Hi Minh, Maybe this should be in its own thread, but here are some pics and info about the Bridgestone 450 650b conversion. I hope they help.
The 450 rides great with the 650b's. I used Riv stock Velocity wheels. At first I attempted to use Schwalbe Marathons on them, but I couldn't fit them plus fenders. I think even without fenders there was barely any clearance. But with Nifty Swifty's (about 32mm), there is a tight but totally safe amount of clearance (I'd say just under a cm) near the brake between those and the SKS 45mm fenders I'm using. I mentioned earlier in the thread that Col de la Vie's might work as well... but I've never tried it. This conversion was worth it for me, not only for just a little extra tire size, but mostly for the ability to put real fenders on the bike. There was absolutely no clearance for real fenders with the 700c x 28 setup original to the bike. Now I can commute after (or while) it rains without nasty city water getting on me. This move, plus putting the Bosco bars and bringing the shifters up to the bars in the inside position (the Sun Race one-at-a-time's), changed cycling for me. Riding in this relaxed position makes me feel so good. I'm not sure about the size and year of your 450 but mine is a 54cm 1987 and this worked fine. Oh, and, you'll need to use Tektro r559 brakes to reach the 650bs. I regrettably used these Shimanos that didn't actually fit; I had to file out the brake pad channel so that they'd get an extra couple mm of reach... I don't recommend this because it actually voids the warrantee of the brakes. Before anyone criticizes me for the big kryptonite cable slung around my VO saddle and through my rack, this is because its my commuting bike and I live in New York. If I don't do this I can basically say goodbye to my saddle. Anyway, I'm glad I took a second to take these pics for you because within a week most of my upgrades will be migrated over to the T700 I found in the trash, and this bike I'll probably build back up with it's original parts I saved (except the wheels). <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-20zQ3j0yMdA/Vd3Dx8lnimI/AAAAAAAAAgs/jYdLqmGae1I/s1600/IMG_2761_adj.jpg> <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6cmkh6b-fdE/Vd3D1Ps69zI/AAAAAAAAAg0/64VpqYBNs5k/s1600/IMG_2763_adj.jpg> <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8buHB7_QR0Y/Vd3D5CslQDI/AAAAAAAAAg8/AHlhhKGOAaA/s1600/IMG_2770_adj.jpg> <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PV1TPqdZCaQ/Vd3D8KB11QI/AAAAAAAAAhE/8s8PVorH1Jc/s1600/IMG_2772_adj.jpg> <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qnD6DiDJ4kI/Vd3EAaILIOI/AAAAAAAAAhM/KJ-SVhCbak4/s1600/IMG_2773_adj.jpg> On Tuesday, August 25, 2015 at 3:21:24 PM UTC-4, Minh wrote: > > Robert! did you document the 650B conversion of the 450? I always > considered doing that but was unsure on the max tire fit (hetres?) and how > well it rode with 650B. I'm generally happy with min and 700x28, but it > seems like a cheap way to test out 650B.... > > > On Monday, August 24, 2015 at 12:12:39 PM UTC-4, James Warren wrote: >> >> >> With 650B wheels, this bike is going to be AWESOME! With sidepull brakes, >> it's an ideal conversion. It'll look better than the following photo, which >> already looks good: >> >> http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1987/pages/bridgestone-1987-22.htm >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Robert Bolesta >> Sent: Aug 24, 2015 7:13 AM >> To: RBW Owners Bunch >> Subject: Re: [RBW] Re: Found a 1986–87 Bridgestone T700 at the Curb This >> Morning, Am Puzzled >> >> Thanks for the comments, everyone! >> >> I decided that I'm going to build this up as my commuter/light tourer, >> replacing my current too-small-for-me Bridgestone 450 of the same year, or >> possibly the year after. I've been riding the 450 to 5 miles work every day >> for almost 8 years, and I even toured with it a few times, in a kind of >> janky, not-ideal but who cares kind of way. I love the bike, but luckily >> this T700 I found for free is just my size so I'm replacing it. >> >> The only difference between the two frames is that the 450 has less tire >> clearance and recessed brake nuts. A couple of years ago I did a 650b >> conversion on it which allowed me to get fenders plus 32mm Nifty Swifty's. >> I haven't tried Col de la Vie's but I have a feeling they'd just barely >> fit. But when on the T700 I found, I'll be able to put Schwalbe Marathons >> on these wheels, something I'm super excited about. >> >> Other than the wheelset I'll be migrating my Bosco bars, shimano levers, >> Sun Race one-at-a-time shifters and my compact Tubus "Fly" rear rack. The >> crank was missing when I found it, so I'm adding a new Sugino x D600, and >> just replaced the bottom bracket last night. >> >> Jack B: I love your suggestion of getting a Sam Fork, but, I think I >> might hold off and at some point buy a true tourer like a Hunq or an >> Atlantis. >> >> I'll post pictures at some point if you all are interested. >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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