Cotic Soul (2010) 650B convertion

[stinus]

Here is my new CX ride, an Cotic soul build whit 650B wheels

 

[stinus]

Frame: Cotic Soul

Fork: Fox (can some one name the model??)

Headset: BBB treadless
Stem: Thomson
Handlebar: TI 25.4 riser
Grips: No name lock-on

Brakes: Avid BB7 180mm
Brake Pads: Avid
Brake Cables: Clark
Brake Levers: Shimano XT

Shifters: Paul/SRAM 3V
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X.9
Derailleur Cables: Clarks
Cassette: Sram 10 speed 12-34
Chain: KMC Silver X10
Cranks: XT
Chainrings: 39T ( will be replaced soon whit a 34T)
Bottom Bracket: Raceface
Pedals: Plastic BMX platform

Rims: DT Swiss M480 650B
Hubs: SRAM X.7
Nipples: DT Swiss
Spokes: DT Swiss
Tyres: Schwalbe Rocket Ron 650B (54-584)
Tubes: Schwalbe 26"

Saddle: Specialized Phenom SL
Seatpost: Ritchey WCS

Will need to replace the chainring and mount a bash guard - might replace the headset too

 

[reanimation]

That's an interesting beast, how does it perform with bigger wheels? What size are the tyres, looks like still plenty clearance. Wonder what Cy would reckon.

Pondered 650ing my Bfe once or twice!

 

[stinus]

The tyres are 584x54mm or 27.5x2.1" the clearings is really good, much better than on many other mountain bikes whit the right size wheels on..

I only had it for a short test ride today, it feels really nice and it has the smoothness of 29" (622mm) but not that different to 26" (559mm) in handling - for me its way better than 29", i'm 183cm tall and 29" just feels to big - I will need to take it for a longer ride to really tell if 650B is the future...

(A strange thing: here in Denmark we use to call 584mm wheels fore 26x1 1/2, thy were normally used on older swedish bikes like Kronan or Monarch, 27" normally means 630mm wheels thats common on old racing bikes.. so here in denmark we got no less than four names for the same thing 27.5, 584, 650B and 26x1 1/2 great!)

 

[reanimation]

Yeah these various sizes are confusing!
thanks for info. I will be intersted in how you get on, there's not a lot of difference in 26" with big tyres over 650b even though the frame was designed for 26" it should still work and go fast with 2.1 tyres, in theory... Next test is fatter tyres!

 

[stinus]

The Soul and the BFe shares the same rear triangle, so try it out!

the Cotic's is designed to take 26x2.4 tires, maybe its possible to fit 650Bx2.25 but im not sure that i need bigger tires..

 

[stinus]

Here is some photos of the clearings:

 

[highlandsflyer]

Excellent!

 

[reanimation]

Yeah, I did have a 2.1 (26) on the rear for a while, and embarrassing amounts of clearance 2.35 at present and still loads! I'm running 150mm travel forks so its jacked up already, but with lower forks I'd be tempted to try this 650b business now I've seen your Soul set up. There's a can of worms in the wheel size and compatibility debate and those discussions can get bitchy! but hells I'd love to try it some time maybe. Looks to work for your set up there.

 

[KeepItSteel]

good job.

how does the higher bottom bracket affect handling?
are there any negative issues at all compared to the original handling on 26" wheels?