Eric's old Kogswell really gets me (and the groceries and kids) around! 650B city bike, I've found, takes the cake (along with the lumps and bumps).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25671...@n02/4590765200/ If Anthony at Longleaf can pull together reliable deliver of his version of the P/R, there should be good, cheap 650B options out there. Riv is in the game for good -- just not for the big sizes. The Hetres & Pari-Motos have really pushed the discussion of wheel size over to discussion of tires. In my estimation, I think like this: Harsh = any 23mm race tire Fast = (700c) Challenge Parigi-Roubiax; (650B) Pari-Moto; (650B) Hetre. Here, 700c has its own sporty charms, but the volume of the 650B offerings is an added bonus All-rounder = (700c) Jack Brown Greens; (700c) Paselas in 32 or 35; (650B0 Col de La Vie or maybe the new Somas. Invincible = any Schwalbe tractor tire When I ordered my Ebisu randonneuse, I went with 700c. It was a tough decision, but I wanted to run skinnier tires for near-excusive road riding. How about everyone just get one of each? Esteban San Diego, Calif. On Aug 17, 8:06 pm, Earl Grey <earlg...@gmail.com> wrote: > What a difference 10 months make. Last October I ordered my Sam, and > being between the 52 and the 56, I ordered the 56, partly because my > 19 year old other bike (Fisher Sphinx monster cross) is decidedly too > small (17"!), and Grant was encouraging me to go big. But I also live > in Thailand, and while 700C stuff I like is hard to impossible to find > here (it's either ultra-light racing stuff, or cheap tank-like hybrid > stuff), I figured that if I did have an emergency, I could find *some* > 700C rim or tire here locally (and I have already had two rims > destroyed by cars here). > > But at the time, though I would have been interested in 650B, the word > "Hetre" did not yet speed up my pulse. I didn't know what it was, or > how special. I also used to put 28s on my Fisher for road rides, and > 45s for mtn bike rides, and hadn't discovered the immense pleasure of > mixed-surface rides. Now I have, and for each ride I choose between > 42mm semi knobbies (on the Fisher) and 33mm JBs or 35mm Paselas (on > the Sam) depending on expected conditions. I'd really like something > that combines the advantages of both. So I am putting my money where > my mouth is, and will start a new thread to see how many of us would > pre-pay for a 700C Pari-Moto or Hetre? > > However, on Monday for our weekly local Rivride, we did one of my > favorite 50k loops, which involves a lot of pavement, but also at > least 10k of dirt, some of which is rather steep and technical. I had > decided before that my 42mm knobbies were better for this ride, and > had I known we would go this route, I probably would have picked the > Fisher. But I found that the JBs performed really well. There was one > steep climb where I momentarily lost traction on the rear wheel, but I > recovered and made it to the top. I didn't dismount any more often or > descend more slowly than my companions on fatter tires. Not to say > that a 700C PariMoto wouldn't have been better, but I found that I do > enjoy riding a tire that is a bit too skinny for the conditions, as it > forces me to become fully present in what I am doing, for a zen-like > cycling experience. :) Here's a > photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/25150...@n08/4903469472/ > > Cheers, > > Gernot > > On Aug 18, 7:18 am, EricP <ericpl...@aol.com> wrote: > > > > > Having been on that ride, I can attest to the bike's beauty. > > Unfortunately, don't have a good photo of it to add. Yes, a reflector > > would be a nice add on, but the integrated light makes up for that in > > my opinion. > > > Part of me wishes for a larger 650B bike again. (Esteban has the one > > I tried to get to work). And do have some regrets not buying a 61cm > > Bleriot instead. > > > All in all, though am quite content with my other choices. And > > really, when it comes to being different, my larger frame 26" wheel > > bike is just fine. > > >http://www.flickr.com/photos/14126...@n05/4532886734/in/set-721576237... > > > Eric Platt > > St. Paul, MN > > > On Aug 17, 3:24 pm, Esteban <kemm...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > 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...- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text - -- 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.
