BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Seven Cycles has welcomed the renewed hype surrounding the 650b wheel size, which on the back of Nino Schurter’s surprise World Cup win, has the industry discussing the perks of a ‘middle ground’ between 26 and 29-inch wheels.
Seven Cycles founder Rob Vandermark said: “I started out racing mountain bikes, so having fun on the trail is a core value here at Seven and we are always exploring the possibilities of technologies new and old. 650b is actually an old standard, and one we have had in our design palette for a long time. It is very cool to see it emerging in the market and bringing riders a new trail experience.”
As the 29er has become more prolific in recent years, many manufacturers ditched the standard completely, but bespoke bike builder Seven stands by the size, telling BikeBiz "Several Seven employees are riding 650b for their everyday trail bike and have taken time to understand this wheel size’s unique characteristics in both geared and, more recently, single-speed set ups. These bikes give a very pure trail experience. There is a lot of stripped down, old-school fun to be had on bikes like these."
Seven Cycles recently revealed that it is seeking retail partners in the UK.
The off road industry certainly seems to be showing curiosity once again. BikeBiz would be interested to hear your thoughts on 650b vs 26/29-inch in the comments below.
