Francophile boy, whatcha lookin' at?
650B wheelset for my sled. I've got this plan in the works...a super nifty invention. It's called the Kinda Quick Change. It came into my head a long time ago, when I had my Rambouillet. I had downtube shifters on that bike...modolo kronos actually. I still have them. They're still attached to the cables and housing. When I sold the frame (to my friend cause I had a front end crash and my wife wouldn't let me ride a damaged frame with the baby on the way...the friend promised to get it fixed...) so when I sold the frame I just took everything off without taking the cables off or undoing everything. I just popped the stem out, took the wheels off, broke the chain, unscrewed the derailleurs and shifters from their perches. What I essentially had was a Rambouillet 60cm build kit sitting in a small box. That's when I figured out, I had invented the Kinda Quick Change.
Here's how it works:
You start with your expensive road bike and all your spare parts. You end up with 2 completely different yet exceptional bicycles for the price of less than 2 exceptional bikes. You can't ride them both at the same time, but heck, you aren't two people at the same time, are you!? Here's the nitty gritty...
1. Get your favorite road racing bike. Outfit it for racing or however you normally ride it with 700c wheels, STI/Ergo, Carbon bars and stem, etc. Please do yourself a favor and install a 110 BCD crank or 110/74 BCD triple. You'll love me tomorrow and you'll like the weight savings now.
2. Order a set of 650B wheels and tires and tubes. Go here to order. Tires here.
3. Order the largest cassette that will work with your rear derailleur. Get that anywhere.
4. Get a set of derailleurs that will work with both A) your frame, B) your shifters, C) your dreamy gearing for riding the back roads. If you've got downtube bosses, for CRSakes, get downtube shifters. It's all gonna be cheaper and better that way anyway. I'm hoping you took my advice up at 1. and got yourself a sensible 50x36 or some such gearing. Not that it matters, but I use and love my 48x34. Anyway, mount that new cassette on your 650B wheelset. Get a chain that will work with your new gearing.
5. Buy a stem, handlebars, and brake levers (or Ergo/STI levers if you need'em.) Buy yourself some centerpull brakes. Get them here. Get a set of cable hangers while you're at it.
6. Put your bike in the work stand. Get a 5mm and a 6mm allen wrench. Take off nearly everything nailed down on your bike, but don't undo any cables. This includes 1. The brakes 2. The derailleurs. 3. The stem (with handlebars and possiblybrake levers/shifters, cables, housing, brakes, derailleurs attached.) 4. Break the chain, heck invest in a quicklink.
7. Mount up the new stuff. Adjust everything. Get some fenders while you're at it. Nice ones. They'll fit. Don't worry.
8. Go for a ride in the woods. Jeep trails, not Northshore. Enjoy your bike like you've never enjoyed it before.
9. When the fashion suits you, repeat set 6 and 7. Pull a switcheroo on your buddies, on your signif other, or just do it monthly. The shifting should stay pretty much the same. Thank goodness for split cable stops. Not every bike has them, I know, but most do and you'll be thankful.
I'll go over this again when I get prices all together. I swear, this could be a huge deal.
