Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Do any 26 Hardtails work better as 650b?

4K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Saddle Up 
#1 ·
I was wondering if there were some 26er hardtails that improved or work better as 650b. I see a lot of On Ones converted, are they better with the mid sized wheel?
 
#2 ·
I rode my On One Whippet for months as a 26er. I first set it up with low volume (1.95) tires. It was a rocket, but it was just too jarring over the rough stuff. So I went to 2.4 Racing Ralphs.There was a great improvement in offroad capability with the larger volume tires. But I gave up some handling because the larger volume tires were squirmy in the corners and also squirmed during acceleration so the bike felt much slower. So then I went 650b with 2.25 Racing Ralphs. With 650b the bike had great rollover, but the handling and acceleration was much better with the 2.25 tires compared to the 26" 2.4 tires. So for me it is kind of the best of both worlds, rollover and speed. I am much faster with the 650b. The only noticeable thing was an increase in BB height. On road this was very noticeable and took a while to get used to after riding it with 26". But offroad the increase was actually a benefit because I have fewer pedal strikes. So while at first it seemed like the increase in BB height was a negative, it actually ended up being a positive. Just FYI the BB height is 12.75" with 650b, which is still reasonable for a hardtail.

26er


650b
 
#4 ·
I'm going to build my whippet as a 650b rigid single speed weight weenie bike. I'm shooting for mid to low 15 pound range.

So far I just have the frame, headset and Trigon carbon fork.
 
#5 ·
Trek 8500. Hands down better with 650B IMO. It was really fast to begin with but a little nervous fast steering. 650b just made everything smoother. Steering is still quick but very neutral feeling. Bottom bracket height started under 12" IIRC 11.7" I used to get lots of rock strikes and they are gone. Climbing is improved in terms of delivery (bigger wheel in the same 16.9" stays?) and in terms of the front end wander. It's not a sit and spin kind of bike though and never has been.

Mine is a 2009 and I have a 2.1 Nev or a 2.0 Quasi on the rear. I tried the 2.35 Nev and no way it will fit. Although there is no way a 26" 2.35 going to fit either. I've been meaning to try a 2.2 tire like a Racing Ralph but haven't gotten around to it. I would guess that almost anything in the 2.0 - 2.2 range would fit.

2010 and newer frames have even more tire clearance as that was a complaint of many customers. Just because a bike was intended as a "race bike" doesn't mean that only racers will ride and want to fit 1.85 tires.
 
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top