650b Or 700c Wheels For Gravel Cycling?

[@A_AAA232]

cheers Dave, well explained, 700C = fast, 650B= fun... my gravel bike is 700C 40mm, does me fine on road and tracks, for gnarly stuff and trails - I take the MTB (29er, 2.4") ...even more fun!! nice to see the cat popping up :)

[@DaveNoakes]

Thank you. I do love a bit of mtb fun.

[@321bytor]

The only 'gravel' we have in the UK is on the drives of stately homes. I have those Senderos on 650b wheels on a Ragley Trig.

[@DaveNoakes]

😂😂😂

[@kevp68]

700 x 37 for road snd 650 x 47 for off road. I find the 650bs make the bike more agile. Dirt where I live in cyprus can be quite gnarly

[@DaveNoakes]

Sounds ideal. 650s really do make the bike more agile. Enjoy the miles 👌🏼

[@frankducett9]

Dave, all well said. I learn something everytime I watch a video from you. Almost.

[@DaveNoakes]

😂thank you

[@ZenEndurance]

Sometimes I’ll run a 650 in the rear so I can go up to a fatter tire. I’ll keep the front at 700 because I have a wide fork and can run up to a 50mm tire. It turns your geometry a little more MTB-ish but that’s often an advantage too. My point is check your fork - you might only need to run a 650 on the rear to go way up in tire size.

[@DaveNoakes]

I can get a huge tyre in the fork, I have been thinking about trying this out.

[@stevenr5149]

Appreciate the thoughtful comments for smaller riders. Wheel flop is worse as well. (wheel flop is exaggerated for smaller riders). At 5'2" my 650B wheels are a dream come true-even on roads and packed dirt. Slower? When I put Rene Herse Baqbyshoe Pass 42mm slicks on my noble 650B wheels, I feel like I am flying. More than fast enough.

[@Ecoroof1986]

I have those wheels on my Stayer Groadinger UG in 650B (50mm) which are brilliant. I'd love to try a set of 700s on it though.

[@DaveNoakes]

Ohhh what a nice build you have!

[@lfate8017]

Very informative, thank you.

[@DaveNoakes]

🙏🏽🙏🏽 thank you

[@adinglis4638]

"We don't want to ride Mountain bikes, we want to ride Gravel Bikes!" Hell yeah haha

[@DaveNoakes]

We do

[@thrawed]

650b would have been a good choice a few years ago but few and fewer brands are bringing out their gravel models in 650b variants nowadays.

[@DaveNoakes]

Whilst I still love 650, 700 is my current go to

[@pierrehenri2297]

I have a 700 wheel set with Panaracer gravel king sk 43. Love them! May be one day i’ll save some money and get 650’s for fun stuff! 🤘🏼

[@DaveNoakes]

Sounds like a great set up

[@RickWolffTV]

Awesome! Answered all of my questions, and even those I didn't know I had. Thank you. (hello, kitty)

[@DaveNoakes]

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@theskiesandme]

Good to know, thank you. 700 for me.

[@DaveNoakes]

Welcome!

[@siracarner6583]

Despues de usar un tiempo ruedas de 650B en mi gravel, para viajar y salidas por el campo, monte las ruedas originales de 700 para ver la diferencia y sensaciones…….. No necesite llegar al campo para desear volver a cambiar a 650B!!! Con las 650B voy mucho mas comodo y agil con diferencia. En las 650B llevo las wtb Sandero, y con las 700 las wtb Raddler. Mi preferència quedo clara, no?

[@DaveNoakes]

👍🏼👍🏼

[@Charlieturnerv]

I was told because I am a short ass riding a 29" would be a pain in the ass.

[@DaveNoakes]

Depends on the frame geo…but on a gravel bike I’d deffo say look at 650. How short is a short ass?

[@Charlieturnerv]

@@DaveNoakes oh I am 5"7 .

[@kurtkroemer-s5f]

I'm 5"7 i ride a Ritchey Outback (XS)with 700x40C (40-622) wheels an a Bombtrack Beyond 2 (S) 27,5x1.90 (650B) (48-584). And i think Dave described the difference between the wheel sizes really good.I guess why some people recommend 650B for small riders is Standover Height. You want enough clearance between your crotch and upper tube if you get off the bike in rough terrain. If you put 700C wheels in a bike that comes with 650B you add about 25-30mm to Standover Height. Good idea to check the bike frame geometry for Standover Height and measure your Inside Leg length. I think frames with sloped upper tubes are best for small riders, because of their lower standover height. Maybe you should visit your local bike shop and make a test ride or ask riders who have same body size as you for a short test ride with their bike. A lot of frames can be equipped with 700C or 650B.

[@olegpetelevitch4443]

@@kurtkroemer-s5f That's my problem my stand over has only 2 centimeters from top tube standing ! If ,I put 29 I can not touch ground or got tube up my !

[@watertankhikes]

Given the same model and width of tyre, a 650b wheelset will drop your bottom bracket by 19mm over a 700c wheelset.

[@DaveNoakes]

Oh that’s a fair bit

[@watertankhikes]

I just watched your 13 February 2023 video prior to this video, and you just did a complete flip on your preferred wheel size. The previous video title says it all: "Why 650b Wheels Are Better For Gravel". And on this video at 8:50 you now say you prefer 700c. Did you change sponsors or something? Or did you come to a different conclusion on your own?

[@DaveNoakes]

I just flip flop between the 2 😂

[@michaelviglianco6121]

650b are rougly same size as 700x32s. That logic came from before the high clearance proper gravel bikes when people were converting frames with much less tire clearance

[@DaveNoakes]

Very good point…I think because this is what company’s kept pushing when 650s first came on the scene it’s my default comparison…nowadays 700c tyres are much larger.

[@ribblevalleycyclist]

Typo in your thumbnail fella 👍

[@DaveNoakes]

🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@prescottdirtmerchant7996]

Both wheel sizes have their merits, but the division I've observed is as gravel "racing" has grown and many dusty roadie/racer types have been crossing over, they generally ride 700c, basically road bikes for dirt roads, while for the most part the O.G. gravel/adventure riders seem to prefer mtb with drop bar style bikes on wider 650b's, as they will be taking the path less traveled, hitting rougher roads and exploring some singletrack. Many boutique brands and custom builder's make bikes for these riders, whereas the big brands typically lean towards the larger hoops.

[@DaveNoakes]

Absolutely spot on

[@Michael-s5i5j]

26

[@DaveNoakes]

Was waiting for this…26 is only good for dirt jumps

[@olegpetelevitch4443]

650B ! To tall for me ,I just make over tope tube standing !

[@DaveNoakes]

👍🏼👍🏼

[@frankducett9]

Three Thumbs up. One is not enough.

[@DaveNoakes]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 thank you

[@bubblesezblonde]

700 for me.......hey what is the new kitty's name again>?

[@DaveNoakes]

Same here. Kiddo named her Baby

[@fentuz]

I race cx in 700c and may ride wide with 33-622 or 38-622 but, gravel racing/XC racing 650b all the way with 50-584 or52-584 mtb tyres And 180mm disc front and 160 rear per hope recommendation

[@DaveNoakes]

👌🏼👌🏼

[@MrROBERTLEWIS]

Actually 700c is less stiff, owing to the longer spokes.

[@DaveNoakes]

That’s what I said…650 stiffer wheel/softer tyre. 700 less stiff wheel/harder tyre.