650b Pacenti
At 5 ft 6 inches tall, I’ve been real interested in the whole 650b thing.
So I got to ride a demo “Pacenti” 650b steel frame this past weekend. One of the guys I ride with got the 650 demo from Kirk Pacenti of Bikelugs.com. Kirk also supplied a White Brothers 650 fork too. Upon mounting the bike I felt like it had been built for me. Considering my riding buddy and I are practically the same height and same build, I wasn’t surprised that I felt comfortable on it from the first spin of the cranks. Within a couple of miles I had gotten use to the handling of a different frame, wheel size, touchy hydraulic brakes (I use mechanical) and from that point on I had a blast!!!
The 650b demo cornered great, it accelerated fast, climbed great, snaked through tight technical spots, I could flick it around with ease - like I did with my old 26er frames, the front wheel didn’t dive on ledges like those larger wheels.
The Pacenti steel frame was unbelievable! The frame reacted perfectly to every action I made and I felt one with the bike. Considering this is a demo bike, I was really impressed with how great it felt to me and how quickly I felt more at home on it, than my own bike that I have setup for myself. The steel felt lively, active and was more pleasurable to ride than my aluminum frame. Combined with the 650b wheelset, the bike railed through corners faster, tighter and accelerated out of the corners so fast that it was like I was a kid riding the Himalaya Carnival Ride at the beach. With a giant Grit-Eatin Grin I just couldn’t get enough of this bike and the 650b wheels.
The White Brothers Fork hooked up great too! At no time did I notice any lateral flex in the fork, it held my lines perfectly. My buddy had the fork set a little stiffer on the compression that I normally prefer, but regardless it performed perfectly and I would definitely get a White Brother’s fork for my 650b I plan to build.
The Neo Moto & Quasi Moto 650b tires hooked up great and never once did they break traction in a corner. It’s hard for me to say if the wheels seemed so fast because of the tires or the 650b wheels, because I have nothing to compare them to. I got to ride a demo 650b and it was the first 650b I’ve ever ridden. But I can compare the Neo Moto & Quasi Moto tires to past experiences from other tires on 26″ and 29″bikes and the Neo Moto & Quasi Moto performed great, tracked perfectly, had great traction on hard packed earth in slightly sandy corners and climbed over roots and rocks without spinning from loose of traction.
I wish I had only had more time on the demo. Considering how perfect of a ride the bike was, I can’t even image how much better it would have been if I had my preferred saddle, shifters and fork air pressure set. The Pacenti frame and 650b wheels are rolling perfection!
All in all this is the best riding bike and wheel size I’ve even been on. I told my buddy, “If Kirk was here and I could convince him… I’d trade him bike for bike”. The Neo Moto & Quasi Moto tires hooked up great too! Never once did they break traction and I was taking lines I normally avoid on my 29er. Yea a 29er can roll over stuff, but my 29ers are not nearly as nimble through the tight technical local trails as the Pacenti 650b demo bike I was riding.
After a 10 mile loop I knew I had to have one… I’m sold on 650b wheels. When I got back home from the ride I tore down one of my 29ers. Time to sell off some parts for my 650b.
The bike build:
Pacenti Custom Steel 650b frame
Pacenti Neo Moto tire on front wheel
Pacenti Quasi Moto tire on rear wheel
White Bros 650b Fork
DT Swiss 240 hubs
Stans ZTR 355 rims
DT Swiss double butted spokes
King Headset
SRAM X rear D
Time peddles
Follow Up, Second ride on the demo
Quote “I wish I had only had more time on the demo.”
Well my wish came true today, and I got the opportunity to ride the Pacenti 650b Demo bike for about half a loop at a local trail called “Poplar Tent”. With hair-pin turns as tight as a bike is long, scattered rock gardens you can launch from or snake through, washed out ruts that will suck your wheel and throw off your line, multiple log obstacles and then there’s the Gravity Cavity… there’s plenty of stuff to prove a bike’s handling capabilities!
I had my 29er with me and that’s what I rode for most of the ride. My buddy had the Pacenti 650b demo. It was a perfect day, the trails where slightly tacky from a rain two days ago, the sky was a perfect blue and the temperature was cool. We hit the trail at 9:30AM. From the very start of the ride, I found myself constantly having to get out of the saddle to build up momentum just to stay on my buddy’s rear wheel. At every corner he walked away from me because he could navigate the turn faster, tighter and accelerate out of the corner faster than I on my 29er. Every climb we came to was practically the same situation, he could spin up the 650b wheels faster and leave me with ease. In order to stay with my buddy I was constantly out of the saddle and hammering just to keep my momentum up on this tight technical trail.
Eventually he asked me if I wanted to ride the 650b… I didn’t hesitate! Spinning up the wheels I quickly put some distance between us and I got to drop the hammer on him for a change. The 650b snaked through the every tight little nook and cranny of Poplar Tent with ease and shot out of the corners like a rocket. It navigated every log crossing and rock garden better than my 29er and I got to have more fun flicking the bike around and off the various trail obstacles.
Eventually he wanted the demo back and I found myself playing catch up for most of the ride. The only time I could stay on his wheel without having to spend more energy than him was on the straighter sections of the trail, but those are few and far between at Poplar Tent.
Poplar Tent was also a great location to ride to get the full experience of riding a steel frame too. It was unbelievable and my next frame will most definitely be a steel frame. I’ve been riding aluminum frames for the past 12 years out of 17 years of riding. I really dig the bikes I have and have had over the years, but the feeling of riding a great designed bike with premium tubing was truly remarkable and I just can’t get around it…
I must have steel!
I must have a 650b!
I must have a Pacenti designed frame!
(4 votes, average: 6.25 out of 7)
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