650b – feel alittle underwhelmed

I’m not sure then mate to be honest.

I can sympathize with you though. Sounds like you are having issues like I was with the trance.

2.35 Hans Dampf v 2.4 HR II

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/30625376@N06/18903343538/sizes/o/

Something odd with that picture.

Look at the difference in height between the rim at the bottom compared with the smaller height difference at the top of the tyre

Google difference

If you cant feel that…. Wow

Nothing wrong with the image, just the 26″ wheel is sitting in front of the 650b/27.5″ and the picture is taken at an angle…so the 26″ looks to be lower…

Well yes, it looks a bit different but the important bit is the difference in radius, not diameter…

584 – 559 / 2…

So 12.5mm, half am inch (assuming like for like tyres and fork, unlike the pic above)…

You,ll easily find more varied BB heights between stock bikes based on geometry or adding more/less fork travel… It’s not that massive a drop really.

shame you cant put them nose into the wall side by side to get a comparison that way.

I didnt notice much difference if any going from 26 to 650b

http://www.tredz.co.uk/assets/Images/StaticPage/BikeGuides/wheels.jpg

It sounds like yet another one of those bikes where Hora knows better than the bike designer.

Have you considered a career change ?

Ah yes the 5spot that I felt was awkward. Turner coincidently made changes for the next year that funnily enough improved it?

TurnerGuy – Member
It sounds like yet another one of those bikes where Hora knows better than the bike designer.
Have you considered a career change ?

To be fair to Hora what he says is correct, putting 26 inch wheels in a 660b frame makes for a bike that sits lower and rails the corners….but in everyday use you would clatter the pedals a lot and technical climbs would be a bloody nightmare….designers know this and have to compromise between having a low stable bike and incorporating the ability to actually pedal it around too, so we have BB heights like we currently do for the bike to be an all-rounder…if Hora is happy with his bike being very biased towards cornering and descending then I say leave the small wheels in there.

There is also excellent tyre and mud clearance using 26 inch wheels in a 650b chassis.

Hora, have you done any rough stuff, technical climbing with the 26 inch wheels in there?…did you get many pedal strikes?

As per my reply earlier, if you want to persevere with 650b but miss the lower stance of the 26 inch wheels I’d run more sag at the back and put an angleset in the front to slacken things further at that end….both combined will lower the BB by maybe enough to get back to the feeling you enjoyed with small wheels.

Surprised- dont/didnt think it’d work but Ive just done a 67’5’er it and its not like a chopper. Infact it feels level/better.

Trail spin tomorrow.

As for bike designers, how many bikes have you ridden and though ‘meh’, dull, shit or needed changes to suit your taste. If every bike you’ve ridden has been great as bike designers know better or know the trails that youll ride it on, chapeau.

If you cant feel that…. Wow

I r ode a lovely Saracen Kili Flyer a little while ago – if I had somehow been blind to the fact the wheels were 650b there’s no way I would’ve known they were different to the wheels I’ve been riding for the past 20odd years.

You can feel the difference between tyres- different brands, grip and rolling resistance though?

Maybe some designers know the wheelsize versus balance of angles subtly better though.

Would you feel the difference between a 1.8 tyre and a 2.4 tyre???

I wouldnt?

On the front yes!

You need 650b-

Would you feel the difference between a 1.8 tyre and a 2.4 tyre???
I wouldnt?

Seriously?!

On the front definitely, I like the widest tyre I can get on the front for grip and can feel when I’ve gone below 2.2 never mind to 1.8!

On the rear I’d probably notice in terms of drag/rolling resistance if not actual grip….I ride a HT most of the time so the back tends to ping around all over the place doing its own thing!…..I find a HT is all about riding the fork and having as little weight as possible on the rigid back end….tyre choice is crucial to have the confidence to do that.

Sorry I meant height wise!!

Deviant I had plenty of pedal strikes but the offshoot was stable. I’ll run the 67.5’er first. Worse case I’ll run the forks lower (160mm Float 34 650b’s) and an angleset

whats the point of having all the travel though if you are going to run it all as sag. next you will be saying the suspension is to soft???

