650c tires & tubes

[VWAddict]

My son's rear tire popped the other day. 44cm frame 650c tires, bike basically unridden, stored in a ot Florida Garage for 8 years before we bought it.

Replaced the tube, then noticed that the tire has a split in the side, and the tube is expanding into it, so it's not safe to ride

I was surprised that the local bike shops don't carry ANY 650c tires as stock. -They'll order them for you, but it'll take a while... In the end I bought a couple online, at the suggestion of an LBS employee.

Why are these so hard to find? -Are they being phased out or something? -Should I be stocking up, or something? -I don't even want to keep either of the old tires as 'emergency' spares... I just don't trust them at that age/condition.

[MrMook]

There are a bunch of "forgotten" tire sizes, and that's one of them. Some gained favor in certain markets due to certain factors and regions, others were abandoned when availability of other sizes outweighed the specific advantages of the specific size.

Read up on the history and sizing schemes if you want to go dizzy: http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

As far as your situation, I wouldn't stock up unless the bike you're talking about is going to be ridden a lot. Sounds like, historically, it hasn't been, but its your call. A fresh set of tires could last many years on a barely-ridden cruiser. Maybe grab a few extra tubes though.

I have a vintage kids road bike (drop bars, gears, and all) that I offered to rebuild for a co-worker. The tires for this simply do not exist anymore unless I can find new-old-stock items on eBay.

[VWAddict]

Sounds good. -I think he could even use ludicrously-soft compounds and still never wear them out, since he's so light. I've read about triathlon adults at over twice his weight (and up to 3 times his weight) using 650c, so he shouldn't kill them.

Last year he probably rode about 600 miles total, and he'll probably grow up t within range of a small 700c frame in the next year or two, so your viewpoint makes a lot of sense to me... Just so long as he doesn't KILL a tire right before a race weekend!

What tire size are you unable to find? -My son's old bike uses 24" x 23mm tire sizes.

[vinividivici]

There are a bunch of "forgotten" tire sizes, and that's one of them. Some gained favor in certain markets due to certain factors and regions, others were abandoned when availability of other sizes outweighed the specific advantages of the specific size.

Read up on the history and sizing schemes if you want to go dizzy: http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

As far as your situation, I wouldn't stock up unless the bike you're talking about is going to be ridden a lot. Sounds like, historically, it hasn't been, but its your call. A fresh set of tires could last many years on a barely-ridden cruiser. Maybe grab a few extra tubes though.

I have a vintage kids road bike (drop bars, gears, and all) that I offered to rebuild for a co-worker. The tires for this simply do not exist anymore unless I can find new-old-stock items on eBay.

No sense stocking up. Some women's bicycle brands, like Terry, still (and will continue) to use 650c for a front wheel on tiny bikes.

A quick google of "terry bike tire" comes up with a couple options.

15 options here- http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...p?category=589

[J-Tim]

Another reason is that kids do tend to jump straight from a 24'' to 700 even if it's on a small frame.

Not many small ladies ride 650s either. I only know a couple and they aren't even at pro level.