>>1483092Suppose some retard *cough* wanted to build up a 650b x 38mm single speed. Any frames you guys would recommend?
The only bike I'm even aware of that can do it easily is the Surly Pack Rat, the larger frames are built for 650b right out of the box, can take up to 48mm tires, and have semi horizontal dropouts for easy single speed installation.
But are there others that would be suitable? I've run the numbers and I'm not really comfortable converting most 700c bikes to 650b. By my math a Surly Pack Rat with 650b x 38 tires has about 4.13 inches between the bottom of a pedal at the 6:00 position and the ground. Not bad at all, seems pretty standard. But if you convert something like a Surly Steamroller into 650b x 38mm then there's only 3.54 inches between the bottom of the pedal at the 6:00 position and the ground. I'm not an aggressive rider but that still seems unsafe to me. Note: Those numbers aren't even counting tire deformation, you can probably subtract several mm from the clearance when you're actually on the bike.
The only downside of the Pack Rat is it's a one trick pony, it's built for carrying front loads, and it will behave a little squirrely if you don't have a load up front. So, if i got one I guess I'd join the randonneur club and put a fat rando bag up front.
