I spoke with a rep from Carver Bikes about the newest new thang in big wheel bikes: the 650B. Of course Carver is known for their rad titanium framed 29ers and 96ers but they’re also coming out with a 650B bike (see pic).
650cm bike wheels have been around on the road for a while so the idea is not entirely new. The wheels are smaller than 29er wheels (700cm) but larger than a traditional 26″ mountain bike wheel.
The Carver rep also gave me a quick primer on the advantages of 96ers over full 29er bikes. By having a 26″ wheel on the back of the bike you still have the stiffness and strength you need in a rear wheel plus you don’t have to put as much effort into getting it rolling as you would with a 29″ rear wheel. I also found out you can use 26″ tire tubes in a pinch in wheels as large as 29″, good to know so you don’t have to carry two different spares with you on the trail.
Carver builds custom frames as well, check them out if you haven’t seen them before.