Go faster. wheels will soon feel alive. Braaaappp

Pretty sure last year’s mega was won by a 27.5 Commencal with 26″ wheels fitted. So hora might be onto something!!! But it was so bloody muddy that clearance was everything.

I’ve got an angle measure app downloaded so will see what the 67.5’er comes out at.

The Mega 26’er- partly down to rider preference?

Hora has just invented a new niche, the 27.5er minus (aka 650b- ).

Truly he is a marketing genius. Better copyright it now. 🙂

is it worth mentioning that Maxxis tyre “widths” vary enormously ?

Blur LTc’s
Left 650b 160mm fork right 26″ 150mm fork

Consiering the new Meta is meant to be a really, really good bike (with 650b wheels) have you considered the issue (dare I say it) be you?

I and everyone I know who went from 26 to 650b took about 30 seconds of riding round a carpark before it was decided we couldn’t really notice a difference with the wheelsize and just got on with riding.

Maybe you bought a bike that’s too small for you? 😉

have you considered the issue (dare I say it) be you?

How very dare you! Someone with obviously little bike-feel?! Pwned, oh yes.

😉

I’m not sure how accurate the angle finder app is but measured on the stanchion(?) 65degrees, HT 61? and seat tube 71. It does not feel slack though – just more seated ‘in’ again.

Maybe its the camera angle but the 650b Hans Dampf front doesn’t look that much bigger than the 26’er Ardent rear?

Are we back with the 26″ rear wheel in that ^^^ picture?

Why isn’t there a standard for mtb tyre sizes like there is in motorbikes, cars, tractors… in fact, pretty much anything that uses tyres?

The variation in widths and aspect ratio of mtb tyres between manufacturers and between products within a manufacturers range is ridiculous. It makes a mockery of the idea that the 12.5mm difference in rim sizes makes any real difference in performance.

Tyre manufactures, sort your shit out.

Are we back with the 26″ rear wheel in that ^^^ picture?

Yup

Maybe you bought a bike that’s too small for you?

A large or XL wouldn’t stop the wanderlust in a modern day mountain biker. If you followed all the manufacturers recommended guidelines and listened to everything the UK mag reviews tell you – where would you be? You’d feel assured that they know you, they know the riding you do and they have absolutely no agenda… I’ve found my own personal preference is I like bikes that are a bit smaller and lower. With cars- I like them abit quirky. If I bought a large frame that was neutral- fast on fast straight stuff and drove a Ford Focus I’d probably die of boredom. With tinkering it helps you understand abit more. Maybe after all this I’ll run the 650b wheelset again together – but with a different rear tyre choice. I’ll see how I go with the 67.5’er set up first though.

I’m not sure how accurate the angle finder app is but measured on the stanchion(?) 65degrees, HT 61? and seat tube 71.

Compared to????
Do the full set with the 26, 26/650 & 650 combinations. Be interested in what the angle & BB height change actually is

Looks great Hora, if you like the way it rides with that combo then go for it!

No dropper post? I’m thinking of ditching mine as well.

Do the full set with the 26, 26/650 & 650 combinations. Be interested in what the angle & BB height change actually is

Good point- the 26’er front is built up so its simply a swap in. will do tonight.

I broke my dropper and I sorely missed it on Mondays night ride for all the ups and downs 🙁 – ones on the way and the post above is at its absolute max stretch.

What happened to the KS?

Snapped at the top bolt/clamp area- all in it’d cost £100 (inc service) to get it up and running again but its a underseat dropper. The new supernatural remote KS is only £148 so…

Really Hora as well, it takes time to gel with a bike. Spend some time playing with front and rear sag values.

Lovely looking bike, think I’d have bought one if I hadn’t gone with a Reign.

To be honest hora that looks bloody ace. If it climbs and handles OK I wouldn’t give a toss what size wheels were on it.