Originally Posted by
ironwood
You're only 58, you might have another 25 years of biking (with luck). I'd go for a custom steel bike. Put your name on a list of a good builder. Another possibility is to put wide 650B wheels, and a taller stem and handlebars on your S-12s. You might be able to fit 42mm wide tires on it. Then you would have something comfortable and capable of handling dirt roads and some trails..
Thew Fuji comes with 27" wheels a size which I am still running on the bike, and they are 1.25 inch tires (32mm). If I go to 650B, then I have a brake problem. I could convert to 700CX32 but there is no way that I can think of to get the brakes to work out, especially the rear center pull. The flare on the fork isn't that great either. Thanks for the suggestion and I am wondering of the Jamis Aurora I have may be a candidate for this. Would have to try a bike with 42mm wheels to see if that width will work for me.
