650B IS STILL RELEVANT
Vložit
- čas přidán 9. 12. 2023
- 650b wheels measure approximately 27.5" from tyre edge to tyre edge. 700c wheels measure approximately 29" from tyre edge to tyre edge.
Both wheel sizes have pro's and cons, but circa late 2023, 700c is undoubtedly the preferred wheel size fitted to many factory fresh gravel bikes. However, the smaller 650b wheel size is still relevant, despite dropping in popularity.
In this video, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew explains the obvious differences between 650b and 700c, and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of 650b. Are they still relevant?
Links of Interest:
1065 Gram Berd Sparrow Gravel Wheels! - • 1065 Gram Berd Sparrow...
XeNTiS Kappa2 650b / 27.5" Carbon 4-Spoke Wheelset Review - • XeNTiS Kappa2 650b / 2...
Let's Turn a Road Bike into a Gravel Bike - • Let's Turn a Road Bike...
WTB Venture 650b x 47mm Tire Review - www.gravelcyclist.com/bicycle...
WTB Sendero 650b x 47mm Road Plus Tire Review - www.gravelcyclist.com/bicycle...
WTB Resolute 42 650b and 700c Tubeless Ready Tires Review - www.gravelcyclist.com/bicycle...
WTB Byway Road Plus 650b Tubeless Ready Tires Review - www.gravelcyclist.com/bicycle...
WTB Horizon Road Plus 650b Tubeless Ready Tires Review - www.gravelcyclist.com/bicycle...
Tailwind Nutrition (JOM's choice of on-the-bike hydration) - bit.ly/3eVogDT
Gravel Bike Tyre Pressure Guidelines - wp.me/p4V4se-6m3
Gravel Cyclist's Route Library - www.gravelcyclist.com/gravel-...
Amazon Affiliation Link:
No cost to you, but every purchase made helps keep Gravel Cyclist up and running! - www.amazon.com/?&_encoding=UT...
Web: GravelCyclist.com
Facebook: / gravelcyclist
Instagram - / gravelcyclist
Twitter - / gravelcyclist - Sport
I love 650b, especially for climbing. I mainly due multi day gravel/bikepacking events. Can’t beat the comfort, strength and reliability. My favorite part is how planted the bike feels in rougher stuff.
For heavy riders the higher volume works great. I weigh 115kg and run 650x42 on my commuting bike a 58cm single speed. Very seldom any problems with flats or spokes. The smaller tire and shorter wheelbase make for quick handling and comfort. I have 700x35 tires on my road bike and 650x50 on the all road/gravel bike. I find 38 or 42 is the sweet spot for road riding. Any larger and the wheels feel sluggish.
I use lower pressure on the front to rear since the front only carries 1/3 or the weight. This keeps the front wheel planted on bumpy urban roads. Usually 38/43 psi on the commuting bike and 30/35 on the all road bike.
Enjoy the channel. Keep up the reviews and ride videos. Thank you for the work you put in for our benefit.
Thank you, and thank you for your insightful comments.
If you want to use a dedicated set of wheels for road use/light gravel and another set for knarly gravel work, then pairing a 700c road setup and a 650b offroad setup works. You can keep the same rolling circumference on both wheelsets. Without looking it up, I think the 650x50 equates to a 700x32.
Solid review! U got me considering 650b now 🤔
I’m a fan of 650b. Great for climbing and makes the bike more fun. 700c and wide tires can feel like wagon wheels. Love the 650x47mm size, which has the same total diameter as the proven 700cx28mm road bike size.
I am running 650x50mm Schwalbe G-One Ultrabite tubeless on my Ibis Hakka. I do run the Vittoria tire inserts.
I put a 650b suspension fork on my 29r hardtail mtb, fixed it right up.
I'm 6'4" 100kg, and running 650b on a Kona Rove. Use this for road and trails adventures, they work well. The lower ground clearance is one of the biggest cons for the 650b, and you have to be vigilant for pedal strikes, I 'm extra cautious on tight curves taken at speed, and on rough terrain. 650bs are more nimble and responsive than the 700s in my experience. If that's your thing, I recommend them.
My first gravel bike I built with 650x47… loved it. Very comfortable,smooth ride. Past year been riding my Ibis gravel bike with 700x38 panaracer gravel king..not so smooth off road,although swings and roundabouts…personal choice ( 6ft..73kg) conclusion for me….rough off road would take the mountain bike..mixed off road then 650 works best,with bigger tyre…road/off road/gravel then 700x38-42. Just depends where one rides and how far. Great thing is ,we can choose according to our needs. Problem-when the Industry dictates the market with profit being the primary objective..along with our food and medical Industrial Complex!!
Business medicine usa.
