I just bought a new bike, and all three of the bikes I was looking at had 650's as a requirement for people a smidge shorter than me (frames < 52 cm). I don't think they're dead, just reserved for short folk.

Never! The 650s will never die, they will ris eonce again to conquer all courses... in fact aren't the vast majority of IM (incl Kona) bike split records set on 650s?

Small folks unite and conquer-

Weeman

I think they almost are for anybody riding a frame above 51 cm. The 52-54cm frame size can go either way, but it appears that 700c is what most people are chosing. Having said that I ride a 650c 54 P2K, but that size is now only available in 700. Not many manufacturers are making mid size 650c bikes any more.

Anything above a 54/56 frame should only go 700c. Those 61 cm 650c "circus bikes" looked absolutely ridiculous..

I'm still hangin' onto my 56cm Cervelo P2 w/ 650 wheels...best bike I've owned (and I've gone through a bunch)

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"that which does not destroy me will only make me stronger" Frederick Nietzsche
andrew peabody
http://BREAKAWAYMULTISPORT.COM

As long as there are short statured riders, 650's are here to stay. Otherwise, get real comfortable with excessive toe overlap. :-)

I'm 6 ft. tall and have a 56cm Wheeler Titanium tri bike with 650 wheels. I had it out for the first time this year last Wednesday and did my "around the bay" 65k loop 12 minutes faster than I was last time on my road bike. I love 650 wheels and although the wisdom of the day says that they're only for shorter riders I glad I got mine when the trend was for little wheels on larger bikes :) Many small frames and some big manufacturers women's specific designs use 650s so they'll remain but the tires and tubes might not be as readily available or as cheap as the 700s.

It ain't the wheels you gotta worry about. It's finding your favorite tire in that size that is hard to find...

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"Yeah you point a finger back far enough and some germ gets blamed for splitting in two."

Colonel Saul Tigh from Battlestar Galactica

i agree with the others. 650 tyres may get more difficult to find, and you may have to pay a premium, but they won't go away all together. barring something very bad happening, i'm taking my kestrel km40 airfoil to the grave with me (56cm with 650 wheels). nashbar is not the place to buy 650 tyres anyway. go to www.biketiresdirect.com.

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"I'm happy when life's good,
and when it's bad I cry.
I've got values but I don't know how or why."
- The Who