I did something to my '88 Cannondale. cce sees it!

Re: I did something to my '88 Cannondale. Can you see it?

cce":wdis2kk3 said:
is that a 650B wheel on the front?


YES! We have a winner.

I needed more bar height to make the dirt drop work, and extending the stem more was a no-go. Cannondale made 26" front/24" rear wheeled bikes earlier in the 80s, so I figured a 27.5/26 combo would be a nice homage, and suit my purposes. This is a proof-of-concept first build, I'll be updating the bike...hopefully soon.

I swapped a fork from a completely destroyed '87 Cannondale that came up on local craigslist, which has roller cam/U brake mounts. A Suntour hubbed, Araya RM-20 (green label) 650b wheelset came up on ebay a couple years ago, I bought it for reasons I could not explain at the time! The AD-990 U-brake was on the rear, so I moved it to the front, then drilled new holes and re-shaped the caliper bodies so the pads and adjuster assembly could be moved up for proper wheel contact. I put a Suntour XC roller cam on the back, also common on Cannondale during the 80s'.

I didn't want to spring big $ for 27.5 tires that might not fit, so ebay provided cheapie (9$ shipped) Goodyears, and with fingers crossed I mounted them and...they fit!

The bike rides great, and it actually stops well in the front. I was worried, there isn't much leverage with such a short arm from the pivot. It's as least as good as the previous 'Force 40' cantilever and straddle setup that's on the '88.
 

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Re: I did something to my '88 Cannondale. Can you see it?

I was going to suggest a new fork - the front end all looks peculiar, but I hadn't noticed the 650b wheel.
 
Re: I did something to my '88 Cannondale. Can you see it?

Kell":1n3nybya said:
I was going to suggest a new fork - the front end all looks peculiar, but I hadn't noticed the 650b wheel.


You were in the ballpark, so to speak. I'm not completely convinced the fork on there isn't bent back toward the down tube slightly. I was so focused on getting the whole thing to work correctly I never really checked the fork, and the donor bike was in rough shape, left outside for years. I have to pull it all apart again anyway, I'll get a good look then.

Now that I know it will work....anyone know who sells a skinwall 26" and 27.5" tires of the same model, or at least brand? There seem to be more skinwall choices in the EU/UK.
 
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