Yup. 650B. KHS is moving forward with the inbetweener standard with two new bikes, and they were keen to tell us all about them.
First up is the 656. This is a 30lbs 5″ travel full suspension bike coming in at $2399. The rear shock is the X-Fusion E1RL shock with hydraulic dampening, rebound adjustment, and lockout. Up front you get the X-Fusion Velvet RL 120mm tapered fork. The drive train has parts from SRAM X5, X7, and X9. Stopping comes from Avid Elixir 1 brakes with 160mm rotors attached to WTB Laser Disc Trail wheels. Those wheels are wrapped in Schwalbe Racing Ralph 650B rubber.
Past the jump you get a 650B carbon hardtail, full Microshift, and a 65cm frame.
If you are the type to run a hardtail, KHS has a 650B version for you. The full carbon framed 609 runs the X-Fusion Velvet RL 100mm tapered fork up front. The transmission is courtesy of SRAM and includes X9 rear derailleur and shifters, with an X7 front derailleur. American Classic provides the wheels, and stopping power should be ample with Avid Elixir 9 brakes with 160mm rotors. This package runs $3999
While mostly focused on the 650B offroaders, I did see a few other new rides floating around the KHS booth. The most interesting to me was the Flite 450. The 450 not only uses Microshift levers, but it’s also specced with Microshift front and rear derailleurs. This helps keep cost down, as the full road bike comes in at $899. It’s a curious ride indeed, and I like seeing something other than SRAM and Shiamno on a bike for a change.
The other unique ride KHS had on hand was the aptly named Flite 747. Here we have a Lennard Zinn designed CrMo frame specced with Shimano 105. What reallly sets this bike apart though is that it’s an XXL (65cm) frame meant for those riders who are 6’4″ to 6’8″ tall. I was assured that the geometry has been tweaked so that it rides and handles like a smaller bike would to give that same ride quality to the tall folks among us. Parting with $1599 makes it yours.
