Christmas Day: Raleigh Updates and a New Niner

First off, Merry Christmas to all my B&P reader(s). We had an unusually warm Christmas day, so after opening presents (making the kids wait until 7:00am), playing new board games, etc., I headed out after lunch for a quick spin and some quiet. Jodi got me some new medium-heavy riding gloves that were just right for our temps in the low 40s (I now have four different pairs of warm gloves to span riding from the 50s to the teens).

I've done a bit of updating on my mid 80s Raleigh Technium:

B+ Monkey

Despite what my wife might say about my wardrobe, I try to keep up with some trends. While my dress pants are mostly unfortunately pleated, I did take the dive and order up some 27.5+ wheels for my Karate Monkey. Everyone is saying that these "B+" wheels are the Next Big Thing. The theory is they'll combine the traction and comfort of a 29+ wheel with the the agility of a standard 29er, while being able to fit in most 29er frames. Unlike, say, supply side economics, this is a theory that might actually hold up.

I didn't initially intend to try this on my KM. I originally had picked up a brand new Soma B side for the very low price of $238 from ebay seller xtremebikeandsport. They sent me a tracking number, and while I was waiting for my shipment, I ordered up some 650B wheels and B+ tires to go with them. A week later, xtremebikeandsport cancelled my order and tried to get me to say I'd refused the shipment. To quote our president elect, dishonest!

Anyway, with wheels and tires around, might as well mount them up on the Monkey. The first part of the theory of B+ holds up, in that they did indeed fit: