650b Road Thoughts : Part II
October 6th, 2008 by Arleigh
I’ve been riding more and more of the 650b on the road. The Ala Carte with the Fatty Rumpkin tires is used often for my around town commuting or errands. The other main ride is a Salsa Casseroll which has not been converted to 650b YET.
Here are some main points that really stick out between the two wheel sizes and bikes. I understand that these are much different bikes, but this is all tire/wheel size based.
- Fat 41mm tires can noticeably run slighly lower pressure, ride a bit smoother and stable than a 700c. This might be also due to the fact that the wheel is shorter but that is a wee over my head
- Track standing is easier. Lower tire pressure and wider tire = more stable platform
- Smaller wheel = faster to turn
- 700c x 38mm do hold higher speeds easier on a certain straight away. This also has partially to do with my position on this bike over the 650b x 41mm wheels.
The Salsa Ala Carte will soon become a 650b - Xtracycle - Commuter bike. Between here, Commute by Bike and BlueCollarMTB I will have a whole build out detailed and instructed.
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Looking forward to watching the Xtracycle build develop!
I’d be curious to see whether it still feels slower if you swap the Fatty Rumpkins for Hetres (I have a pair on order myself right now - I’m hoping they live up to the reports)
Adam,
The reason I enjoy the ride of my 650b so much is the cush. As you go narrower you are going to loose some of that low psi, wide tire feel. I don’t know the width of the Hetres off the top of my head though.
I believe the slower feel is the set up of the bike and the wheel size. Its not terribly noticeable and I prefer the maneuverability of the 650b in the city over the .5 mph I might gain at 25 mph.
The Hetres are 42mm, so they’ve got the cush factor — that’s actually why I asked, it’s a comparable width. A fellow at Box Dog Bikes here in SF said “It’s like a flying couch” when I asked him how the ride was
With the Grand Bois tires, it’s the Cypres that’s the narrower one (32mm). I’ve ridden the 32mm tire, and they still have pretty good cush — much nicer than, say, a 32mm 700c Pasela.
With more 650b mtb tires being introduced, hopefully there will be more choices in 650b road and touring tires as well. Rumpkins run on a 26″mtb turn it into a nice commuter/road bike, IMO much better than 26″ slicks. A bike like the Rawland has amazing versatility with the options in wheel and tire choices. I was thinking about that the other day while looking at my road bike which has a 700cx25 max limit. It’s fast but it doesn’t like to commute!
Looking forward to seeing and hearing about the Ala Carte xtracycle!
Nalax - I am looking forward to the schwalbe tire that’s coming out. Effectively its a 38mm. Probably a harsher ride due to thicker rubber but should be a good compliment
http://650b.com/2008/07/26/new-tire-schwalbe-marathon-650b-x-40/
Adam,
I still haven’t ridden many other 650b “road tires” so my experience is limited. I have backordered many types from a supplier and hopefully will have more reviews over the winter/spring.