Just to return to aesthetics for to a moment, there's just something "right" about 650B with fenders on a larger frame. Here's Noel on his aforementioned 63 (riding with Rob on his 60cm QB):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25671...@n02/3828775512/ Esteban San Diego, Calif. On Aug 16, 6:45 pm, Tim McNamara <tim...@bitstream.net> wrote: > On Aug 16, 2010, at 6:27 PM, Rob Harrison wrote: > > > On Aug 16, 2010, at 4:07 PM, Tim McNamara wrote: > > >> Bingo. 650B is a "weird" even unheard-of size for 99.163% of the > >> US bike-buying public. People will be afraid they'll be stranded > >> with a bike they can't get tires for. > > > LOL, well, being part of the 0.837% is where I have resided for > > most of my working life as a green architect, so I guess it's only > > fitting I ride a 62cm 650B bicycle. > > That made me chuckle. > > > Perhaps by the time I order my custom randoneause there will be > > lightweight, supple 700 x 38 tires, or I will have lost 30 lbs so > > 700 x 32s will work fine for me. :) > > I weigh 210 (probably closer to 220, judging from the fit of my > jerseys, but I don't like to say it) and had a very nice ride this > evening on my bike with Panaracer Paselas 700 x 25s pumped to 115 > psi. Smooth, comfy, pleasant tires. The didn't seem any less > comfortable than my 700 x 28 Paselas as 105 psi or my 26 x 1.25s at > 100 psi (also Paselas). I've never been a member of the Phat Tire > Phan Klub, other than the spare tire of fat around my middle, but a > lot of people seem to really like chubby tires. > > > I did realize 3/4's of the way to Portland on the STP that I'd be > > SOL if I ripped a sidewall on one of my Hetres, which, it turns > > out, I nearly did: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/robharrison/ > > 4817049422/in/set-72157624011191725/> I think it was basically me, > > Ryan Nute, Frank Fulton and a buddy of his riding 650b on that > > ride, and I didn't see any 650b tires at the mechanic's stations. > > It didn't occur to me to carry a spare tire. > > In retrospect, yeeks! Glad you got through it without undue > difficulties. > > Having said that, though, My Buddy Doug (he of the optional > adventures, which is a number of long and entertaining stories) had a > bead failure like yours in the photo except it actually blew out > along 2-3 inches. He was about 50 km from the end of a 300K or 400K > brevet. Maybe it was the 600. Doesn't matter, only that he had > about 50 km to go with a blown-out bead and no spare tire. Nobody > else had a spare either and he was pretty close to the middle of not > much of anywhere. But Doug did happen to have a tube of superglue > he'd put in his pocket for uncertain reasons. He glued the tire > sidewall around the bead, put the tire back on, pumped 'er up and > rode in to the finish to the amazement of the other randonneurs. I'd > heard the story from someone and chuckled because this was just > another one of Doug's many optional adventures. A week or two later > he and I drove down to watch the Nature Valley Grand Prix stage in > Mankato MN and rode our bikes to cut off the race and see them out of > town, then rode back in to watch the finish. I had time while riding > to ask Doug for the story and he filled me in on it. I asked if he > still had the tire so that I could see it; he replied "It's still on > the front wheel, I'll show you when we get back." A week or two and > several bike rides later, mind you. > > Moral of the story: Superglue. Good stuff. Take some along. Just > in case. > > You know, there is another benefit to 650B I've noticed but forgot to > mention in my other post. On many bikes, conversions or built-fors, > 650B wheels often have a visual rightness to them that is quite > remarkable. To my eyes there is a certain proportion that looks > right on different wheel sizes- 700 x 28, 650B x 38, 26 x 1.25. I > don't know if there is a consistent mathematical relationship there. > > I ride a 60 cm 26" wheeled All-Rounder from 1996. No stranger to > long head tubes, so 62 cm with a 650B looks downright normal to me. > A 63-64 cm frame (the Riv size I'd ride nowadays) with 700Cs still > has a pretty long head tube... -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
