Mobile Bill, I can chime in for a moment on the 26" tires versus the 650B's. I have 2 650B bikes—a Saluki like you and a proto Bleriot set up as a single speed. when I won the raffle custom, with my height and custom desires (55mm tires & fenders, top tube, diagatube/loooong wheelbase, 650B wheels, combined with 5'2" height) something had to give for it all to work. That something was going from 650B to 26" wheels. Turns out that with the 55mm Big Bens, the outer diameter is really about a 700. I got the 55 Big Bens because I took the little 48 Hunq out on a S24O with the merry Rivsters in Walnut Creek and fell in love with the confidence and security of those big tires.
I thought going into it that I would just be able to swap wheels back and forth when everything was going to be 650B, especially my front wheel because I have one dyne hub that goes back and forth between the Saluki and Proto. I just bit the big one and invested in a dyne hub for the 26" wheels. I also don't do a lot of switching tires, so that hasn't been a big deal. If I want supple casings, etc, I ride the Saluki or Proto. If I want to bomb around and go anywhere, I'm on the custom/Big Bens. Granted, I don't do mountain trails—but I think there are plenty of folks who use the BiG Bens for those purposes. The ride I have now on the custom is great great great, and I feel a bit like I'm up on a tractor, which I quite enjoy as a short person. I think you can't go wrong; go with your heart and habits and only you know how they intersect with your funds. If you're crazy about tires and like to futz with trying all different sorts, yes, a 650B these days will provide lots of fun and the Bomba is the middle way to go. Can you stretch your dollars to the max and get a custom? You won't regret it but you'll have to wait. Is a Hunq with 26" wheels fun? You bet! Plus it's the least hard on funds. You can't go wrong, friend. good luck, RCW -- 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/d/optout.
