since6

So I have a Stevenson Custom race bike frame, made in 2000, 20 years old, old enough for vintage? Debate for another day. But it's going to be a retro/mod with brifter/indexed shifting new Shimano 105 groupset and 650b rims to allow a 28mm vrs 23mm will only fit on a 700c rim. My lower back will like me for doing this. So lets start looking for cable rim brakes.....

They can be found, but it's a real search for them, everything is going Disc and most Disc are hydraulic. The latter work great but I've gone with cable disc on our tandem, if a hydraulic line breaks/leaks 30 mils from cell phone coverage, what do you do, a cable, just carry a spare.

So then I looked for 28mm 650b tires, again they can be found, one tire so far, but really have to search for them.

Are we at a new hoarding point?

You know, the current gravel/humongous tire bikes, deleting cable rim brakes/medium width tires. It's funny, you can still find plenty of 23mm tires, but I'm not wearing a 20 year old's back anymore. It seems we are.

Sad to think I'm building my last cable rim brake bike with medium width tires.

notthe1freeman

I am a period/vintage MTB enthusiast (read addict lol). I feel your pain. Either rims are scavenged or bso hoops must replace those whose brake surface has lovingly been thinned. 26in. Rubber, once the golden standard has become a Where's Waldo ordeal. Since when did reliability and simplicity become so undesired? Drives me nuts. And with "covid pricing" every "donor bike" is coveted like the ark of the covenant. I don't wish do go modern...no hydraulic full squish for me! My early 90s steel rigids (index is as high tech as I get) will alas probably go the way of the dodo...like me :/

mstateglfr 

Why would a hydraulic brake hose just suddenly break on a road bike during a ride? The odds of that are so incredibly small, compared to the miles/hours logged that it doesnt seem like a reason to stay away from them.
And if one breaks 30mi from home, then use just the other brake for the return ride. There, solved.
If a brake cable snaps on any of my rim brakes while riding, I will need to do the same thing- just ride with one brake home.

650b in 28 is...on the unique side of things. Here is an option though- https://www.modernbike.com/650b---27...discontinental

gugie 

If the narrowest 650b tire you can fit on a frame is only 28mm, I don't think it's worth the switch.

Bottom bracket height is really going to suffer, my back of the envelope calculation is that your pedals will be 1.5cm lower. Pedal strike might be a real issue.

bark_eater 

Panaracer still has 25mm and 28mm tires in 650c.

homelessjoe

I cant seem to find any long cage derailleurs.....did they stop making them now too....and the Shimano canti brake xover cables have bit the dust.....and forget tires that fit the old Schwinn only 26x3/8....a friend told in Mexica there are no 700c tires......he traded in his bike for something with 26s..........new brake pads for my bike cost more than the pads I put on my Chevy truck

clubman 

There's millions of 559 wheels-on-bikes out there so when (if) the supply chains are normalized, you'll see tires again. No doubt. Conti still has dozens of models on their website.
It's kind of a bad patch out there.

homelessjoe they're out there, also on millions of bikes.

RiddleOfSteel

Maybe a switch to the Touring Side of the Force is best (for the lower back)? '83-85 Expedition or '85 Trek 620 or '84-85 Trek 720 is all the performance and responsiveness to go along with any level of comfort and stability. First hand experience. Nobody can make a Ferrari into a Cadillac, but Cadillac does have its V-series cars... 105 on one of those? Now you're speaking my (heretical) language.

I still want a race bike--because who doesn't--even if Seattle streets kick me around pretty good.

Bianchigirll 

What about having Canti/V brake studs brazed on?

