Hi, Jim, It sounds like there are a lot of uncertainties to deal with here! Anyone in your neighborhood have 650B wheels (and some longer-reach brakes) you could borrow to try it?
There's a thread on this list showing Rambouillet's that have been converted to 650B. So ... how does your geometry compare to a Ram? FWIW, On my Ram, I can run the Cypres with fenders with no problem. But as I understand it, some Ram's can't run a tire that big. The diameter of a 650Bx42 Hetre is about the same as a 700x23, so one question would be whether you can run 700x23 with fenders. Second, would you feel comfortable riding on 700x23's with your current cranks, or would you feel like you need to go shorter? The width of tire that you can run will of course depend on how the stays and forks are configured. And you will need new brakes by the sound of it. I've spread several rear triangles from 126 to 130 with no problems. But those were all early-80's Trek frames that were not very expensive so I thought it was worth the risk. I re-laced my Schmidt hub with Velocity Synergy 650B rim, figuring the most important bike to have it on is my rando bike. But I still have a Shimano dyno hub-based 700c wheel for commuting. Good luck on PBP. After DNF'ing in 2007, I went back and finished it in 2011. Not sure if I'm going in 2015. Nick On Tuesday, October 22, 2013 6:56:50 PM UTC-4, Jim Bronson wrote: > > I posted this on the RBW group on Facebook and it was proposed that I ask > the same question here. I've been a member in the past but I unjoined when > my email became unmanageable. But I missed you guys! Well, sorta ;) > > I have one of the few Rivendells built with short reach brakes. It's a > custom I bought used from another tall guy, so I guess he specified it that > way. Thankfully, the pads are at the very bottom of the slots, so I can > cram the Grand Bois Cypres and have it clear the brakes. But just barely, > occasionally I get rocks stuck between the brake caliper and the tires. > > I am planning on going to make another run at PBP in 2015 and I want > fenders this time. I went in 2007 and I was just cold and miserable. This > time if I'm going to be cold and miserable, I'd rather not be coated in > road grime as well. > > I think the best way to make this happen without acquiring another frame > is to convert to 650B. However, I am 6'7" so I am a bit worried about > ground clearance. I'm thinking of shortening my cranks as well to maintain > clearance in the corners. I currently have 180mm TA Carmina cranks which I > don't love as they have a narrower Q factor than I am comfortable with, so > my desire to replace them dovetails well with a drivetrain changeover. > > My Riv is also spaced 130 in the back. I have found some wheels for less > than $300 on the Internet from reputable builders using Velocity Synergy > but most are laced on MTB hubs. is it advisable to cram the 135s in or look > for something else with 130 spaced hubs? Another option would be just to > cut the spokes on my existing wheels and start over with 650 rims. There > would be less parts replacements in the drive train if I went that route as > I'm currently running 9 speed Campy. I am not that attached to Campy > though and would certainly entertain a switch to Shimano. I just don't > want to break the bank doing so. One idea would be to resell the Campy > bits to offset the cost of the Shimano stuff. I think I am leaning towards > going whole hog on the Shimano conversion. > > My Schmidt dynohub is another conundrum. It's currently laced up on a 700c > wheel. I could have it re-laced 650B, but then I couldn't use it on my > other bikes. I've been tending more towards battery powered lights the last > few years but it would be nice to have always on power. I suppose I could > relace it for the Riv 650B conversion and then just use battery power if I > want to take the other bikes out at night. > > Lastly, if I were to convert, is it reasable to think I could still do > Grand Bois but also with fenders? The 700c Grand Bois are marked 30mm but > they measure 32mm installed, at least, in 700c they do. > > > > Well anyway...can't think of anything else for the moment. > > Jim > Austin, TX > > -- > Keep the metal side up and the rubber side down! > -- 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-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
