650b

[Wayne77]

I should probably know this... Can you put 650B wheels on a CX frame designed for 700c wheels? Inspired by so many cool 650B bikes I saw at NAHBS. I have a Trek Crocket disc CX frame with tons of side-to-side clearance. Hieght-wise the biggest tire I can run is a 44. I'm doing the Crusher again this year and a 650B wheel with a fat tire would be perfect for that race...

[mhespenheide]

You certainly can, but how much bigger than 44 are you going to go? The 47mm WTB Horizons look great, but beyond that you're starting to look at 27.5 mountain bike (treaded) tires, I'd think.

[ColonelJLloyd]

If you're talking about the Compass 700x44, it only measures out to 40mm on most 700c CX rims. The Compass 650x48, however, measures over 50mm on i23 rims. Depends on what you're looking to get out of the wider rubber. FWIW, the Compass EL tire is definitely a cut above the WTB Horizon. Horses for courses and all.

[weisan]

In a traditional 650B conversion, where the 650B tires are swapped into a 700C road bike, most authorities agree that a fat, 42mm-47mm 650B tire will approximate a 700 X 28-30mm wheel and tire’s diameter

http://ridinggravel.com/components/w...-650b-vs-700c/

The Colonel is right, Compass is a "nicer" tire than Horizon.

[R3awak3n]

The horizon is a better at tubeless though

[Pelican]

Originally Posted by Wayne77

Can you put 650B wheels on a CX frame designed for 700c wheels?

Been doing this for a few years now. I'm partial to the GravelKing tires from Panaracer. They also make all the Compass and Pacenti versions of this tire tread. I'm running brownwall GKs now, they look really classy and work well on almost all surfaces.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

The horizon is a better at tubeless though

The sidewalls are stiffer so, theoretically, they are easier to setup, but I set SBHs up just as easy as any other tubeless setup. Added a couple ounces of sealant and, admittedly, saw some sealant on one at the bead, but it sealed so that was the end of it. To be fair, they haven't seen road use yet. But, if they sealed up and are holding pressure that's pretty telling.

[gomango]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

If you're talking about the Compass 700x44, it only measures out to 40mm on most 700c CX rims. The Compass 650x48, however, measures over 50mm on i23 rims. Depends on what you're looking to get out of the wider rubber. FWIW, the Compass EL tire is definitely a cut above the WTB Horizon. Horses for courses and all.

Agreed, but.....

Not digging the easy cuts/slices on Compass sidewalls.

In fact, it's downright bugging me.

30/70 road/gravel use.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by gomango

Not digging the easy cuts/slices on Compass sidewalls.

Yeah, I wouldn't tolerate that. Time to move to something more robust for those rides.

[sparky33]

here you go. CX bikes are perfect for 650b conversion. I've got some Terrene Elwood tires on deck for spring. Switchback Hills are still tops for fun.