Sigurdd50

Yeow! the wheel set that I bought locally was built by Hands on Wheels (built for a biker who never used them) really really nice wheels.

ColonelJLloyd 

I bought Synergy rims for my first 650B conversion ('73 World Voyageur). I went with the OC in the rear. I've yet to build the rear wheel so I certainly can't provide any feedback yet.

Why would you convert a bike to 650B and use 32mm tires? I wouldn't look to that conversion as an example to follow, OP.

Sigurdd50

What the colonel said. Maxy Fasty's are 32 MM but... to be honest, they are just as hard and uncomfortable as typical 700 wheels.
Do the measurements and see what kinda width you have in the fork and seat stays for wide tires. Go for 38MM wide at least to get the effect.
Something with PSI between 50-70 (the lower the better!)

redcaymatt

Just a quick note about 650B conversion. if you have a bike with canti mounts you can use paul's Moto- b.m.x. brakes and have enough vertical adjustment to run (if your frame is wide enough) 26", 650B, 700C & even 29" wheels. To the O.P. before doing anything radical to a schwinn paramount I would try the grand bois cypres 32mm tire. It will probably give you the ride you desire without screwing up your bikes geometry.

ColonelJLloyd 

If you're going from a 700c x 23mm tire to a 650b x 38mm tires my understanding is that the BB drop will not be affected by much. But with a 650b x 32mm you will be lowering it. Something to consider.

You're suggesting Paul Moto BMX brakes will work to convert a cantilever equipped bike from 700c or 27" to 650b? I'm not seeing how that's possible. 26" to 650b, yes.

RJM

Yeah, your bike needs to have the smaller wheel size to begin with to use the Paul Motos for converting. Think originally 650b converting to 700 or 26" to 650 or 700. I originally though about using those brakes with my Sam Hillborne so I could run some 700 wheels (thought it would be faster???) but since I have been running the 650b now for a bit, I see no real need to do it. The 650s are working out great, plus there are now really good tires in the marketplace for the size. Plus, it turns out I am slow at any wheel size.

ColonelJLloyd 

Amen.

THEJAPINO

I'm hoping to try out those Soma B lines. My friend has Paselas on his ride ind they feel great! I've read that the B lines are 650b Paselas made for Soma by Panaracer.

THEJAPINO

Ok, I just measured the spacing between the chainstays on the frame. I measured using the way Mudboy suggested and with the axle in the middle of the dropouts, I measured 40mm. I think if I pull the axle farther back in the dropout, I might get away with using a tire with an actual width of around 35-36mm. I need to look for my calipers to get the actual measurement though.

I know of someone sitting on a pair of Maxy Fasty's if I really can't get the clearance. We'll see...

Sigurdd50

though they are not the people's first choice, Col de la Vie tires - tho listed as 38's, usually measure out closer to 36. It's always smart to allow yourself some room to grow.
Perhaps the Paramount is not the best choice for 650Bs?

Catnap 

Related question: i have a 1975 Paramount frame & fork that is 55.5cm in the seat tube. I normally ride 53cm bikes, so it's too big for me. However, if I put 650B wheels on it, how much would it drop the overall stand-over?

ColonelJLloyd 

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think when you do such a conversion you hope for as little change to the overall stand over as possible. A lower stand over height would mean a lower BB and pedal strike.

Catnap 

agreed, but i think there is some flexibility in BB drop between what's acceptable and what could potentially cause pedal strike. for example, the BB height on my Merckx 7-11 is much lower than on my Bridgestone RB-1.

THEJAPINO

Yeah, you may be right. I do like a challenge though (stubborn).

It's good to know the Col de la Viea measures out to that. I've read that the Soma B Line measures the same 36 on a Synergy rim. What rim was the Col de la Viea mounted on? I also heard there is a Grand Bois Ourson that is advertised as 36. Any idea what those Pari Motos actually measure out to? If I can get a great deal on those local Maxy Fasties , I'll give them a try first.

irwin7638

I really like those tires. I have them on Byron, my 650B mixte, and they are surprisingly fast and seem tough as nails. They are the Pasela TG with a beefed up sidewall. Nominally they are 38-584. but measure a tad narrower.

Marc

southpawboston

Lowering the stand over is fine, and sometimes desirable on a really large frame, but you just want to make sure that the BB was higher than average before conversion.