Personally I don't get the whole 650b conversion thing, seems like it would be easier to just put slightly bigger chainwhels and slickish tires and on a quality MTB frame.

rhm

Ah, well, I think I can address that. The reason I would convert a 700c bike into a 650b bike would be to convert a racing bike to a randonneuring bike. That works quite nicely, since you get the appropriate geometry for road riding, the appropriate springiness in the frame, and fatter tires for less wear and tear on the body on long rides. A long ride is 1200 km in four days. There are two basic problems with converting an MTB to randonneuring bike: 1, geometry. The MTB is designed for a much higher BB so you can have longer cranks (most MTB's have 175's, don't they?) AND plenty of clearance. You can lower the BB a bit by using a shorter fork, which will also make the frame angles steeper and the top tube (effectively) longer. That may result in the perfect geometry for someone, but it didn't work for me. I rode a Univega MTB converted to rando bike for a few months, a few years ago, without changing the geometry at all; it was okay, but the ground was very far away. I had to get off the seat entirely at every stop. Not a big deal, but not how I usually ride. And 2, MTB's are overbuilt for randonneuring purposes. That's extra weight and extra rigidity, both of which will help beat up the rider on long rides.

At least, that's what I tell myself. Whether any of this actually matters enough to improve my ride, I don't know. A heavier rider than myself might do very well with an old MTB. My last conversion, in the spirit of full disclosure, was a 700c racing bike to 26" rando bike, a feat accomplished through Gugificazione.

squirtdad

I am running 5800 105 on a 84 team miyata. The brakes are rim and speced for 28mm (700 rim) .... I have done both vittoria corsa and Conti GP 28ss with this setup. and actually have 30mm corsa control tubies. I have also run 28 mm in a 89 miyata 1400 and 90/91 de rosa.

I would check for frame clearance, because with the right brakes you can do 28.

Only issue i has was having do deflate the tire to get in an out

good luck

BradH

When I read the thread title, it was Rodney Dangerfield's voice in my head. I have nothing of value to add.

Wildwood 

I have a 58cm French bike, less wheels, that you can have.
I would have to check standover, but maybe 'french fit'? HaHa.
Unfortunately, not as 'tuned' as a custom race bike.
Something maybe to try 650b, until you find a better way.

Follis brown.

Unflatering pic is all I got now. Ran 700cX33 with knobbies, so guessing 650b 38/40mm might work, but never done a conversion.

Bikejock200M

Bill Stevenson, " WD ", was a big influence in my early days of cycling.
I grew up in Lacey, class of 80 Timberline High
it's on my bucket list to go back to the area and do some riding
Could you post a photo of your Stevenson?

JW

since6

Here are pictures of this frame, sorry no side on as it is at Bill's where he is building a lugged fork to replace the carbon fiber fork which was the rage around 2000. He will also strip the frame due to many many paint issues, so it will be repainted, new decals and his signature on this custom build from 2000.




And good as you could get tube set.

Long story short, return to original. This is a racing frame, made for 700c rims and at most, and it's really tight, 23mm tires, so make it as it was, but with modern 12 speed compact double and cable rim brakes.

Oh and yes the braze on, on the drive side chain stay, were intentional, for a stainless steel metal guard to ride over the chain stay protecting it from chain slap, no idea why, but that's what's great when you build your custom frame the owner got what he wants.

USAZorro

It's all opinion, but that fork wouldn't live on any frame that I have. It looks very limiting, not to mention the negative vibes on the aesthetics. In my experience, it really isn't that hard to find either a suitable fork, respectable rims, or caliper brakes for a build. Yes. you may need to build your own wheels, or order new, but it's neither rare nor expensive (in the grand scheme of things). I have bicycles built with 559 rims, 584, 590, 622 and 630. I think that on that frame, if you want wide tires, you can rule out 630, and may have issues with 622. 590 or 584 would seem the most likely to be workable with rim brakes. Tektro R-559's are awesome, attractive and very reasonably priced brakes.

I'll leave it to more accomplished philosophers to explain how one would dye light.

since6

USAZorro totally agree on the carbon fiber fork.

That's why I've asked Bill to build a steel lugged fork so that the entire bike is his build. Oh, and instead of the compression ring on the seat tube, which always rubs away the paint, he's going to add a real seat post bolt braze on.