Classic & Vintage - Mounting old MTB 26'' wheels on an old 700c bike?

I was just messing around and threw a pair of 26'' MTB wheels on an old semi ****ty bianchi frame, and it actually seems like it could make an appealing project if it possible to work out. Would a pair of old school diacomp center pulls have enough reach to use this wheelset? I havn't measured how long it would be so I cant give any numbers but has anyone tried this?

I like putting beach cruiser coaster brake wheels on old schwinn varsity/conti frames

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/jjpistols/bike/bike2/PICT0678.jpg

We throw around the word "bombproof" a lot. But that bike is truly bombproof.

Tektro makes some long reach brakes that are commonly used on 650B conversions (Tektro R556's). They would work, and they don't cost an arm and a leg. Otherwise, the above shown coaster brake set up is cool. Or Fixie-crazy-no-brakes-use my shoe leather approach.

Tektro makes some long reach brakes that are commonly used on 650B conversions (Tektro R556's). They would work, and they don't cost an arm and a leg. Otherwise, the above shown coaster brake set up is cool. Or Fixie-crazy-no-brakes-use my shoe leather approach.

There's also the possibility of hub brakes such as Shimano Rollerbrakes that fit on the Nexus IG hubs. There various similar hubs with built-in drum brakes, such as a very nice Sturmey-Archer front hub with drum brake, with or without dynamo built in (which gets my vote).

Edit: A Shimano Rollerbrake will also fit on a NuVinci hub, which would make a pretty nice setup.

or put an MTB rigid fork, with original canti brakes or even disk brakes on the front for a funny bike effect!

When mounting 26" wheels on a 700C frame, wouldn't it be a risk of insufficient pedal to ground clearance? With the same tire width, 559mm rims would bring the frame 31.5mm closer to ground than 622mm rims.

I'd imagine the tire size makes up for a lot of that difference. A 26x2.125 tire is actually almost the same circumference as a 700-23c tire.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cyclecomputer-calibration.html

that would be true if you are keeping the same tire width, but with MTB rims its kinda assumed you'd be running a much wider tire


...im currently doing this to a Varsity, and I'm using Roller brakes in the front and rear.

I like putting beach cruiser coaster brake wheels on old schwinn varsity/conti frames

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/jjpistols/bike/bike2/PICT0678.jpg

I have an old Conti. frame I have been considering doing this to any suggestions or things I need to know before I make this tranformation?

I have an old Conti. frame I have been considering doing this to any suggestions or things I need to know before I make this tranformation?

nah it's pretty straightforward


I can fit up to a 26x2.125 tire in the Varsi if everything is straight - sometimes I have to add a washer or two to the axle to keep the frame spaced - no problems in the fork

26x2.00 or thinner there's no chance to rub at all



they make fun, relaxed rides and running off a curb ain't gonna hurt



http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/jjpistols/bike/bike3/PICT2037.jpg

I like putting beach cruiser coaster brake wheels on old schwinn varsity/conti frames

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/jjpistols/bike/bike2/PICT0678.jpg
i love this bike...this is pretty much the design i am goin for with my ss/fg project.
cept i want more BMXish pedals, bullhorn bars, and those tektro 556 brakes look perfect, i was really actually stumped with the brakes idea since there was such a length between the brake mount and the stopping surface of the rim...
are the wheel and spokes black when bought or did u just spray them?

the wheelset was factory blacktory


I'd imagine spraypaint would hold up somewhat decently, since there are no rim brakes involved - probably want to tape off the spoke-nipples (and maybe your nipples, too, I don't really know you at all)

I believe that I am going to use a coaster brake to keep it super clean. So the search is on! I have also considerd using a roadish style rim possibly a smallish "V" just to make it look rediculious.

Man...

I am just in love with these...I am on my way to wanting to build one in that green (seen that color around a few times recently and really like how it looks) although with parts colors closer to the other one...silver and chrome

Now I just have to find a bigish varsity frame in chicago that *isn't* massively overpriced so I can replace my stolen run-around bike

cmon hipsters! these don't make a good fixie

hm...I have this horrible impulse to take that thing on a nice long mountain downhill, repack hill style.

Man...

I am just in love with these...I am on my way to wanting to build one in that green (seen that color around a few times recently and really like how it looks) although with parts colors closer to the other one...silver and chrome

Now I just have to find a bigish varsity frame in chicago that *isn't* massively overpriced so I can replace my stolen run-around bike

cmon hipsters! these don't make a good fixie


check working bikes - I haven't been to the new place, but the old place had a ton of 'em last year when I visited

hm...I have this horrible impulse to take that thing on a nice long mountain downhill, repack hill style.

Done there, been that. 'Way back when I built a coaster-braked cruiser on a Schwinn Sidewinder frame. Steel rims, 105 gauge spokes, dual caliper brakes plus a coaster brake. I used it a couple times for bombing down the Mount Wilson Toll Road above Pasadena. And, yep- the coaster brake needed to be repacked after each time down. Halfway down it was smoking and spewing hot grease.

Nowadays I have a disk-braked FS mountain bike sitting in the garage. I need to sell it- it's not getting used enough. :rolleyes:

check working bikes - I haven't been to the new place, but the old place had a ton of 'em last year when I visited

I don't know much about their bare frame sales (they have a few out on the floor...is there any way to buy stuff out of the back by request now that they dont have an open warehouse?) but their prices seem to have gone way up...

I bought a bike from them in 2006, and went with some roommates in fall 07...the increase in prices is astounding. I went a few weeks ago and misread a price tag because the bike was 170 but the 1 overlapped the dollar sign a little bit. 70 seemed about right for the bike based on what I had seen there before but 170 put it at 50+ more than the bike that I bought in 2006 for a much poorer quality bike.

Especially since I want to strip almost everything except the frame on the varisty, I can't afford to buy a fully functional bike (and thus pay for their labor) when something unrideable would work.

Maybe I will try to look into a frame only request...

These look like they might be decent wheels to do this with (can't argue with the full set shipped for only about $10 more than a generic alloy front goes for around here)
http://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=41

Only issue...it says 26x1.75 rims...does that mean the rims are really that fat or is it just the recomended tire size...seems like 1.75 would be too fat for this application