Ventana El Bastardo

5” 650b Trail/AM

Loved it! I’ve been interested in trying this one since I rode a Carver Ti 650B hardtail last year. It sounds cliché but the in-between wheel size really does feel just right. Not too big, not too small. They feel snappier and less flexxy and less lethargic than a 29er wheel but still carry momentum and have that rollability thing that the 29er faithful praise. The frame and wheels seem to be balanced aesthetically in the large size I rode which fit me really well though the conventional straight tubing may looks a bit dated to some. The whole bike just felt right and balanced. The frame is typical Ventana quality. Stiff laterally with welds and paint to drool over.

People worry about the lack of tire and fork choices for 650b, and while that is a concern, at least the tires and fork that are available are pretty darn good. We were seriously under whelmed by the White Brothers 135 we tried last year on the Behemoth, but this one felt pretty good. At least as good as the Fox 29 120 forks I sampled on other bikes and better as far as damping characteristics than msot of the the Fox 36 forks I tried, though not as flex free obviously. The Pacenti Neo Moto tires are good. Period.

The whole package just comes together. The suspension and wheels together rolled over the nasty Bootleg square edged rocks better than just about anything else I tried (except maybe the Rip 9, Delerium-T, and obviously the V-Tach ).

Bottom line? If you’re OK with settling for a WB fork and not having tons of tire options this is a great bike. Don’t hold your breath waiting for Fox or Marzocchi to jump on the 650b bandwagon. Dave Turner has shown some serious interest in this wheel size and told me that it’ll be awhile before any of the big manufacturers make a 650b specific fork. He asked the head of Fox Forks when he was at Eurobike when they might expect to build a 650b specific fork and he said, “What’s 650b?”, and Dave said he didn’t sound like he was kidding. Not even on his radar screen.

Bikerbob rode with me on this demo and we swithced back and forth. So maybe he’ll chime in with his impressions too.

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