What's up?!
My last post about hydraulic vs. mechanical disc brakes did stir this sub quite a bit, at least a lot of comments were made that gave me a good idea of the entire topic and also helped me to decide.
Anyway, I am still waiting for my 2026 Kepler to arrive. So now I am bugging myself with theory a lot, as of yet, it is wheel building.
Front hub will most likely be a SON dyno hub, so that's an easy one. I have not decided on a rear hub just yet, still looking into options (although it isn't the main topic, recommendations are welcome. Must be disc ready, feature a 11spd freehub body, 36 holes and 142mm thru-axle compatibility).
So what I have definitely not yet decided is what size of rim I wanna go with; 28" or 27,5"?
Currently I always tour with my partner who runs 28" wheels and it would be easier to carry tubes that fit both of our bikes. But other than that, I wonder what size I am gonna go with.
My current build is running a 37-622 setup (can't go wider than that) so ANY wider set of tires would improve the situation already but since the Kepler does feature disc brakes, why not consider even wider options by going 27,5?
So yeah, what are your long term experiences and preferences? I am looking into a build that will take me to all of Europe, North Africa, Asia, Middle East, and so on…
*pic related, nuclear power plant casually manifesting itself into the French countryside
by stasigoreng
3 Comments
[https://www.brothercycles.com/shop/frames/kepler-2026/](https://www.brothercycles.com/shop/frames/kepler-2026/)
This bike?
Looks like limit is 700c x 45 or 650b x 48
3mm isn’t enough of a notable difference IMO, I’d just go 700c. It’s the more common size for spares/repairs.
The whole 650b vs 700c thing assumes that you are gaining massive tire clearance by going to a smaller wheel diameter. In older bikes this was the trade off. Many newer bikes are designed with a bit of a wider tire clearance in mind these days and you will find not much of a difference in the tire width. The idea is that you can force a 650b wheel with much wider tires to have the same outer diameter as a 700c wheel with much skinnier tires so that there was essentially “no loss in diameter”.
If you are only going to gain 3 mm of width, you are basically just deciding between a larger and a smaller diameter for which the only real decision maker should be your actual size. If the bike is designed for 700c and it matches your fit description, the 650b tires might put that out of wack and will definitely drop your bottom bracket height. 650b is still popular for those with older bikes who need the gain in tire clearance and also those who are on the shorter side of things and are riding smaller frames that are designed with 650b in mind.
Tire size isn’t what I’d be thinking about here when choosing between 650b and 700c in terms of touring. The difference you’ll see there is minimal, but it is MUCH harder to get 650b parts in more remote parts of the world, which it seems like you’ll be traveling to.
Realistically, I’d go with 26″ if you have the choice. Still my go to touring wheel size for anything outside the US and Europe. Outside of part availability being better in remote places, the smaller wheel size makes a noticeable difference when climbing while fully loaded and accelerating from a stop also feels noticeably easier. Also better for off-road riding.
TLDR: Don’t go with 650b if you’re touring outside of Europe and the US, and if you have the choice, go with 26″. Otherwise, 700c will do the job just fine.