Written by: Shannon Boffeli
Photos by: Casey TempletonLast week MTBracenews.com reported that Monavie-Cannondale.com signed Jeremiah Bishop to their 2009 roster. That report included a photo of Jeremiah sitting on his team bike. While reviewing that photo we discovered Jeremiah's bike appears to have a larger diameter front wheel.
Jeremiah Bishop sporting the alleged big wheel up front
Monavie-Cannondale team director Matt Ohran did not confirm or deny using anything other than the standard 26 inch wheel on his team's Cannondale Scalpel race bikes and that the difference in wheel size may be an optical illusion created by Bishop turning his front wheel toward the camera. Bishop was not available for comment.
However, an unnamed source close to the epic racing team confirmed that the team has been experimenting with a 650B Stan's front wheel. A 650B wheel is larger than the traditional 26 inch wheel but smaller than a 29er hoop. The Monavie 650 wheel is being used with the traditional 110mm travel Cannondale Lefty SL fork with no need for modifications or travel limiters.
As for rubber, Kenda has produced a prototype Nevegal tire for use on the unique 650B rims.
While nobody outside the Monavie-Cannondale.com team has had an opportunity to ride the 650 configuration the potential benefits are clear. The larger front wheel carries all the reported advantages of a 29er set up including smoother rolling over bumps and dampened steering for increased control at high speeds. Combining the Scalpel with a larger diameter 650B front wheel would theoretically produce a bike with similar handling characterstics to the Trek 69er without the need for the modified frame geometry and increased fork weight of the Trek.
The smaller 650 wheel combined with the Lefty SL allows for a full 110mm of travel up front and significant weight savings both of which are advantages over current production 29er forks. The Lefty SL runs a svelte 2.55lbs and sports 110mm of travel in contrast to the Fox 32 F29 which is listed on the Fox web site at 3.78lbs for the 100mm travel model.
Now the big question is, "when will we see the 650B in a race?" Will Bishop be brave enough to use the radical setup at the Pro XCT opener in Fontana, California next weekend? Stay tuned to MTBracenews.com for the answer.
