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Thread: Santa Cruz Engineer on 650B

  1. #26
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    Anyways...

    The 650b wheel is being touted as a good compromise between the 26 and 29 inch wheels. For some people, the 29er may be too much wheel and the 26er not quite enough. Having ridden fat for several months now, I can honestly say the 26er is far too small of a wheel for me. I've gotten used to being able to roll over things with minimal effort due to the conservation of momentum that the large and heavy wheel provides. Indeed it is harder to get going, but that also means it's harder to stop!

    In situations where you need to stop and go repetitively, the 29er wheel may be at a disadvantage to the 26er wheel since the rider will expend more energy powering that wheel back up to speed. Throw in some technical features like logs or rocks and the 29er will plow through while the 26er throws the rider over the bars. From a TECHNICAL standpoint, the 650b wheel size makes sense as a compromise between the 26er and 29er wheel sizes.

    Having watched the highlights from the 2012 UCI XC race at Pietermaritzburg several times, I can honestly say that Nino Schurter does a helluva good job making that 650b prototype look good. The guy gets sideways in a rock garden for crying out loud. To the aspiring XC racer, this gives the impression that the bike inspires confidence and that's what a lot of people are looking for. Gotta give credit to Scott and Schurter since they achieved what they set out to do.

    Disclaimer: I am in no way trying to state in this post that the 650b wheel is or will be the ultimate be-all-end-all wheel standard (that would be the fat wheel/tire combo ). I am simply trying to compare the wheel standards objectively. As usual, personal preference is key and ride what you like etc etc.

  2. #27
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    26'er cuz its old school.

  3. #28
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    My old van has 16 inch wheels on it, and i just know the rolling resistance is too much- prolly why gas mileage isn't up to par with the new ones. I looked at vans with 20's one'em, but the spin weight on those is so heavy, it just takes too much to accellerate, causing mileage to suffer.

    So I bought a van with 18 inch wheels. perfect.

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!

    This is all funny, but I gotta go ride...

    Believe in yourself? Well sure, of course. But be aware that "believing in myself" has been the root cause of most of my injuries.
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  4. #29
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    Perhaps Mielke and I are the only ones who looked at this quote for what it was: a humorous statement by an bicycle manufacturing engineer venting his frustration with the demands of fickle consumers. Leave it to the zealot masses to turn it into armor for a holy war campaign to support their claims of wheel superiority.

  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by mcwrath View Post
    Perhaps Mielke and I are the only ones who looked at this quote for what it was: a humorous statement by an bicycle manufacturing engineer venting his frustration with the demands of fickle consumers....
    THANK YOU!!!

    "ya, well...that's like...your...opinion. man."

  6. #31
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    Naaah- Mielke is a 29er fanboy, so whenever he starts bashing other wheel sizes I try to poke him in the eye with a stick...

    I asked if he had any vans I should look at, and no kidding, he told me all his vans were 29ers so i wouldn't want them! Dood, we've been having fun with this for years- it's all good. Forum stuff reads harsher than it realy is..

    Believe in yourself? Well sure, of course. But be aware that "believing in myself" has been the root cause of most of my injuries.
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    "I feel sorry for people who don't do this." -Badfish41- after bombing the Hermosa's at Levis Trow.

  7. #32
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    I didn't bash another wheel size, the dude from Santa Cruz did.
    "ya, well...that's like...your...opinion. man."

  8. #33
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    Pffffft.

    Believe in yourself? Well sure, of course. But be aware that "believing in myself" has been the root cause of most of my injuries.
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    "I feel sorry for people who don't do this." -Badfish41- after bombing the Hermosa's at Levis Trow.

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vibrato View Post
    Pffffft.
    that's greeeeaaaat.
    "ya, well...that's like...your...opinion. man."

  10. #35
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    whoops...

  11. #36
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    I have to admit- I giggle every time I open this thread!

    I'm thinkin about buying a 24" wheeled dirt jumper. DOH!!

    Believe in yourself? Well sure, of course. But be aware that "believing in myself" has been the root cause of most of my injuries.
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    "I feel sorry for people who don't do this." -Badfish41- after bombing the Hermosa's at Levis Trow.

  12. #37
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    You mean to tell me that some one might miss read something you posted on this forum, NO!
    Quote Originally Posted by jimithng23 View Post
    THANK YOU!!!

    "I've spent half of my life riding a bike, the other half I wasted!"

  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by chief illiniwek View Post
    you mean to tell me that some one might miss read something you posted on this forum, no!
    BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!!

    Believe in yourself? Well sure, of course. But be aware that "believing in myself" has been the root cause of most of my injuries.
    To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

    "I feel sorry for people who don't do this." -Badfish41- after bombing the Hermosa's at Levis Trow.

  14. #39
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    Believe in yourself? Well sure, of course. But be aware that "believing in myself" has been the root cause of most of my injuries.
    To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

    "I feel sorry for people who don't do this." -Badfish41- after bombing the Hermosa's at Levis Trow.

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