Spech Entering the 650 Market

fat_homer
fat_homer Posts: 470
edited March 2014 in MTB general
Blatantly stolen from another forum, but tweeted by Bikerumor and swiftly deleted.

1377421_10152299435224446_1927440508_n.jpg
Transition Scout / Cotic Soul / Giant Defy

Comments

  • kammybear
    kammybear Posts: 500
    650B is the future!

    Next year there's gonna be a lot of 29ers flooding the market at dirt cheap prices as people try to offload their unsold stock/buyers remorse 2nd hand bikes and Specialised will be at the top of the heap for going all in so fast and deep!
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    Excellent. That should mean I can get a great deal on a Stumpjumper 29!
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,594
    29ers are for hippies! :p
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    Thewaylander wrote:
    29ers are for hippies! :p

    650's are for the undecided :wink:
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • Cqc
    Cqc Posts: 951
    26ers are the future
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,594
    Cqc wrote:
    26ers are the future
    they said 20 years ago sadly...
  • bigmitch41
    bigmitch41 Posts: 685
    arran77 wrote:
    Thewaylander wrote:
    29ers are for hippies! :p

    650's are for the undecided :wink:

    Lol, half rice/half chips...
    Paracyclist
    @Bigmitch_racing
    2010 Specialized Tricross (commuter)
    2014 Whyte T129-S
    2016 Specialized Tarmac Ultegra Di2
    Big Mitch - YouTube
  • poah
    poah Posts: 3,369
    kammybear wrote:
    650B is the future!


    only because its being forced on the consumer
    CCDB IL coil CS first impressions

    MTB Scotland youtube channel
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Looks like a 26er.
    GT ZASKAR CARBON TEAM

    VOODOO CANZO

    Come and see me at https://www.facebook.com/biketyke/
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    supersonic wrote:
    Looks like a 26er.

    Could you really see an inch difference anyway?
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • lawman
    lawman Posts: 6,868
    Having had a reasonable amount of time on all 3 wheelsizes, I think 650b is potentially the one I'd pick purely on performance. Sure some people won't notice the difference between 26" and 650b, but I noticed it holding speed a little easier and certainly rolled over things a little better and it definitely felt faster because of this. As an extremely rough guide, the 650b bike I rode (very similar to my own 26er in terms of travel, fork, general setup) was as quick on or within a second or two of my personal bike, despite worse trail conditions and not being entirely familiar with it. Hardly scientific I know but it's something! Handled pretty similar as well, certainly didn't have to adjust like you sometimes have to on a 29er. No doubt imo that 29ers are fastest of all, but I've yet to find one that's really been fun to ride. "Fun" in itself is pretty subjective of course, but I genuinely think it's the same as it's always been when buying new, try as many as you can and buy the one that fits your needs most, regardless of wheelsize. Think of the bike as a whole and don't get hung up on wheelsize and what you're told is the best, only you can decide that.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    supersonic wrote:
    Looks like a 26er.

    Could you really see an inch difference anyway?

    Apparently women can notice the difference :wink:
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    You can only tell which wheel size is best for you if you can ride the same model in all three wheel sizes.
    I have ridden a Giant Trance in all three sizes and would stick with 26" for the better steering and stability.
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • adamfo
    adamfo Posts: 763
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    You can only tell which wheel size is best for you if you can ride the same model in all three wheel sizes.
    I have ridden a Giant Trance in all three sizes and would stick with 26" for the better steering and stability.

    How can a smaller wheel have better stability ?

    Just yesterday I was watching someone wobbling up the road on a Moulton type bike thinking he would be better off on a standard wheeled bike.
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    Bigger wheels don't improve stability. They roll over bumps better.
    Big wheels also mean longer chain stays which makes them more difficult to manual and worse through rock gardens and off drops.
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • lawman
    lawman Posts: 6,868
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    Bigger wheels don't improve stability. They roll over bumps better.
    Big wheels also mean longer chain stays which makes them more difficult to manual and worse through rock gardens and off drops.

    Not entirely true. In principle yes, bigger wheels mean longer chainstays, but you can round that through clever design just as one example the Enduro 29 has 16.9" chainstays, which is shorter than a whole heap of 26" bikes, let alone 650b's... Sure there will be some bikes that conform to the stereotype of their wheelsize, but you've got to look at the bike as a whole before you make the assumption it's gonna ride blah blah blah.
  • coulddobetter
    coulddobetter Posts: 812
    I will stick with Betamax though struggling to find films

Categories