Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Recommended 650b conversion set up

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Recommended 650b conversion set up

Old 06-28-21, 10:51 AM
  #1  
juggleandhope
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 51
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Recommended 650b conversion set up

hi - i'm looking to convert a vintage steel road bike into a more comfy bigger tired city bike for my friend. weight matters since we have a lot of stairs and am hoping for ~23 pounds with the new wheels and a rear rack on it - around 53 or 54cm bike size. a few questions;
a. what's the best 650b tubeless compatible wheelset for a reasonable price (between $200 and $350?)
b. what are some especially good slick ~45mm 650b tires for dealing with the broken glass parts of brooklyn?
c. any suggestions on the best bike for this - have been looking on craigslist and ebay for trek 613, 400 - miyata 712, etc? since i'm also hoping to put riser bars on, wondering if i should just buy a frame and then a bike shop to build it up for me - or i could get a full bike and just change it in bits.

hope you're well and thanks for any suggestions.
juggleandhope is offline  
Old 06-28-21, 11:44 AM
  #2  
nazcalines
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 102
Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 64 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by juggleandhope
hi - i'm looking to convert a vintage steel road bike into a more comfy bigger tired city bike for my friend. weight matters since we have a lot of stairs and am hoping for ~23 pounds with the new wheels and a rear rack on it - around 53 or 54cm bike size. a few questions;
a. what's the best 650b tubeless compatible wheelset for a reasonable price (between $200 and $350?)
b. what are some especially good slick ~45mm 650b tires for dealing with the broken glass parts of brooklyn?
c. any suggestions on the best bike for this - have been looking on craigslist and ebay for trek 613, 400 - miyata 712, etc? since i'm also hoping to put riser bars on, wondering if i should just buy a frame and then a bike shop to build it up for me - or i could get a full bike and just change it in bits.

hope you're well and thanks for any suggestions.

It's another $100 out of your price range, but the pacenti brevet wheelset is pretty light and tubeless ready. If you've got some hubs (and can find the brevet rims in stock) you can build up the wheels for a lot less.

There's a ton of glass in my area and I'm yet to get a flat on compass tires. I have a lot of miles on them with the rears very bald. The gravel kings are supposed to be pretty good and they're a bit less money.

Don't have any recommendations for frames, but I can tell you the mid 80s univega gran rally and miyata 912 will fit 38mm, but not 42 without crimping the chainstays.
nazcalines is offline  
Old 06-28-21, 11:52 AM
  #3  
bOsscO
bOsscO
 
bOsscO's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 748

Bikes: 2015 Norco Search S1, 93 Mongoose IBOC COMP

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 293 Post(s)
Liked 353 Times in 211 Posts
I'm not sure if the Trek 613, 400, or Miyata 712, 912 came stock with 650b or 700c wheels. Probably good to start with a bike that's built for 650b otherwise you'll need to consider different brake calipers too.
bOsscO is offline  
Old 06-28-21, 12:20 PM
  #4  
Dylansbob 
2k miles from the midwest
 
Dylansbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 1,990

Bikes: ~'75 Colin Laing, '80s Schwinn SuperSport 650b, ex-Backroads ti project...

Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 525 Post(s)
Liked 931 Times in 446 Posts
Good luck finding vintage steel that will take 650bx45. It's a rare one that can take 42s. A complete bike down to 24lbs with a rear rack? What's it weigh now? Probably going to take a lot of weigh-weening to get to that point. Don't forget to make sure to choose rims with a braking surface as you won't find any disc brake mounts. So hmmm, rim brakes and tubeless, that should narrow it down to about 3 rims currently on the market. That Pacenti is probably the only one you'll find as a pre-built wheelset.

Why don't you just get a nice, late model alloy gravel bike.? Probably get the weight you want, wheels and clearances you want.
Dylansbob is offline  
Old 06-28-21, 12:59 PM
  #5  
bark_eater 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Eastern Shore, MD
Posts: 2,151

Bikes: Road ready: 1993 Koga Miyata City Liner Touring Hybrid, 1989 Centurion Sport DLX, "I Blame GP" Bridgestone CB-1. Projects: Yea, I got a problem....

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 752 Post(s)
Liked 733 Times in 419 Posts
Sounds like your trying to build a mountain bike.
bark_eater is offline  
Old 06-28-21, 01:15 PM
  #6  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,505

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5877 Post(s)
Liked 3,445 Times in 2,066 Posts
Originally Posted by bark_eater
Sounds like your trying to build a mountain bike.
+ 1, fat tires and riser bars will be easier to do on a vintage mountain bike. But it will be difficult to get it to 23 lbs, more like 25-26 with a good quality vintage MTB.
bikemig is offline  
Old 06-28-21, 07:23 PM
  #7  
juggleandhope
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 51
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
true - i'm riding a trek 970 mountain bike and if i find one like it for her, that would be fine - but i think the road bike conversion might save 2-3 pounds or so.

the pace breveti wheelset is out of stock for at least 10 weeks, thanks for that suggestion though.
juggleandhope is offline  
Old 06-28-21, 11:04 PM
  #8  
gugie 
Bike Butcher of Portland
 
gugie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 11,641

Bikes: It's complicated.