Right. What it comes down to in the end is that, after conversion, you don't want a BB height lower than about 260mm, regardless what height it was before conversion. Anything less than that and pedal strike becomes much more likely. Most bikes are designed to have between 260-290mm of BB height, so there's obviously a range. Also, if you're in that low end, around 260mm, you may want to have narrow pedals or a crankset with a low Q factor to help minimize pedal strike.

Hydrated

I built my own 650b wheels using the Synergy... with the Synergy OC on the rear with a Shimano XT hub.

I've had no problems at all with them, and they're on my Kogswell P/R that sees some fairly heavy loads. Typical work commute carries me + 25 or so pounds of laptop and stuff.

That said:
Offset eyelets make very little difference to the dish or spoke length on a wheel. Really just tenths of a mm... so if you're nervous about using OC rims, just use regular ones. I used the OC rim because I thought it looked coolio.

Sigurdd50

Here is a dandy little 650B Tire size spread sheet that some of the 650B folks put together with listed and actual dimensions of tires and the rims they were measured on.

If you don't see your tire on the list (it looks like it was recently updated), I'd join the 650B google Group and just posit your query with the tire and rim and you'll likely have an answer in a few hours.

Pedal Strike can be an issue. ON my town bike, I think I went down a little, and I do get a *bink* now and then when I am racing around curves... but I don't use this bike as a racer per. It's more of a comfort bike so I just adjust my style of riding accordingly. Fixed gear riders don't have this luxury... but it ain't fixed so that don't matter to me. Theoretically, if you go from a 23MM 700C tire/wheel combo to a 38MM + 650B tire/wheel combo, it should be about the same... but that isn't always the story.

When I first did this (convert some old steel to 650B) I was concerned (overly concerned?) with sticking to details and procedures and criteria and requirements and measurements... in the end, I just made stuff work. I might have to trade one set of tires (that were too fat) for another. Or mess around with different spindles until I got the crank to stick out far enough and give me a good chain line. Or MacGyver the fenders to work. Hey, that's the fun part of building a bike!

NOw I have to get back to pulling some rusty spokes off my old 650B winter wheels and get ready to re-spoke them with new... Have I ever built a wheel? No. Should be fun!

753proguy

Honjos (and all fenders, afaik) are measured to the outsides. No way will a 35 Honjo work for a 38 mm tire. Don't even try. You need at least 45 mm Honjos (or preferably wider, really) to cover 38s....

davidbea

What kind of hammered fenders are those over the Soma 38mm tires?
I'm looking to run hammered fenders over 38mm Lierre or 42mm Hetres.
Thanks.
David

rowebr

I am using 45mm 700C Velo-Orange hammered fenders over 650B 38mm Col de la Vie tires. The Col's measure 36mm on my Velocity Synergy rims.

Using those fenders works on my 650B conversion for two reasons (I think). First, the fenders sit a bit higher above the 650B tires than they would over 700C x 28mm tires, which provides some valuable clearance. Second, I used the Bicycle Quarterly method of flexing the fenders slightly wider to reduce their radius towards the proper 650B radius. When I converted my bike, I already had the 700C fenders on hand so I figured I would try to make them fit before buying another set, and it did work out. Here's a pic:

southpawboston

^^ Very sharp Bianchi conversion there. Well done.

rowebr

Thanks! I found the thread about your 650B Shogun conversion when I was working on the Bianchi. The Shogun is really fantastic! Also, your photos and descriptions were helpful when I was figuring out how to mount my fenders.

Davidbea, check out Southpawboston's flickr page for some ideas.

E_merlin

That is a great looking bike! I am unfamiliar with the "method" can you elaborate and provide additional information?

thanks

rowebr

Sure. First, take the wheels off the bike and hold your fender over the wheel (with tire installed of course) to get a sense of whether the fender needs a larger or a smaller radius in order to line up nicely with the tire. To decrease the radius of the fender, you flex the fender slightly wider along its entire length. To flex it wider, put your thumbs in the center of the outside of the fender, fingers under the rolled edge of the fender, and pull the rolled edges apart. Start at one end if the fender and work all the way around. Just flex it gently at first as you get a feel for how much you are changing the shape of the fender. To increase the radius of the fender, you squeeze the rolled edges of the fender together, again working all the way around the length of it. I made small changes and checked the fender's fit over my wheel as I worked, so it took some time but the job was not too difficult. I have only done this with aluminum fenders, so I don't know whether it is easier or more difficult with steel fenders, maybe somebody else can tell us?