Tricky situation for sure. I say if you want to mod your bike to make it fit your vision then go for it. If you're having Bilenky do the work it will be as nice or likely better finished than new, so bonus.
I have struggled greatly with the wheel size conundrum. Tires are a big part of that. My first Riv was a Bleriot that came with 650x33 maxy fasty tires. They (and the bike) were underwhelming to me for how I was riding it. Although, as soon as I switched to the Fatty Rumpkin 42s, I fell in love with the bike and subsequently the 650b wheel size. So I tried a Bombadil but with big knobby tires and didnt like it. Swapped them to the Rumpkins...loved it. So what I found was, the particular wheel/tire combo was the trick for me. If I am carrying ANY type of a load or doing a long slow ramble it's my favorite platform. If you love the Hetre ride and can make it work, then you'll enjoy the bike more, and that's the key. That said, I will offer this. After trying Riv's in all wheel sizes, I ended up with my 26" All Rounder because I wanted a 650b with cantillever brakes and it was candidate for conversion. I was able to fit my 650 wheels and fat tires by using brakes with more pad adjustment. Although this DID work and the bike rode great in my opinion, the braking was never quite right and I subsequently swapped back to the 26" and added Conti Town & Country tires that are a very close feel to the Fatty Rumpkins. If I had the canti posts moved as you're considering, I feel it would worked fine, but at the end of the day, it would still be a frame designed for 26" wheels. I chose to leave it alone and wait for a specifically designed 650 bike which landed me on an Ocean Air Rambler. It rides fantastic using my favorite wheel/tire combo without having to monkey around with it. Because I tend to ride off road and in rough conditions, my conversion antics aided in raising the bb. I have also encountered the opposite by trying 650b in a 27" wheel frame. It also worked, but it required a slightly shorter crank and mindfulness of pedal strike, which I still did. Being a mountain biker it doesnt tend to freak me out, but still is a reminder that things are not as intended. I have found that the smallest wheel I prefer is 650b. I have also found that my AR performs the best as intended and not converted. The good thing is it doesnt have to now with the Rambler. That might be a bad thing for the AR....?? -- 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.
