Swapping wheels...regularly
06-11-08, 05:11 PM
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Swapping wheels...regularly
Not sure this is the right forum, and I know there will be people who might consider flaming, but I put smooth tires on a mountain bike. I just picked up some almost new Mavic 221's with XT hubs and put some specialized nimbus tires on them, and put them on my wife's Specialized Myka. You see we aren't talking big bucks here.
The question is, how do we go back and forth between the fat knobbies (on fat wheels) and these narrower smoothies, and not quickly wear out the brake cable? It needs about 1/4" adjustment each time. Any standard procedures for this? "buy a road bike" is not a solution, as I'd rather replace the cable twice a year.
The question is, how do we go back and forth between the fat knobbies (on fat wheels) and these narrower smoothies, and not quickly wear out the brake cable? It needs about 1/4" adjustment each time. Any standard procedures for this? "buy a road bike" is not a solution, as I'd rather replace the cable twice a year.
06-11-08, 07:45 PM
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What flame about putting on smooth tires on a MTB....HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...JUST KIDDING! Seriously, there is nothing wrong with doing that at all especially if your riding on just streets and not taking it on trails or off road (though I have rode my MTB with smoothies on trails with no problems, but off road can be a challenge).
Not sure why the cable would wear out faster if your using the barrel adjustment to make the adjustment. If yours for some reason don't have the barrel adjustment then you may have to put up with replacing the cable twice a year...and as you implied, it's cheaper then buying a road bike!
Not sure why the cable would wear out faster if your using the barrel adjustment to make the adjustment. If yours for some reason don't have the barrel adjustment then you may have to put up with replacing the cable twice a year...and as you implied, it's cheaper then buying a road bike!
06-11-08, 08:19 PM
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I'm in the same boat with two sets of wheels for one bike. It would be nice if they both had the same or very near the same rim widths and then it would not be an issue. Or if they are close enough that the barrel adjuster is enough to deal with the change.
Or of course if you had disc brakes then again it would not be an issue. But obviously that's not going to happen on an older bike.
As you say it's a lot cheaper to just put on new cables here and there. Just be sure you change at the FIRST signs of broken strands. These ARE the brakes after all.
I've seen some inline barrel adjusters on motorcycle cables. I wonder if there's something similar for bicycles? If so then the adjsuter at the lever combined with the inline would easily be enough to deal with all but the most radical cable length differences.
Or of course if you had disc brakes then again it would not be an issue. But obviously that's not going to happen on an older bike.
As you say it's a lot cheaper to just put on new cables here and there. Just be sure you change at the FIRST signs of broken strands. These ARE the brakes after all.
I've seen some inline barrel adjusters on motorcycle cables. I wonder if there's something similar for bicycles? If so then the adjsuter at the lever combined with the inline would easily be enough to deal with all but the most radical cable length differences.
06-11-08, 09:08 PM
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If you don't have enough "range" in your barrel adjuster, maybe add an inline adjuster or 2?
https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/cable...are-brake.html
https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/cable...are-brake.html
06-11-08, 10:58 PM
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+1 on the inline adjuster.
06-11-08, 11:16 PM
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Depending on the application. If you don't have quite enough range on a barrel adjuster you can use a shim made from a crimp fitting for the appropriate size wire rope. Saw part of it off so it will fit around the cable then file it to size.
06-12-08, 06:46 AM
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Thanks for all the responses, they all sound like they could work.
I'm probably going to start with the cheapest way and work my way up. It's possible that with some small piece of crimp fitting and a maxed out barrel adjuster, we could avoid adjusting the business end. I do like having extra adjustment (and buying little fiddly things for my bike) so I might get the inline adjusters anyway. And since the hubs have disc mounts on them anyway, and when my wife gets her road bike those wheels are going on my mountain bike (which I use properly, in the dirt), I might be in the market for some used/cheap discs.
I'm probably going to start with the cheapest way and work my way up. It's possible that with some small piece of crimp fitting and a maxed out barrel adjuster, we could avoid adjusting the business end. I do like having extra adjustment (and buying little fiddly things for my bike) so I might get the inline adjusters anyway. And since the hubs have disc mounts on them anyway, and when my wife gets her road bike those wheels are going on my mountain bike (which I use properly, in the dirt), I might be in the market for some used/cheap discs.
