I agree with Jim that it's a good idea to stockpile 650b rims and tires in
my basement.
I think that there's still new 650b bikes being introduced. Don't forget
about the Velo Orange Polyvalent. Also I believe that the Longleaf P/R
prototype will be arriving soon.
Ken
On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 10:33 PM, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery
thill@gmail.com wrote:
The discussion about the new Pacenti 650B tires momentarily ventured
into commentary on the future of 650B. I thought this was worth a
discussion of its own.
Two or three years ago we had 650B bikes at Hiawatha Cyclery from at
least three manufacturers: Rivendell, Kogswell, and Rawland. Now
Rivendell does 650B only on smaller sizes of certain models, Kogswell
seems to be on an indefinite hiatus, and Rawland's new models have
been displayed at various venues with 622 and 559 wheels (with disc
brakes, 650B will still be an option).
To the extent that 650B has gone mainstream, it is by and large in the
27.5 wheel size for mountain bikes. It seems like new disc-specific
rim and fat-knobby tire options are proliferating, but the 650B rim
and tire options for road bikes have not expanded much, if at all,
since I first read about 650B in the Rivendell Reader. There are some
small importers/manufacturers like Jan Heine with the Gran Bois and
now Pacenti with his Pari-Moto, but they have yet to get their tires
into the QBP catalog or on any Treks. I was pleasantly surprised to
see another of my mainstream distributors pick up some 650B stuff, but
again, it was mostly of the MTB variety.
I'm not sure Rivendell and a few custom framebuilders can sell enough
650B bikes to support much expansion, or even maintain current levels
of the 650B rim/tire selection and availability. Unless the 650B size
gets picked up by Trek or some other major player, I think its future
will be at best as a niche item with limited selection and spotty
availability. I'd encourage 650B bike owners and aficionados to
stockpile an extra set of rims and a couple sets of favorite tires,
just in case.
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