nlerner

I've always thought of the S12-S as the quintessential sport touring bike, and converting one to 650B increases the utility greatly. Here's one I had for a while, converted to 650B x 38mm wheels. There was certainly room for fenders.

VintageRide

I stand 5' 11" with a 32" inseam, rather long legged and have ridden 58 - 59 cm sized bikes, the Rawland Stag I also use is 58 cm square and fits well enough, though in reality the slightly smaller 56 cm Fuji is better suited. But then I am retired and at an age where being closer to the handlebars is more comfortable. The stem is a Nitto Technomic 70mm with Velo Orange Rando handlebars which are also quite comfortable giving a nice upsweep. Keeps the stem height lower, I also like the " in the drops " design, made all the better by their being splayed outward.

Some other observations are that there is no toe overlap with the front wheel and the bottom bracket drop is still quite good once converted. I cannot help but think the bike was designed with 650b in mind, the Japanese do generally have a thing for French bikes. Or at least they use to so the influence is there.


I was also using 175mm crank arms with no issues, if you study my bike you can get an idea based on my measurements and yours. Of course a longer stem if needed can allow for slight differences in top tube length. The crankset currently in use has 170 mm arms so the seat post went up a bit to compensate. I do not feel cramped while riding at all and my arms are on the longer side but neck issues have had me go with a shorter stem / higher handlebars.

VintageRide

I like that Lejuene by the way. Had a lower end model made around 1968 in green metallic - nice enough bike in nice condition that would have probably been great converted. It had steel cranks and Rigida rims, Mafac center pulls etc. Unfortunately I sold it after a few months.

bear_a_bug 

Loved my S-12 S LTD, except for that mouthful of a model name. Chrome socks were a nice upgrade from the usual S-12 S. It's eerie how well they take to 650B conversions, almost like that permutation was considered when it was designed. Weirdest part is how well the chainstay indentations line up and accommodate 650B x 42 tires.

Woulda kept mine if they had made a 24" frame. The 23" was just slightly undersized for me. Ended up selling it to a friend who really loved it, too.

noglider 

So you used the original brake calipers?

bear_a_bug 

Nope - think it came equipped with the Dia Compe 500g sidepulls (at least thats what was on it when I bought the bike from the original owner). Swapped over to Dia Compe 750 centerpulls. Just enough reach to do it.

noglider 

Thanks, @bear_a_bug. I think I sold that model, and you're right, it came with 500g calipers. It really did work out well for you.

scaldin

Just finished this project, It couldn't have gone smoother. Rims from Cycles Toussaint, 38mm Col deVie tires fit with no chainstay modification (although snug), tektro 556 brakes, and the BB height is the same. (? not sure how I managed that)

DQRider 

Most likely the larger circumference of the tires made up for the difference in rim size.

.

no67el

The now-obligatory Fuji S12-S conversion--- in this case a somewhat oddball variant called the "10th Anniversary" edition, which I think was a celebration of a Boston area shop's relationship with Fuji? I saw a blurry picture on craigslist and the paintjob made me think it was a Touring Series IV, but I was happy to find an S12 and the price was right. The 22" frame is a bit small for me, but this was really an experiment to see how I liked the 650b ride. Now I need to find a 23" S12 ltd frame to put these wheels on...

Very happy with how the Tektro brake calipers work with the original DiaCompe levers... Rims are Pacenti with new 105 hubs.



Original owner put on the triple and the Suntour BL long-cage derailleur, so this thing is ready to climb some hills!

noglider 

@scaldin it looks like an original design!

Dylansbob 

Testing my 650b wheelset in another frame. Now installed in a Schwinn SuperSport.

mountaindave 

Wow! How does that DA RD handle that amount of chain wrap and sprocket size?

Dylansbob 

I was feeling too lazy to swap the freewheel, so I left the 32t on and just put a cheap hanger extender on it. It *works*, but was skipping around a bit under hard power. Haven't really ridden the bike beforehand, so I don't know if the derailleur is tweaked, the extender is flexing, I can't shift anymore, or maybe, just maybe I'm putting too much power down for the frame.

Those extenders are kinda handy. I used one with a short cage rapid-rise xtr on a 1x with a 42t. That was with a friction shifter, but I think it would have indexed.

AJI125 

Love these color combos on this era of Schwinn (late 1980s I think). I see them pop up from now and then around town and am always intrigued. Also like the ubiquitous Ironmans, but something about the white Seat Tubes get my heart rate and blood pressure up! Cool looking conversion!

Dylansbob 

I've been trying to decide whether to paint the headtube white to match OR to strip the paint off the tips to give the girl some bright socks. Just wondering if either detail would just get lost in the presentation.

JT1973

Just helped a friend by the 24” size of this year of super sport! I’m excited to see it as a 650b conversion.
Dylansbob , is there additional clearance for a wider tire or do the Col’ d’ Vie max out that space at around 36mm wide? Also, did those Zac19 rims build up nicely?

thanks for experience!
best,

Dylansbob 

The Zacs built up pretty nicely. They're a proven, doublewalled extrusion, so they should be at least as strong as my mediocre wheelbuilding skills. I've probably done ~50 wheels in the last decade and still feel like they're ******.

If I pull the adjusters and slam the wheel all the way back, I can fit a set of Hectre on these rims. I'm not because the clearance is ~2mm and I like to ride my local city mtb park on *all* my bikes. The hectes I have came from the co-op and have a slight wobble in the casing. Clearance everywhere else is fine, maybe even for a fender. If I decide to keep this bike, I may put a slightly deeper crimp than the factory did on the chainstays.

JT1973

Thanks, Dylansbob ! Great to hear Hetres could possibly fit. And that recent zac19 are a good rim to build up. I have a pair that’s anodized more brown ish than black and an older decal. I had read that the first extrusion was problematic for mounting tires, maybe inaccurate in size by a small amount, making 650b tires slightly too big. I don’t know if I have first or later extrusion. Anyway, thanks for additional annecdotal data.
best,
leif

mountaindave 

I bought a set of cheap 650b wheels from ebay in 2016 and they used Zac19. They are not the worst rim I’ve ever used, but they aren’t the greatest either. Getting the bead to seat properly was doable, but not as easy as a Grand Bois, Pacenti, or Velocity. You definitely get what you pay for in this case.

bark_eater 

Anyone know about " Mach1 ER10" rims? Their double wall at least.

https://www.jbi.bike/site/product_de..._number=742431

bark_eater 

Mach1 web page:

https://translate.google.com/transla...45&prev=search

jPrichard10 

I was going to come here to recommend the Soma Weymouth rim as a cheap middle ground, but I see that they've raised in price since I last got them with a coupon for around $50 each. They now cost as much as Pacenti Brevets, which are the best 650b rim I've built. I'm curious about those Mach1s as well as the Araya TX-310f which I just discovered.

GeoffroyFromLux

Unknown frame builder but very nice and light.

Dylansbob 

Finally finished, except for a 46 or 48t chainring and barend caps.