Originally Posted by
RiddleOfSteel
A 650B conversion would be really nice, especially for tire size. The ride with the old "28s" (more like 25s) wasn't harsh over most pavement, but the rougher stuff wasn't fun. It could have been worse, thus some good 30-32mm rubber would be a welcome feature without losing any speed.
You may want to measure clearances under the fork before you become too enamored with the idea of a 650b conversion. I have a 1990 Trek 420 that is my main commuting, shopping, trailer-towing, load carrying bike. Mine is rolling on 650b x 42mm tires, and has been pretty heavily modified in a number of ways. The original fork was too narrow and didn't have adequate axle-to-crown height for 650b x 42mm with fenders, so I found another fork that worked better for my purposes. Of course, I'm assuming your 1989 and my 1990 had the same clearances which may or may not be true. The good news is that the clearances in the rear worked out pretty well for 650b x 42mm and fenders, once I dimpled the stays a bit.
I love my 420, but it definitely is not the most spritely bike I own. It's pretty stout compared to my '82 614 (aka Frek) and my '82 710, which is why the 420 is the bike I use when I'm hauling stuff. The school bus analogy might work for the color as well as it's hauling capacity.
Have fun with it!
Steve