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So, when I bought my Pickenflick, the intention had been to have two sets of wheels, the original 700 with 28c road rubber, and a set of 650b wheels with up to 2in tyres for playing about on (and running most of the time)
But, I've been running the original wheels with a set of 42c Continental AT Ride tyres for the last 6-7 months, and it's been a pretty good combination actually, fare well enough on the road, ace on gravel, fun on woodland single-track, only really out of its depth on very rooty, rocky or stony trails. There's room in the frame to go wider still (reckon I'd get a 700 x 45/47c tyre in).
And so I wondered whether there is anything much to be gained by having a 650 set of wheels?
So, to those who have two sets, what are the pros and cons of each. And to those who have settled on one size, which size and why?
I'm pondering the same and my thinking is that 650b with the wider tyres will also have much taller sidewalls so, especially if running tubeless and lower pressures, means you'll have much better off-road ability...at least with a bit more comfort and grip.
I'm currently running 32's on my commute/gravel bike and still need about 80psi in there to prevent grounding the rim when things get bumpy, and it's not very comfy at all. I'm thinking some 650b, 30mm internal width rims with 47 tyres I should be able to drop to about 50psi for bumpier stuff. I'm particularly looking to utilise a canal tow path for my commute to get me off the roads, but it's about 6 miles and not smooth at all with old broken up cobbles I'm thoroughly battered by the time I get off the path. Hopefully they won't be too draggy on road for commuting. I've yet to test ride a bike with 650b wheels so reserving my decision until I have.
hardtailonly
....And so I wondered whether there is anything much to be gained by having a 650 set of wheels?
Yes, winter is nearly here and you'll appreciate wider tyres then.
is there actually a decent selection of road/CX/Gravel/touring tyres available anywhere for 650b rims?
fare well enough on the road, ace on gravel, fun on woodland single-track, only really out of its depth on very rooty, rocky or stony trails
You need to weigh up how much of your riding is on very rooty, rocky or stony trails. I thought I wanted wider tyres until I realised I really didn't need them (after trying them!) as I have to deliberately pick routes to get close to have 2% of my ride being very rooty or rocky.
Little difference between 700x42 to 45 and 650x50 for general riding ime, the tyre can make more difference. The bigger OD offsets the lower volume, 650 just copes with bigger impact or a loaded bike better.
My new frame can take up to 650x50 but I'd be looking at running more of proper knobbly tyre as a second set rather than just a wider gravel tyre. I currently have 700x35 gravelkings and they strike a good balance for road and my local tracks.
I'm using WTB resolute (700x 42) at the moment which is comfy on the road without being too draggy and gives a nice amount of grip off-road. If money were no object though I'd get a set of 650b wheels (the hunt gravel ones look nice for the money) and something like the new Venture or Sendero for winter depending on terrain.
People think too hard about riding bikes these days
I ran a set of 26” wheels with 2.0 tyres when I had a Pickenflick. It was a hoot 🙂
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I’ve had a caadx with 700c gravel tyres which was great. Sold it and bought the bike I really wanted for some time, a Salsa Vaya GX frameset with carbon fork and decided to run it on Hope Pro 4’s with WTB Sti25 TCS rims to cope with up to 650x47 tyres. I find the 650b wheels more comfortable than the 700c wheels but there could be other factors at play. People say they are faster on their 650b wheels but are they comparing like for like as a comparison. I suppose in short the terrain you ride in will play more a role in your decision, for me I’m sticking with 650b but for pure road riding where speed is an issue I’m considering a set of 700c wheels with fast road tyres to change to. But for the moment 650b is right for me.
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I’m currently running 32’s on my commute/gravel bike and still need about 80psi in there to prevent grounding the rim when things get bumpy, and it’s not very comfy at all
Not being rude, but how heavy are you? That's a huge amount of pressure for 32mm tyres, when not in race mode I have my 33mm CX tyres at around 35/40 psi and don't hammer rims (I'm 76kg for reference) and down to low 20's when racing
I tried some 650/47's on my Rove ST last weekend. Not sure if they're better than my 700/41 Knards off road, but the 15mm lower BB would help a lot in tight switchbacks.
I went to 650b wheels purely for bigger volume tyres as the frame could only take 700x35c max. Prior to that I'd had 2 sets of 700c wheels, one with 28mm road slicks, the other eith 35mm off road tyres. The idea was bigger volume tyre, more confirt/shock absorption, only one set of wheels needed, simple. The reality is that its another compromise, feels heavier and perhaps is slightly slower on tarmac, but I appreciate the extra tyre volume off road for sure, the 35c tyres were a limiting factor on single-track for me.
I'd say if you're happy with the 700c wheels then stay with them, I don't think there are any huge gains to be made by going to 650b size, it does depend on your riding though, but if your frame will take wider 700c tyres anyway then I don't see an issue there.
Oh, I did try out some 26" wheels, but felt a bit silly riding around on them lol. Although seeing the photo above, I might borrow some wheels from another bike and try them out again this weekend...
You need to weigh up how much of your riding is on very rooty, rocky or stony trails. I thought I wanted wider tyres until I realised I really didn’t need them (after trying them!) as I have to deliberately pick routes to get close to have 2% of my ride being very rooty or rocky.
Not that much really, and think I'm heading towards the same conclusion. Really the limiting factor on that type of terrain is the rigid fork and, to a lesser extent, drop handlebars. Guess the difference between a tyre of 2" and 1.6" (which is what my current 42c tyres equates to) is not really going to let me hammer down stuff like that.
Would still like to try some before I dismiss the idea. Also, like the idea of a set of wheels properly set up tubeless for 'fun', and keeping the (to be fair, pretty heavy and not very good) stock wheels as the 'road' wheels for those pretty rare occasions I actually do a road-only ride.
Anyone in Leeds got a set of 650 wheels I could try out?!
And ... If I'm looking to buy, what would people recommend. Budget probably £200-300 max, so maybe looking second hand?
My advice would be Hope pro 4 hubs built onto your rim of choice with sapim spokes. That’s what I’m running lbs charged me £50 to hand build them.