Mentioned: 1299 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4670 Post(s)
Liked 5,769 Times in 2,272 Posts
Originally Posted by juggleandhope
true - i'm riding a trek 970 mountain bike and if i find one like it for her, that would be fine - but i think the road bike conversion might save 2-3 pounds or so.

the pace breveti wheelset is out of stock for at least 10 weeks, thanks for that suggestion though.
To repeat what @Dylansbob wrote, it's damn near impossible to find a road frame that will fit something fatter than a 650b x 42mm tire without major modifications. Add to that your weight and budget requirement, I think you're looking for a unicorn.

If you look carefully and are patient, lightweight MTB frames can be had, but you'll need a lighter fork to have a chance of getting the weight down where you're looking to be. Really 2-3 lbs extra isn't much extra to carry. I used to carry a Fisher MTB tandem up 3 flights of apartment stairs in San Francisco BITD.
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
gugie is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 07:48 AM
  #9  
juggleandhope
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 51
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
i dislike unicorns as much as the next guy - i'm happy to compromise to a 42mm tire! any recommendations for those?
juggleandhope is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 08:22 AM
  #10  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,505

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5877 Post(s)
Liked 3,445 Times in 2,066 Posts
Originally Posted by juggleandhope
i dislike unicorns as much as the next guy - i'm happy to compromise to a 42mm tire! any recommendations for those?
Lots of ideas here, https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...nversions.html
bikemig is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 08:31 AM
  #11  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Originally Posted by juggleandhope
i dislike unicorns as much as the next guy - i'm happy to compromise to a 42mm tire! any recommendations for those?
Before you buy anything, it would be a good idea to measure the clearance you have: https://www.bikeman.com/bikeman-blog...sion-guidlines

My conversion only fits 38mm tires, and that with careful attention to wheel true and frame alignment.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Likes For ThermionicScott:
Old 06-29-21, 08:42 AM
  #12  
scarlson 
Senior Member
 
scarlson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Medford MA
Posts: 2,092

Bikes: Ron Cooper touring, 1959 Jack Taylor 650b ladyback touring tandem, Vitus 979, Joe Bell painted Claud Butler Dalesman, Colin Laing curved tube tandem, heavily-Dilberted 1982 Trek 6xx, René Herse tandem

Mentioned: 80 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 964 Post(s)
Liked 1,450 Times in 723 Posts
Originally Posted by juggleandhope
i'm happy to compromise to a 42mm tire! any recommendations for those?
Panaracer/Pacenti Pari-Moto! I think they're 95% as good as the Compass Herse ones, but half the price. They run a little smaller than 42, probably around 40.5 or 41 on my Pacenti Brevet rims.
__________________
Owner & co-founder, Cycles René Hubris. Unfortunately attaching questionable braze-ons to perfectly good frames since about 2015. With style.
scarlson is offline  
Likes For scarlson:
Old 06-29-21, 08:47 AM
  #13  
AJI125 
Full Member
 
AJI125's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Denver Metro, CO
Posts: 436

Bikes: 1972 Fuji The Finest | 1990 Bianchi Giro | 1999 LeMond Buenos Aires

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 151 Post(s)
Liked 303 Times in 134 Posts
Google will be your friend too if you find a neat frame that looks like it could use a conversion. I like the late 70s/early 80s Treks but of course didn't actually convert mine (yet?), instead my LeMond is sporting 650x38b (for now at least). Quite a few people fit nominal 42s (actual around 40) on the Treks of that period. Search far and wide though and be prepared for some disappointment. gugie has a lot of knowledge in this area - especially if you like Raleighs...
AJI125 is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 09:16 AM
  #14  
ClydeClydeson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 1,606
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 581 Post(s)
Liked 921 Times in 518 Posts
I was looking for, but could not find, any rim-brake compatible 650B rims.
ClydeClydeson is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 09:42 AM
  #15  
gugie 
Bike Butcher of Portland
 
gugie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 11,641

Bikes: It's complicated.

