funkyblue

Hello All

First time poster.

Having not know much about bikes, I've always ridden a mountain bike and did not know cycling could be easier.... Due to wear I was recommended to replace the cassette and chain and get some slick tyres.
I replaced the cassette with a Shimano XT M770 and chain with a Shimano Dura Ace / XTR 9 Speed Chain and some old donated CityContact slicks.

It's like a new bike, but I want too see if I can go further and upgrade the rims to 700c's, leaving me with a bit of a hybrid.
I have an Giant Alias 10 model, Small.
Giant Alias 2010 Matt Black
(Link has all specs listed.)

Current rims: 6000 Series Alloy - CR18 559 x 22.5mm

1. Can they be upgraded to 700c? And would this be a recommended upgrade?
2. If so, what type of RIM would be recommended?

Warm Regards
Scott

cny-bikeman

Not a good idea, maybe not practical or even possible. Rim diameter is now 559mm, 700c is 622mm. Difference divided by 2 is 32mm. That means the rim will be almost 1.5" further from the axle. The current brakes certainly won't reach, you may have trouble with frame/tire clearance. Enjoy what you have or sell it and buy a hybrid.

FastJake

Actually, the bike has disc brakes so it could be made to work just fine. A narrow enough tire on a 700c rim can be the same overall height as a fat tire on a 26" rim.

Now, would I recommend this? I don't think so. If anything, getting rid of that boat anchor suspension fork for a rigid fork will probably be better than switching to 700c wheels.

What are you using this bike for? If you want a drop bar road bike, this will never come close. If you just want a commuter or something to ride around on-road/offroad then 700c wheels might not be a bad option. But you will have to figure out the tire clearance limitations with the larger wheel.

funkyblue

OK Thanks Though the post below says the breaks can be moved. In terms a newbie can understand what axle do you mean? (Still learning!)

OK Thanks. What kind of fork? ATM It's locked. I only found out the other say I could actually unlock....
I am mostly using it for commuting with some light dirt/gravel paths. How would I figure out the clearance?

I have a couple of Schwalbe Marathon Supreme MTB Folding Tyre's on order as they were cheap compared with local and seemed to be decent, based on reviews.

wiggle.com.au | Schwalbe Marathon Supreme MTB Folding Tyre | MTB Road Tyres

Maybe they will be enough and I start looking at a new road bike?

Thanks everyone

FastJake

What I was saying is that you won't have to move the brakes, because they are disc brakes. cny-bikeman thought you had rim brakes which would have to move to accommodate a different wheel size. But with disc brakes will accept any wheel size, you shouldn't have to do anything with them.

A rigid fork, as in, not a suspension fork. Given your usage I think a cyclocross bike or maybe a hybrid would be the best fit for you. Personally, I would not try and turn this bike into one of those. Being a newbie you lack the knowledge to do a conversion like this and I think you would be better off getting a different bike instead. And even if you succeed, the results will not be as good as if you got the right bike to begin with.

Tim_Iowa

You can make your mountain bike faster on the road by changing to slicker, lighter tires. The Marathons you ordered have a good road tread and aren't that heavy (some Marathons weigh twice as much). They should be an improvement over the stock knobby tires.

As others have said, you could change out the wheels for ones with a different diameter rim (disc brakes can accomodate different wheel diameters).

But, I'd recommend trying "27.5" rims (aka 650b, aka ISO 584) before you go to 700c. "27.5" rims are in-between 26" and 700c, so they wouldn't be as drastic of change in geometry. With a 38-42 mm tire on a 27.5/650b rim, you'd be faster than the 26 x 2" tires but still comfortable over potholes and bad pavement.

700c (ISO 622) rim, 23 mm tire = 668 mm outside diameter
650b/27.5 (ISO 584) rim, 42 mm tire = 668 mm outside diameter
26" (ISO 559) rim, 54 mm (2") tire = 667 mm outside diameter

27.5" rims are becoming a common size on mountain bikes, so you may be able to score a budget or lightly used wheelset.

hueyhoolihan

FWIW, i put 27" (630mm) Sun ME13 rims on my '97 Gary Fisher MTB designed for 26" wheels. it's just fine. for braking, i built the rear wheel with a coaster brake.

fietsbob

brakes have to be disc type, or at least hub mounted ( such as Drum brake hubs)

mrosenlof

I did this once to an old stumpjumper. I got linear-pull brakes from Paul and mounted them to the canti studs. It worked, but can't say it was worth the bother. Use the wheels that the bike was designed for. It's just fine to get some slicker tires if you're on the road all or most of the time. It'll work fine that way.

Tim_Iowa

@hueyhoolihan and @mrosenlof: good info on changing wheel sizes even without disc brakes.
I changed my Rivendell from 700c (622 mm diameter) to 650b (584 mm diameter) wheels so I could fit wider tires.
I swapped the short reach brake calipers for long reach calipers to make it work.
If fit 700 x 28 before, with no fender
Now it fits 650 x 38, with fenders

However, the total wheel diameter of the new tires is a bit smaller, so it lowered the bike a bit. I now have to be careful when pedaling in turns. But in all other ways it was a great success and I'll probably never change it back.

Just to remind the OP @funkyblue, your bike has disc brakes so you could fit just about any "adult" wheel size on your frame, if you wanted to, without worrying about the brake reach. But you'd still have to worry about the geometry getting messed up if you change the overall diameter too much.

ksisler

OP; When someone comes into the shop wanting to put 700C's on an MTB, I recommend they just switch tires to something like 1.5" ones and see how that works for them. I keep a pair of them hanging on a nail just for such tryouts. Saves them a ton of money and avoids creating another Franken-bike. 95% of them return to either pay up and keep the loaners or get a brand new set put on.

funkyblue

Thanks everyone for the comments, it really does seem like it's not worth the hassel
I have been running some old worn 1.5 CityContacts to try. and then I ordered some new ones. This has made a big difference but the new tyres are even better!

I've put some Schwalbe Marathon Supreme's on it and it's like a new bike. Couple with the new cassette, chain and now tyres, I think it's the most I can do to this bike. As someone who rode with the original fat tires and a unoiled chain, I've rediscovered cycling!

I've attached a picture if anyone is interested

Now to start looking for a road bike....