G
Gooserider
Guest
"Ozark Bicycle" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>>
> >
> Really? Do you recall the ca. 1984 Raleigh Portage, a 650B touring
> bike? This predates the high profile of 559, so, if anything, 650B made
> more sense then than it does now. And Raleigh was still a real force in
> the marketplace then, more than Riv, Kogswell, et al *combined* ever
> will be. The Portage was a flop, and the poor suckers who bought them
> were left in the lurch. IIRC, Schwinn tried to market 650B here, too.
> Another flop.
>
> My point is that people are going to be screwed over when Riv and the
> other niche trendies move on to the next hot niche market. And for what?
Yes, I remember the Portage. One bike does not a shot make. At it's prime,
Raleigh wasn't the marketing behemoth Trek is now. I don't understand your
negativity here. Also, there are plenty of people just doing 650B
conversions, which is an excellent way to add functionality to an old bike.
Will the size EVER reach 700c levels of acceptance? No. But there are plenty
of recumbent folks riding 20 inch wheeled bikes that take quite a bit of
searching to find replacement tires, too.
I don't see it as "niche trendiness". I see it as a solution to a problem,
albeit a small one. Perhaps I'm biased because I ride a small frame size and
deal with the shortcomings of 700c wheels all the time. The biggest one? Toe
clip overlap. I ride a Gunnar Sport, and it's a great bike. In the 52cm size
I ride, with fenders and 28c Ruffy Tuffys, I have persistent overlap. I
could buy a Surly LHT or Riv Atlantis with 26 inch wheels and solve it, but
650B is also an option.
Tires and rims will always be available. In the age of the Internet, there
will always be a seller offering them to meet a need. I don't know about
you, but I have to mail order tires anyway. What's the diff if I order from
Performance or Riv or even QBP? Those tires are quite prevalent in Europe
and Japan---and always have been. Portage owners who wanted tires could
always find them.
news:[email protected]...
>>
> >
> Really? Do you recall the ca. 1984 Raleigh Portage, a 650B touring
> bike? This predates the high profile of 559, so, if anything, 650B made
> more sense then than it does now. And Raleigh was still a real force in
> the marketplace then, more than Riv, Kogswell, et al *combined* ever
> will be. The Portage was a flop, and the poor suckers who bought them
> were left in the lurch. IIRC, Schwinn tried to market 650B here, too.
> Another flop.
>
> My point is that people are going to be screwed over when Riv and the
> other niche trendies move on to the next hot niche market. And for what?
Yes, I remember the Portage. One bike does not a shot make. At it's prime,
Raleigh wasn't the marketing behemoth Trek is now. I don't understand your
negativity here. Also, there are plenty of people just doing 650B
conversions, which is an excellent way to add functionality to an old bike.
Will the size EVER reach 700c levels of acceptance? No. But there are plenty
of recumbent folks riding 20 inch wheeled bikes that take quite a bit of
searching to find replacement tires, too.
I don't see it as "niche trendiness". I see it as a solution to a problem,
albeit a small one. Perhaps I'm biased because I ride a small frame size and
deal with the shortcomings of 700c wheels all the time. The biggest one? Toe
clip overlap. I ride a Gunnar Sport, and it's a great bike. In the 52cm size
I ride, with fenders and 28c Ruffy Tuffys, I have persistent overlap. I
could buy a Surly LHT or Riv Atlantis with 26 inch wheels and solve it, but
650B is also an option.
Tires and rims will always be available. In the age of the Internet, there
will always be a seller offering them to meet a need. I don't know about
you, but I have to mail order tires anyway. What's the diff if I order from
Performance or Riv or even QBP? Those tires are quite prevalent in Europe
and Japan---and always have been. Portage owners who wanted tires could
always find them.