Recommended 650b conversion set up
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
Why don't you just get a nice, late model alloy gravel bike.? Probably get the weight you want, wheels and clearances you want.
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Sounds like your trying to build a mountain bike.
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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.
the pace breveti wheelset is out of stock for at least 10 weeks, thanks for that suggestion though.
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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.
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My conversion only fits 38mm tires, and that with careful attention to wheel true and frame alignment.
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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...
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32 hole are somewhat available (SOMA - Weymouth, Rene Herse - Pacenti), 36 hole anything seems to be very difficult to find.
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In stock, you mean? They are definitely being made.
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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.
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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 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.
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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.
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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.
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