If you don’t want to use your gravel bike as a road bike, you are probably better off with a bike designed around 700c wheels with 40 to 50 mm tires due to the greater choice of tires and closer to MTB geometry well suited to rough, technical terrain. But as a road bike, those big tire 700c gravel bikes present problems with too much BB drop (pedal strike risk) and less than ideal handling for road use. I use 650b (the panaracer gravelking SS 48mm) because I need that width for the deeper sand sections that I encounter in my area. I still spend about 50% of my time on pavement and appreciate that my bike still feels like a road bike. I switch out to 2.1” Thunder Burt’s for gravel races with bigger bumps or single track. I am probably a little handicapped on the single track compared to the newer big tire 700c bikes, but I own it and it gets the job done.
I bought a salsa Journeyor gx400 at the end of summer, I could only get the 650b version in the spec level I wanted. Actually I really like the 650b wheels on this bike, OEM tires suck and I still need to change them. But as a crit racer, I'm really impressed with 650b wheels. Still going to get a set of 700c wheels to also go with the bike when the money comes back around, but I'm not looking to get rid of the 650s 🙂.
Hi Jom, I was wondering the practical difference in diameter of a fitted 650b (when you have a significantly larger tyre) than on a 700c with a smaller tyre?
I imagine some of the loss of wheel diameter is taken up by extra tyre size?
I can certainly see how it may be beneficial though. My Specialized Crux can only accommodate a 40mm tyre in the rear with a 700c. 650b may let me go bigger.
I have XS frame so 650B suits me just fine
Like this comment, I did cover that advantage in the video.
I recently set up a 650b wheelset on my Trek Checkpoint. I mounted the Teravail Sparewoods in 53mm. If nothing else, it makes the bike super fun. My only complaint is the peddles are lower, and you can hit things while riding more technical terrain.
Ooops, I forgot to mention the lower ground clearance as a negative when switching from a 700c frame. Thanks for your comment.
True. I have a 2019 older diverge and strikes are possible, but I’ve gotten accustomed to this and learned how to avoid. Also, for me I
Like to get a little rowdy on my gravel bike. To me, a few scuffs on the crank arm is not the end of the world.
I’m a fan of my 650b wheels
This is America, so bigger is better. I think I read an article about a bike with 750d wheels a couple of months ago.
Here ya go - czcams.com/video/PwTQXsTV8aU/video.html
@@GravelCyclist 👍, watched that video.
Which one of those T-labs X3s is the more recent one and which do you like better (for 650b)?
I have two gravel bikes on with 700c and the other with 650b. Both clad with Pirelli Cinturato M.
The 650b in 50 blew up over 2” and the 700c well over 45mm. There are times when I perceive the 45 is really sluggish. Strangely enough the 650b tires are sweet hearts to ride!
I don’t race IMHO 650 x 50 and 700c x 42 is the respective sweet spot for a 5’9” rider who’s over 200 lbs.
I think I watched a Ben Delaney (I think…) video and he rides 700c x 34 and under.
700c x 50 YUCK! No thank you. Go get yourself a nice XC mtb.
What about the newest tire size 750 c ?
Wondering if it will go beyond the prototype stage with WTB / Moots?
@@GravelCyclist 😁😂🤣😭👍
A couple companies still make 27in road tires which bikes haven't come in since the 80's. On the gravel side of things there is a reason mtb's came with tires of 1.5in to 2.0in in the beginning. They were the right size for normal "gravel" esque riding and you can see that in the popular 650b sizes of similar width. 650b will be supported for a long time, the real question is when will the next rim size get pushed.
Sorry mate, I think your off the back on this one. Both wheel sizes have their merits, but the division I've observed is as gravel "racing" has grown and many dusty roadie/racer types have been crossing over, they generally ride 700c, basically road bikes for dirt roads, while for the most part the O.G. gravel/adventure riders seem to prefer mtb with drop bar style bikes on wider 650b's, as they will be taking the path less traveled, hitting rougher roads and exploring some singletrack. Many boutique brands and custom builder's make bikes for these riders, whereas the big brands typically lean towards the larger hoops.
You may be correct. This video was mostly to educate newer riders who may be unaware of the option, particularly some of the benefits it offers for jamming bigger tyres into a frame designed with bugger all 700c clearance.
Oh I understand, typical me being to critical, apologies. Ride on 👊🏻
More dogs in future videos…
Oh I have a whole stash of dogs on video, you may find this interesting... czcams.com/video/OjEZieBxSjI/video.html ... Volume 2 is coming later
650b is dying because frames are being built with support for 700x50 these days
Agreed.
That's why i got myself not so old frames - merida big7lite 2016 and giant xtc 2014.. XC bikes for trails and gravel respectively. Love them both.
5:14 oh they think they're so big 😀. Yeah that was a pair of pitbulls or rottweilers, this would be a totally different video 🙂.
Indeed.