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Fatter tires on a 650c Litespeed Tachyon frame?

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Fatter tires on a 650c Litespeed Tachyon frame?

Old 04-16-19, 02:40 PM
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Uprighter
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Fatter tires on a 650c Litespeed Tachyon frame?

Hi all,

A late 90's Litespeed Tachyon (650c tires, straight seat tube) has come up for sale at a good price. I don't need a tri-bike, but I would like to have a new commuter/recreational bike. The aerobar removal/conversion doesn't worry me, and the geometry doesn't worry me, but I would like to run much larger tires. Last time I checked, 650c x25's are about as wide as they come. Has that changed? Is conversion to 26" or 650b an attractive option? I have seen hints that a 26" conversion is possible, but I haven't found anyone who has tried it and sings its praises. Is there a good way around the current skinny 650c's, or do I need to let this deal pass me by???
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Old 04-16-19, 04:26 PM
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650b will probably not fit at all, since the wheel diameter is over a centimeter larger. 26er would fit in the frame, but you may need to swap to longer-reach brakes. Also, depending on the geometric particulars, a 26er conversion might not actually buy you all that much tire clearance; you'd really need to look at the stays and fork blades and bridges and whatnot to know.
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Old 04-16-19, 07:54 PM
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Recumbent owners switch between 559 (26") and 571 (650c) all the time. I have a conversion myself. It means moving the brake pad down 6mm, which most calipers can handle. The problem will be the brakes and frame. You might fit a 32mm tire under the brake caliper, if the frame allows it. So, it'll likely be a lot of expense for little return.
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Old 04-17-19, 12:57 AM
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90’s era road bike’s are notoriously tight on tire clearance. Tri bikes are even worse, especially the 650-wheel bikes, which was done for aero.
I can’t speak to the Kestrel, but on the contemporary Softrides I work on, 25 is as big as you can fit. Even the ‘sport’ bikes won’t take anything bigger than a 28.
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Old 04-17-19, 11:25 AM
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26" wheel swap is something I've read about but never personally seen or tried. You'd have to know how much space there was for fatter tires to determine whether it was worth your while. Terry used to offer the biggest 650c tire you could get, a 28c as I recall. I don't know if they still do or if it would fit that bike.
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Old 04-17-19, 07:55 PM
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Much appreciated, guys. You confirmed what I suspected- that this isn't the frame for me. Thanks for your input.
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Old 04-17-19, 09:53 PM
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Yeah, Panaracer makes a couple models around 28mm including the Terry-branded one, but that's about as big as you'll find in anything good. It's also an old cruiser bike standard, but those heavy 1 3/4" tires aren't likely to fit in that frame.
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