FlyingLaZBoy
Moderator
'16 ICE SprintX fs, '16 Rocket, '12 KHS Mocha
Posts: 5803
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One reason I'm asking this is from a "bike versatility" standpoint. When I had the Proto XStream, I tried to change the rear (650) tire from a 23mm to a 28mm, and there wasn't enough frame clearance -- it rubbed against the back end of the main frame tube. This prompted an immediate discussion with Randy, and he did a "running change" on the frame design to increase the clearance to accept wider tires. However, I think the widest tire you can even obtain in 650 is the 28mm, and I'm not sure if you can retrofit the brakes and fit a 700 on the back or not on the production XStream -- granted, you would lose additional recline angle due to reduced seatback clearance, again. But, given the ~65:35 (or worse) weight distribution on bikes like the SXP, V3, and XStream, it just seems like having the ability to have tires wider than 28mm on the back makes good sense. I've read various things about how 650 was brought out to help shorter riders and women -- but why are recumbent companies designing for 650s while not leaving room for an easy change to 700s? Granted, I'm sure there are issues like brake tabs, etc. involved that I don't know the specifics of.
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