Forum menu
Recently got back into Mtb again after best part of a decade on the road. Bought a 2012 YT Wicked 160 from here and it was brilliant. But after a while I wondered if it was possible to run bigger wheels. I took the 650b rear wheel from my Gravel bike and it fitted. So it got me thinking. Spoke to a few people and some said "oh no don't do that it'll muck the geometry up" but the helpful guys at YT said nope if you put bigger wheels at front and back the angles should be fine it'll be the BB height that will increase.
To me the BB height seemed to be a fair compromise as I keep smacking the pedals at Afan anyway. So I bit the bullet and found some wheels on ebay and new forks on here. Took it out to FOD on Sunday and it's awesome. Works perfectly but I can tell there's bigger wheels on it slow tight corners are a little more of a handful.
Anyone else done something like this before?
[img] 
[/img]
Oh yes! Both my turn of the century bikes are sporting 650b. Both are unchanged handling wise, and still more fun than any 29er I've tried through the woods...
Loved my old wicked... Had the 2014 silver one that was actually 650b. Was one of the best bikes I've ever owned👌
just be careful your wheels dont touch anything when the suspension compresses.
Back end would buck you under compression, if anything jams between the wheel and the bike/fork youre gonna have a bad day. Also bear in mind that the wheel can flex, so while it spins in the fork on the flat, under heavy cornering you might find it rubs on the side of the arch.
The fork is a 650b one 🙂 I did worry about the back end so when I changed the shock out I stuck the wheel in to check. All seems dandy. I think a 2.35 Hans Dampf is the biggest tyre the rear will take though leaving some mud room.
I can tell there’s bigger wheels on it slow tight corners are a little more of a handful.
That'd be the higher BB, I reckon. Otherwise 650b is pretty hard to notice over 26.
Nice, the Mattoc is a great fork and what I run on my new(er) enduro bike (Bird Aeris 145). I'm tempted to mullet that but I think trying to fit a 29" front wheel would require too many adjustments
I did the same with my 2014 Banshee Spitfire
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/2931/33481309402_d05ba0e85f_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/2931/33481309402_d05ba0e85f_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/T1CsPd ]650B Spitfire[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr
It was also running a -2deg headset, 63.2 static If I remember correctly. Rode brilliantly, sadly bought myself a newer hardtail with longer reach and the Banshee always felt too short after that.
Nice, the Mattoc is a great fork and what I run on my new(er) enduro bike (Bird Aeris 145). I’m tempted to mullet that but I think trying to fit a 29″ front wheel would require too many adjustments
Glad you approve 🙂 It's definitely made it roll better. The Mattoc is a little less supple than the BOS forks were but hardly noticeable unless it's a fire road. But I don't feel underbiked anywhere now unlike I did with the Norco HT 😀
Yep, when forks were in short supply a Fox 26 fork would fit 650b with ease.
I ran a Spark, a Titus 11, an Epic and a Whyte with 650 wheels without any issues.
Oh, and two Inbreds!
I would have kept the BOS fork if they could fit a 650b wheel!