for 160mm 26″ forks or 150mm 650B forks – on 26″ wheels the BB is extremely low in its slackest lowest setting whilst on 650B it’s 10mm higher – but the adjustable dropouts give you +/-6mm of BB height and +/-0.5deg of angle adjustment so you can optimise it for your needs on either wheel size. It’ll take an angleset too for another 1.5deg of HA tweakery.

I’m running mine with 160mm forks on 650B wheels and dropouts (which add 10mm of chainstay length). It’s an incredibly good bike and I’m sure it would be just as great but just slightly different on 26″ wheels. It climbs far better than such a downhill beast has any right to!

All, I ride the same trails, on my zesty, couple times a month for last 4 years. I take your point but I was just giving my impression. There seemed to be more traction on the up and cornering was faster. Is it the bike or tyres? Bit of both. Your arguments against it being the tyres are no more scientific than my honest view.

Not much chance of a demo of the new Zesty 727, anyone know where there is one?

the benifits are real, why are manufacturers stopping production of 26

Because by only selling 650B stuff, your existing bike is instantly rendered obsolete so when the time comes to upgrade you have to buy a new frame, fork and wheels, thereby increasing sales?

In any case, 650B is a whole 4% better. I blame that nichemonger Pacenti for all this, personally.

Buck the marketing trend BS and buy a 29″.

Buck the marketing trend BS and buy a 29″.

This.

Tried 29 didn’t duit my riding style stayed with 26, but will go to 650

Pawsy_Bear – Member
It was a Bronson I demoed and agree with yourkcsl. Very planted feel and carved corners really well. Downhill it was even more impressive.

just wait till u ride a process 153!

Buck the marketing trend BS and buy a 29″[b]the best bike, not a wheelsize[/b]

If your looking at using 26″ parts on a 650b frame double check your forks will be the right length, it could throw out your head angle.

Kimbers yes seen write up. Kona may well be back with a great new bike but it’s a tad heavy for my kind of riding

Buck the marketing trend BS and buy a 29″.

and use his 26″ stuff on that. Sound advice 🙂

carbon one out sometime…….

I’m still 3x 9 and 26 I’ve bucked the marketing hype ha ha but it’s time for new bike 🙂

Having looked at the Geometry tables I’m pretty sure when the time comes I’ll be replacing my 456-SS with a 45650 or a C-45650 (when it inevitably comes out), and I’ll most likely be doing it a bit at a time, Frame, then fork (Quite like the look of the X-Fusion REVEL at the minute) then eventually wheels I expect, it’s only 1/2 an inch difference in BB height, marginally less if I did use slightly bigger 26″ tyres…

I also quite like the option of using different wheel sizes on the same bike for different types of riding, lighter 27.5″ wheelset with ~2.2″ tyres for longer distance and general duties, heavier duty 26″ wheelset with softer, chunkier rubber for Uplift days and DH Ragging, that slight drop in BB height may help the handling a shade, maybe extend the fork +10mm to accommodate the rougher stuff and raise the BB marginally.

It’s worth remembering that dropper posts and adjustable travel forks mean frame Geometry and wheel diameter aren’t really the only variables that affect how a bike rides…

Tried 29 didn’t duit my riding style stayed with 26, but will go to 650

Which 29″?

I decided a few weeks ago to buy a full susser and the bikes I’ve been looking at are only available in 650b or 29 inch now but I’ve decided to stick with 26 and buy an older bike second hand. Even the guy in the shop trying to sell me one said you could put somebody on a 26 and a 650b and in most cases they wouldn’t know the difference 😆

I’ll save myself a couple grand and still be able to swap tyres with my hardtail if i need to so i can’t see any downsides at the moment.

I think instead of talking to guy I shop I would demo the bike and make my own mind up. You may be surprised by what you find.

At the end of the day it’s all down to personal preference the feel of the bike if it Does it for you…. my 914 zesty was superb, unreliable 2 frames cracked but it was very quick, the Bronson is a totally different bike & lets me getaway with thing in the lakes Big OfPiste rideing, that the zesty would struggle with & once you point it down hill the rolling momentum is incredible, all my times on strava are quicker & thats on some 5hr plus rides and short fast sections locally in Dalby.
You pays your hard earned cash & makes your own choice folks.

The only reason to go 650b is that it makes the trails come alive, but every time you ride a 650b with 26″ wheels, then another trail dies right beneath you.

Comparing high volume 26 to low volume makes no sense, why would you even consider a low volume 27.5 (or 26 or 29) tyre?

Why? Because not everyone wants to run high volume tyres. Plenty of people ride on low volume narrow tyres.

the Bronson is a totally different bike

By all accounts, the Bronson is an extremely well sorted bike. There are lots of reasons why that might be that have nothing to do with wheel size.

By all accounts, the Bronson is an extremely well sorted bike. There are lots of reasons why that might be that have nothing to do with wheel size.

according to the marketing blurb it is a new build rather than a blur lt or nomad with 650. Sounds like it’s worked well.

By all accounts, the Bronson is an extremely well sorted bike.

Not by my account 😉

It’s alright.

Seriously considering Bronson to replace Zesty after demo ride. I’m put off the 2014 Zesty by the wide rear end. I haven’t demo ridden a new one yet.

You may be even faster on a 29er.