DBR Axis tt 650b gravel conversion

novekili

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Well, after selling my Ritchey Swisscross I found I missed being free to move around Tuscan gravel roads (strade bianche) faster than with a MTB.

Having an Axis frame lying in the garage, I thought it would have been worth trying to convert it to a gravel bike. I had already had 26 inch drop bar rigs, and found them a tad stiff. Not liking 28 inch wheels on MTB, I decided to go 650b.

Finding light rims with a breaking surface was hard. It turned out, however, that the original Suntour owners set up this new company, SUNXCD, which build randonnee rims in 650b. A shop in Spain sold them at an affordable price, so I got a pair, lacing the hoops onto DT240s hubs.

The next hard thing was finding brakes with enough adjustability to reach the wider rim. Fortunately, some old vees I had fitted the bill. Tektro Vbrake levers were needed, too.

So, not too much to say: 10 speed modern SRAM XO gruppo (I know, the shifter is ugly), Middleburn chainset with a 39 Coda Magic ring, 1.95 vee rubber tubeless tyres, and lots of fun....
 

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The good thing is that the slim tyres do not alter the geometry. With 1.5 rubbers it doesn't change. With these ones only slightly.
 
Re:

I bought them in Spain...Or portugal, OI can't remember... they were about 45 Euros each, not bad. Pretty light too, and they look gorgeous. DT 240 black hubs are not the best choice, but my friend gave me the couple for 50Euros, what could I do?

BTW, one of the most fun bikes I've ever had.
 
Looks great. Amazed you managed to find some brakes that worked on the 650B rims -- mind you, I suppose there's only really a 25mm or so difference in diameter.

I've cycled the strada bianchi in Le Marche (around Tolentino) and loved it. Wish we had something similar here. Mostly so I could find an excuse for buying a 'Dale Slate with one of those Lefty forks!
 
The difference is minimal. XT almost get there. These fit without problems. They are generic vee found in Spesh kids bikes, which they probably use on different formats of wheels, hence the higherr adjustability. Paul will work for sure, and so Onzad, should one decide for canti brakes.

And yes, it's a blast to ride
 
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