Mentioned: 1299 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4670 Post(s)
Liked 5,769 Times in 2,272 Posts
Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
I was looking for, but could not find, any rim-brake compatible 650B rims.
32 hole are somewhat available (SOMA - Weymouth, Rene Herse - Pacenti), 36 hole anything seems to be very difficult to find.
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
gugie is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 09:43 AM
  #16  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
I was looking for, but could not find, any rim-brake compatible 650B rims.
In stock, you mean? They are definitely being made.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 09:48 AM
  #17  
nlerner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 17,127
Mentioned: 480 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3788 Post(s)
Liked 6,574 Times in 2,580 Posts
These days it seems you need to roll your own (or have your LBS build the wheels for you), i.e., source 650B rim-brake rims (dwindling options!) and QR hubs and spokes, separately.
nlerner is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 09:52 AM
  #18  
zjrog
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,753

Bikes: 1986 KHS Fiero, 1989 Trek 950, 1990 Trek 7000, 1991 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo, 1992 Trek 1400, 1997 Cannondale CAD2 R300, 1998 Cannondale CAD2 R200, 2002 Marin San Rafael, 2006 Cannondale CAAD8 R1000, 2010 Performance Access XCL9R

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 284 Post(s)
Liked 385 Times in 207 Posts
Originally Posted by gugie
To repeat what @Dylansbob wrote, it's damn near impossible to find a road frame that will fit something fatter than a 650b x 42mm tire without major modifications. Add to that your weight and budget requirement, I think you're looking for a unicorn.

If you look carefully and are patient, lightweight MTB frames can be had, but you'll need a lighter fork to have a chance of getting the weight down where you're looking to be. Really 2-3 lbs extra isn't much extra to carry. I used to carry a Fisher MTB tandem up 3 flights of apartment stairs in San Francisco BITD.
Even finding an older hybrid frame to fit bigger than 40/42s is tough.
zjrog is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 09:56 AM
  #19  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,505

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5877 Post(s)
Liked 3,445 Times in 2,066 Posts
Originally Posted by gugie
32 hole are somewhat available (SOMA - Weymouth, Rene Herse - Pacenti), 36 hole anything seems to be very difficult to find.
Velocity rims as well.
bikemig is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 11:03 AM
  #20  
Rooney 
Full Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: NYC
Posts: 403

Bikes: '72 Raleigh Super Course; '90 Cannondale ST1000; '98/99 Cannondale T700; 2002 Cannondale CAAD5 R700; 2022 Cannondale Topstone 2L

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 162 Post(s)
Liked 337 Times in 152 Posts
Originally Posted by scarlson
Panaracer/Pacenti Pari-Moto! I think they're 95% as good as the Compass Herse ones, but half the price. They run a little smaller than 42, probably around 40.5 or 41 on my Pacenti Brevet rims.
Originally Posted by AJI125
Google will be your friend too if you find a neat frame that looks like it could use a conversion. I like the late 70s/early 80s Treks but of course didn't actually convert mine (yet?), instead my LeMond is sporting 650x38b (for now at least). Quite a few people fit nominal 42s (actual around 40) on the Treks of that period. Search far and wide though and be prepared for some disappointment. [...]

I'm running Pari-Motos on my Trek 710 — 42 in the front and 38 in the rear with no modifications. Both come in about 3mm below their stated size on the Cycles Toussaint 650b wheelset. I'd originally planned to switch to the Gravel King SS or slicks, but a bike shop told me the Pacenti's had the same tread pattern (as the slick), so I figured it was silly to switch. I've been very happy with the Pari-Motos. In the future, I'll probably go with whichever I can find cheaper.
Rooney is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 11:13 AM
  #21  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Originally Posted by Rooney
I'm running Pari-Motos on my Trek 710 — 42 in the front and 38 in the rear with no modifications. Both come in about 3mm below their stated size on the Cycles Toussaint 650b wheelset. I'd originally planned to switch to the Gravel King SS or slicks, but a bike shop told me the Pacenti's had the same tread pattern (as the slick), so I figured it was silly to switch. I've been very happy with the Pari-Motos. In the future, I'll probably go with whichever I can find cheaper.
If one were okay with non-matching tire labels, I've long thought that a Pari-Moto in front and a RH Loup Loup Pass in rear (both ~38mm) would be a cool setup. The thin tread wouldn't be a problem in front where tires wear slower, and the LLP would have thicker (but "optimized") tread to deal with wear from being the driving wheel.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 12:17 PM
  #22  
due ruote 
Senior Member
 
due ruote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,707
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 903 Post(s)
Liked 524 Times in 318 Posts
I like the mtb idea. A pair of RTP tires will help with the weight and cost way less than a wheel set.
due ruote is offline  
Old 06-29-21, 02:09 PM
  #23  
Lbxpdx
Full Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Portland
Posts: 359
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 161 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 267 Times in 98 Posts
Originally Posted by gugie
32 hole are somewhat available (SOMA - Weymouth, Rene Herse - Pacenti), 36 hole anything seems to be very difficult to find.
https://www.jitensha.com/eng/tires.html

36 spoke Grand Bois are $95 each.
Lbxpdx is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.