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| It says so right on the packaging. |
Gravel bikes have breathed new life into the 650B "demi-balon" sized tire, which the old conversion scene knew was very close to a 700c X 28mm tire in diameter. This makes it a good alternative choice for the gravel bikes which have been proliferated in the last few years by several manufacturers. Okay.....cool. But why?
Well, going back to the 40's and 50's, it was for comfort, vibration damping, and grip over bad roads. With the advent of gravel riding, riders have been seeking out similar attributes for their rigs. Now with Compass Tires and WTB, along with a few oddball, rare tires, riders can now enjoy the similar benefits that riders did 75 years ago. The main difference with the Horizon tires is that they are part of a tubeless tire system, which other tires in this category are not.
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| Tire, rim, rim strip, valves, and sealant all by WTB; Image courtesy of WTB |
Right now I am looking at trying these out on my Raleigh Tamland Two, my Standard Rando, and my Vaya. The thing I will be looking hard at, besides the obvious tire clearances, is where the bottom bracket height ends up being at with these three bikes. Obviously, if WTB is right and these tires are akin to the diameter of a 700 X 28-30mm tire, I will be lowering the bottom bracket heights on all three bikes which may not work out so well. Especially in the case of the T-6 bike which has a 75mm drop, but we will see. Obviously, I am going with a disc brake hub and rim, or I would slot these into my Black Mountain Cycles bike for a test run, but that won't be happening with these wheels.
Stay tuned......
Do I detect a slight note of disdain for the "rando thing", lol. I personally have a lot of admiration for the sport of randonneuring and would probably be pursuing it now if I had enough time to really give it a fair shake. I like to go on reneherse.com and look at some of the old bikes there. I especially like the bikes from the 40s and 50s. I'm always surprised at the level of sophistication of these old timers. It's obvious to me (a machinist) that some of the french builders were skilled all-around machinists and not just guys who stuck tubes together in an artful manner. Also I notice that many of these bikes are 1x4 or 2x4 geared. Funny to think that some of these bikes probably went over the Alps and Pyrenees with that gearing. Nowadays we can't seem to get over a few midwestern rollers without an 11 speed cog and a clickfest. Maybe we don't need more gears, maybe we just need to HTFU.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in what you think about these tires. Ever since WTB announced their "RoadPlus" tires I've been eyeing them with some interest.
ReplyDelete@phillip Cowan- No, you do not detect disdain. I was merely referring to that scene as a "thing" that became popular/is popular.
ReplyDeleteI have friends and acquaintances that participate or who have run rando organizations in the past and I have heard their stories. I have nothing but respect for them and their accomplishments. My only criticism of the "rando bike" crowd is that they can be a bit narrowly focused and disdainful of the slightest detail on a bike in a way that seems, well.....over the top. Of course, one could level the same criticism at myself at times, so there is that.
That said, this WTB tire's mere existence has made some rando fans a bit testy. So, there is an example of what I mean.
As to gearing, it is important to remember your references in a historical context. Previous to 1930, a derailleur drivetrain was next to unicorns in rarity, and those cyclists were climbing the same mountains you reference on single speeds, and some of those with a fixed gear. Talk about HTFU, right?
Secondly, we must remember that the technology was in its infancy when it comes to drive trains back in the 40's. That added with the self-manufactured ethos of many of the builders of the French (and other) rando and camping bikes really limited the range of possibilities. Had their been easy access to mass manufactured, wide range cassettes or free wheels back then, I have no doubt that they would have employed them in their designs. But that we will never know. All we can say with any certainty is that option did not exist for the most part, which was probably the reason it looks like a more hardcore "choice" today. It was just "normal" to those folks. They had no other way of doing it, which maybe points to a different viewpoint than our backward looking one here, no?
I think the problem with the rando folks is that they've been preaching the 650B gospel for a long time to mostly deaf ears. Now that it is suddenly becoming mainstream they are a little dismayed. It's sort of like college kids who discover an underground band and then don't like it anymore when the rest of the world discovers it. As for modern tech I have no doubt you're right. If 11 speed blocks and a good replacement for the old cyclo derailleur had appeared on the market back then I believe they would have latched onto it like a doberman on a porterhouse.
ReplyDeleteCool! I end up doing a lot of pavement riding to get to and from the gravel out here in NY, so a high-volume slick has become my tire of choice. Loving these options (and tubeless!).
ReplyDelete@Doug-I have a similar similar situation, all the good gravel is way out of town. I've been running Schwalbe G-one 700x35s. They seem to split the difference between pavement and gravel very well. Running them tubeless on A23s they measure an actual 37mm. I had considered the Compass Bon Jon Pass 700x35 but decided I wanted something with at least a little tread.
ReplyDeleteVery curious as to your findings. After seeing how my wife's Strava times have dropped when she began riding a bike with 650bx42 tires (on the road), not to mention the comfort...
ReplyDeleteFascinating.
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I would love to try 42mm Hetres or the Compass Baby Shoe Pass version. Unfortunately my frame won't swallow them.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I have a pic of my Tamland 1 with a set of the WTB's on it. Planning on getting a new set of hoops built up and switching over. The roads here in China are a bit rough.
ReplyDeleteHello, did you try this conversion with the Vaya. I'm curious why it's not listed as a suitable conversion on WTBs site. First thought is the BB is too low but the Space Horse is with the same 75 bb drop. Could it be Salsa simply didn't want to recommend for their own reasons. I'm not sure what criteria WTB used to create that list but curious about your thoughts. I've recently picked up a used Vaya frame and a bit saddened by very tight clearances with fenders when compared to my Cross Check. Ideally wanted to run the Sawtooth 42s but then this thought occurred to me since I need to wheels regardless.
ReplyDelete@Mike V- I am sorry to report that by the time I would have gotten around to putting those wheels on my Vaya I had sold it. So, I never did get to check that out, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteThe T-6, with a similar BB drop, is about as low as I'd want to go concerning BB drop and the 650B X 47mm wheels/tires. I do strike a pedal now and again the way it is on rutted dirt roads, and don't even think about leaning it over in a corner and pedaling!
Salsa (and any QBP brand in general) is super conservative with regard to tire clearances, expected use, frame warranty, or any thing of that nature. It doesn't surprise me that they would not recommend the swap to 650B for the Vaya. Their legal department probably sees potential pedal strikes and less than 5mm clearances around the tires as the main reasons why they wouldn't sign off on that. Now, it should be noted that this is purely conjecture on my part, but I bet I am close to the mark.
Why the Space Horse is listed and the Vaya is maybe odd at first. But the smaller Space Horse Disc models already are spec'ed with 650B so maybe this is what is meant here- ONLY the small sized Space Horse Disc models are recommended, and not the Vaya, since all Vaya models are now based on 700c wheels, and older Vayas in smaller sizes were 26" wheel based bikes, not 650B
Thank you for your thoughts. WTB actually lists sizes 49-61 on their list of compatible Space Horse frames.
ReplyDeleteI've got another frame I've run 35s with a 80mm drop without issue for me. I'm using it for lught touring and Im not an aggressive corner pedaler at all.