My first tubeless set up. Used Finish Line’s new sealant with Kevlar particles. Slight adjustment of brakes and high setting of derailleur only things needed to mix and match Shimano with SRAM. The freewheel of the XTR hub sounds like a watch movement. Love the cushioning of the Terrene Elwood 650x47 tires. Ample clearance with fork and frame. Shimano XTR WH-M9000-TL 27.5 650b wheelset with Shimano XT M8000 11-speed cassette 11-42T and Shimano RT81 160mm rotors.
Thanks for sharing your Roker 650b setup. I've been running a set of 700x40 Elwoods on my Roker and I think they're great tires. Have you measured the actual width of the tires? My Elwoods are 42-43mm (on 23mm ID rims).
If it's anything like mountain biking tubeless, you'll love being tubeless. No more pinch flats and most punctures will be solved by the sealant. Just be sure to add a little bit of sealant now and then.
They are not carbon exactly, they are an aluminum carbon sandwich. They are quite narrow and also the hub config is not adjustable in any way. So a typical shimano wheelset.
If they fit your needs they are awesome, but they are what they are. For $500 a decent deal.
I built up some WTB i23s+revo spokes+DT Swiss 350s for pretty much the same price and weight.
Yes, when I bought this wheelset via Velomine a month ago, they were only $349 plus shipping. I saw that they were as low as $299 last year on the same site. Now the price is up to $499. At $349, I thought it was worth it to try out 650b and tubeless. I have noticed better acceleration on uphills, but of course the momentum vs the stock Novatec 700c wheels with X’Plor MSO 40mm tires they replaced isn't there on long flats. I'm looking forward to testing out the much bigger volume tires on singletrack and fire roads.
I find the rocker to have a very low BB. Have you had any issues pedal striking when riding trails since when switch? I've been looking at making the same change.
Gravel wrote:I find the rocker to have a very low BB. Have you had any issues pedal striking when riding trails since when switch? I've been looking at making the same change.
When I got my Roker I considered trying 650b, but after about 8000 miles I can't think of a good reason to make the switch. In my mind the greatest benefit of 650b is to run wider tires, but the Roker already has clearance for wide 700c tires. Rear will fit up to 48mm and front will fit up to 50mm. I'm currently running a 52mm Thunder Burt in the front and love it, but clearance is pretty tight. In addition to the obvious cushion, traction and rollover benefits, big 700c tires will also increase the BB height a little bit. With a mullet setup (e.g. 50mm front and 40mm rear) you'll also get slacker head angle.
Unless you already have a 650b/27.5 wheelset, I'd save some money and experiment with wider 700c tires.
Squak! This is such a helpful comment. I'm all in for big wheels and big tires. I loved my fat bike set up with 29+ tires in dirt season and I prefer larger wheels with larger tires. I've been holding back on buying the Oracle Ridge by Rene Herse because I was worried the 700x48mm wouldn't fit. I have been running the Hurricane Ridge by Rene Herse at 700x42 and have loved those but need a bit more float when the going gets sandy.
Gravel wrote:Squak! This is such a helpful comment. I'm all in for big wheels and big tires. I loved my fat bike set up with 29+ tires in dirt season and I prefer larger wheels with larger tires. I've been holding back on buying the Oracle Ridge by Rene Herse because I was worried the 700x48mm wouldn't fit. I have been running the Hurricane Ridge by Rene Herse at 700x42 and have loved those but need a bit more float when the going gets sandy.
Thank you!
I should add that I live in the PNW where the weather is crappy 7 months of the year, but our gravel roads don't turn to mud when it rains and the mud we do have is generally not sticky so I don't worry too much about tire clearance. 48mm in the rear may only have 3-4mm of clearance so if you're unsure about the actual width of the Oracle Ridge maybe start with one tire as a test. If it's closer than you like in the rear, use it in the front and stick with the Hurricane Ridge in the back.
I run a Roker after seeing one featured on here a way back.
I have been deliberating if I need to try and find a frame with bigger clearance as I too am wanting to fit wider tyres. I have a fully rigid Intense Hard Eddie that runs on Thunder Burts and it is so comfy on the rough stuff. Sadly, that bike is no more as the rear IS mounts have just sheered off the frame and I can't find anyone to repair it.
I trial fitted some Maxxis Beaver 29x2.0" last night. Front fits, but I get some toe overlap (size 46 shoe). Rear rubs on chainstays.
So, it sounds like I should not give up though, and maybe look at Oracle Ridges....(big fan of Rene Herse already).....
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real nice.![[smile]](https://cdn.websitetoolbox.com/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif "Smile - :)")