:650 Beee

January 30th, 2012 | No Comments » |

We have been working slowly on our frame designs here, something if you follow us on Twitter you might have caught wind of. It’s a simple line consisting of three ‘real world riding’ frame configurations, all made in the US from US made materials and components. Reading that, I can hear alarm bells going off as the thought of ‘handmade in the US’ floods you with pictures of boutique prices. We have a few surprises in store for you…

One of the frames, the ‘M1′, is a 5.5″ travel trail bike and with materials selected, suspension engineering by Sotto Group completed and the basic design already done, it’s time to consider the nitty gritty of clearances and detailing. Naturally, the thought of tyre clearance for the rear has come to mind and a few have already suggested that we should consider allowing for the 650B size.

Now I’ll be the first to say that I am a pretty die-hard 26″ guy, especially when it comes to FS bikes. My aversion to 29″ is no secret and we decided last week not to do a hard-tail MTB as everyone involved in this undertaking has reservations about the 29″ format; even if the 29″ fad is sweeping the world, generating sales where there might not have been any, we’d prefer not to build a bike we don’t believe in rather than pay lip service and cash in. Don’t get me wrong here, for some people, in some places, the 29er is a fine format but it’s not something for all people everywhere; which unfortunately the marketing machines of the big players are doing their damndest to tell everyone with alarming degrees of success, killing the 26″ HT market in the process.

For a FS bike, I think the 29″ format is daft. Simple as that and I don’t care where you ride. In saying that, my strong reaction to 29″ FS bikes has nothing to do with being ‘anti 29er’ but everything to do with the pure mechanics of it. Adding 3″ to the wheel size of a FS bike not only messes with the stand over (already a challenge as travel increases) but also throws the wheelbase well out of whack, messes with the gearing selections/range, places ever greater levels of stress on the frame and generally causes everything to be over engineered, if you are doing things correctly. The net result is a bike that is bigger, weighs more, has less travel and all for the net gain of what, I am not quite so sure.

In the mad fad, it seems a FS 29er is everything people actually do not want but seem to still be asking for! Talk about being caught up in the hype to the point of hysteria!

So, for us, the ‘M1′ was slated to be 26″.

Enter the 650B.

650B sits squarely in the middle of 26 and 29″ and is one of those quirky ‘French things’ from road bikes. There was interest in it for a short period in the MTB world until the 29″ monster trounced it, returning to the shadows. But as the inherent problems of designing a 29″ wheeled FS bike worth a damn become more and more apparent (where a 3″ travel bike is NOT worth a damn), people are once again looking at the 650B wheels as a potential format, evidenced by ever increasing murmurs that the likes of Fox, Rock Shox and DT Swiss are all ‘at it’ for 2013.

But why? Is this just another drive to sell more new format crap no one wants/needs (your choice)?

The reasons are pretty simple to be honest. On the outside, the most enticing prospect of the 650B format is the promise of the faster rolling 29″ but with much, much fewer of the downfalls. The 650B wheel size does not demand any great resizing of frames, meaning much of the tried and true 26″ geometry can be used and even many current frames could accept the wheel. As a result with just a wheel, shock modification (or swap) and fork change, many out there will be able to move their existing frames and parts to the 650B format, rather than pony up for a completely new 29″ bike that they may or may not like. That right there is a pretty big draw card which just might see it take of properly if supported - ‘plug and play’… almost.

From our point of view, the key aspect to thinking the 650B format is worth allowing for is that we do not have to reinvent the wheel (there’s a pun there) and design something that is really a stab in the dark - a 29″ FS frame. When you combine that with knowing that what you design, and ultimately will be offering, will do everything you promise for 99% of the people out there, the 650B allowance is a winner.

For myself, I am more than curious about the 650B format as I can see that it will have some clear advantages over the much beloved 26 and none of the appalling traits of the 29 when used in a FS application.

 

Tags:650B,mountainbike

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