Wanderer

Yes, they are 700C, and 18 wide Alex Adventurer, 36 spokers. Rim Brakes. I like 9 spd, because it's so much cheaper to maintain/replace parts on a 9 spd. There is a big jump in prices with a 10 spd. I also like the triple, just gives me more options to find the perfect gear.

Bahumbug7

Is the 20mm inside or exterior width? I've found a set of wheels that I like that are 24mm exterior & 18 mm interior width.

clarkbre

Interior. Those should work fine.

kingsqueak

I've recently run DT TK-540 rims (23mm) with 40mm Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tires and also, because my frame can fit them, I'm now running Sun MTX 33mm rims with 60mm (2.35") Schwalbe Big Apple tires. For paths and trails, doing my general 13-17mph cruising on mostly flat, I totally love the giant 60mm tires. They roll very smoothly and actually are faster than my 40mm setup was as well.

It all depends on what you want from the ride. For a cross frame depending on which one you have, you can run pretty fat, high volume balloon slicks, things like the narrower Big Apples, or the Big Bens if you want a bit more bite to the tread. They are comfortable, puncture resistant and roll nicely. They are not however "fast".

Skinnier tires are generally lighter, can spin up faster and depending on the tread can be faster but they will beat you up over rough surfaces and slide around on loose surfaces compared to the bigger/fatter tires. You'll generally be more capable of higher speeds with your head down on skinnier/lighter wheels and tires.

I found I like the comfort and the planted stability of the big tires quite a lot for my general riding. More than I ever anticipated.

Bahumbug7

Ok all...he build is starting to come along. I've been able to get a lot of parts from an XC bike which is really going to help the budget. These parts include brake levers, mechanical disc brakes, flat bar handlebars with a rise, trigger shifters, brooks saddle, suspension seat post. I've also gotten a set of used Pacenti SL23 700C wheel sets and put 35's on those. And for the drive train I bought new front crank (48-36-26) and rear 9 speed cassette. But, I need to get front and rear derailleurs. Open to choices and opinions on any and would like to hear from y'all on what's out there and what might work well for this build.

Bahumbug7

I have not gotten a front derailleur yet and really need some help finding one that will work. Because of the chain ring size (48-36-26), do I need to go with a road front derailleur? I'm finding very few 9 speed triple front derailleurs that will do 48T chainring.

dr1445

Since you are considering disc brakes, be aware most cross frames are spaced for 130mm rear wheel hubs and mtb frames are spaced for 135mm hubs. The 130 hubs are a big $ item compared to the mtb 135 hub.

dr1445

to select a front dérailleur check the shimano tech docs. you can select road or mtb, the level of hardware then check for the fd that matches your largest chain ring. not many road bike units will work with flat bars, so you will get the most hits in mtb.

Bahumbug7

Actually, I was concerned with the frame size issue when I got my wheel sets. The frame spec'd 130mm and the rear hub is a 135. The frame actually measured 133mm and when I tried the wheel, it slid right in! I'll follow your suggestion to check out the specs and see if I can find something. The build is basically done with the exception of the front derailleur. Thanks. Open to anything else on this front D thing!

dr1445

when you get to the tech docs page, try mtb>deore>fd-m591>the si file. that will give you an idea to search the data.

Bahumbug7

I've checked out the tech page and that is a help to figure out what I want. Thanks...I have a SRAM X9 rear derailleur so I'd like to find SRAM for the front...not too confident though.

dr1445

there 44 and 48t versions.
https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/pr...ont-derailleur

Bahumbug7

I ended up with an M770

fietsbob

27"-1.25" was a normal size in the past ,, now the near Metric equivalent is 622-32 ish

or so 35, 37, also possible ..

on Hybrids, touring bikes commuters, 'cross' bikes and so forth.. It is a newer common size.

Bahumbug7

Put 35's on. Good feel to the wheel set and tires. Looking forward to the ride as soon as I get the front Derailleur

Bahumbug7

Ok...build is done. Been done for a while. It's awesome. Went with the M770 front derailleur. It works well, but I have a clearance issue between the derailleur mechanism and the rear tire. It's only a half inch. It's a little tighter than I'm comfortable with. So, can someone recommend a front derailleur that will provide more clearance between the tire and clamp/ mechanism? The caseete is a 9 speed and the crank is 3 rings (48-36-26).

Wanderer

1/2" should be good - I wouldn't worry.

Little Darwin

I concur. A half inch is as good as a mile for the type of riding you do.

However, if you are really set on increasing the spacing, you would probably be looking at going with a longer spindle on your BB (I didn't read through the whole thread, so I am not sure if it is possibly with your configuration) and readjusting the FD (assuming it has enough reach). My gut feel is that all derailleurs capable of shifting to your inner ring on a triple would have similar clearance, so adjusting everything (and impacting Q factor) is the only option I see.

Bahumbug7

Ok then...I'll keep an eye on it though. It just seems awfully close.