650B Retrofitting Benefits

[Zen]

is there any reason I can't do this?
would it make a marked difference?
Right now I'm having a hlluva time mounting and dismounting my bike. It is quite the show and one of the reasons I'm not exactly thrilled with the Pilot.
According to this article by Sheldon it can be of benefit to short people.

[divingbiker]

I don't know if you can do it or not, but if you can, I've got a set of these tires you can have. (They sent these instead of the plain sidewall tires I ordered, so they sent me the correct set and let me keep the wrong ones.)

[DebW]

The only issue is whether your brakes have enough reach.

[Triskeliongirl]

If the brakes don't have enough reach, they can be simply swaped them out for longer reach calipers. Of course this would require purchasing new brakes, but if it lets you be more comfy on your bike it would be worth it. I know shimano makes a long reach side pull brake that is often used on touring bikes since they also give more room for wider tires. In fact, if I recall the trek pilots may have been equipped with these since I recall they do accomodate wider tires, but you'll need to check the specs. Which pilot do you have? Looking at them does it look like the brake pads can be adjusted further down?

[mimitabby]

oh what beautiful tires! go for it ZEN!

[Triskeliongirl]

A quick google of trek pilot turned this up for the trek pilot 2.1 :

Brakeset Cane Creek 3 long reach w/Shimano 105 STI levers

I think the whole pilot series was equipped similarly. Go to the trek website, select your year, and model, and then detailed specs and see what it says about the brakes.

You may prefer 650C if you want skinny go fast tires, or I think Deb W has two wheelsets she interchages, a 650C and a 26" to accomodate a wider range of tire types. For each you'll need to adjust the position of the brake pads, but if you have the long reach calipers I think you'll be able to do it. It will also reduce toe clip overlap if that is an issue for you.