antokelly

may sound like a ridiculous question but i.ve got to ask,
is it possible to change my 599 wheel tourer into a 700 c tourer just by changing the wheels, i've just taken the wheels from my road bike and put them on my thorn they fit no problem but i have no brakes :
i know the obvious question would be how to get around the brake problem but is there a way i can do it ,use both 599 and 700 wheels ,
would disk wheels work

clasher

Sure, but why?

imi

Fenders? Geometry and handling? BB height? and obviously the brake issue... will Cantis/V's stilll fit? Disc brake bosses? I guess if it works, it works but why not just get another bike aswell (n+1)?

antokelly

well i did say it was a crazy idea, but my reasons are i cant afford another bike i have three already, the 700c wheel would be lighter roll better and climb better imho. guess i'm just used to riding road bikes.
buy yeah i taught i would try my road wheels on the tourer just to see what would be the problems.and brakes been one and fenders being another.
nah to hell with that idea i'll just buy another bike when i'm allowed.lol

himespau 

There are people that do that with disk equipped bikes for commuters. 700c during most of the year and 26" studded tires in the snow. Or maybe it's 29" with slicks in good weather so that they don't have to worry about hub sizes. I can't remember and will shut up now.

djb

anto, you are funny (they fit on fine, but .....no brakes......)

seriously, I understand you want the bike to be a bit faster, but while you cant make it magically lose 10 lbs or something, you could change out the tires to some 26x1 or 1.25, really thin ones that most likely weigh quite a bit less than what you have on it now. You will notice a difference......but, again, its never going to feel like a bike that is 5 or 10 lbs lighter.


When I put on new tires on my 26 in bike early this summer, I looked around at diff tires and perhaps in your neck of the woods there might not be many options. I figure on-line you can scrounch around and find the weight in grams of your present tires and maybe even tubes, and them compare that to lighter tubes and lighter tires and see how much diff there is. You wont be able to feel the diff in ride to know if its worth it, but even taking off one of your present tires to have with you in hand when hefting skinnier tires might at least let you feel the diff.
question is, are your roads worth it for skinny tires?

have fun mucking around with this, and/or braking with your shoe soles at the bottom of a hill.

antokelly

djb i was looking at maxis slicks on chainreaction cycles these tires look the business ,yeah my wheels are certainly bomb proofbut way to heavy for tarmac touring lol. ,i reckon if i get new lighter wheels that dont break the bank and lighter tires it will make a Hugh difference.ahh the roads are fine i'm riding slicks on my road bike no problems at all .

SweetLou

It can be done, depending on your bike. If you have an older rigid frame, the fork crown and rear brake bridge is often drilled and caliper brakes can be installed. If they have the correct reach. The bottom bracket will be higher, but that is not a problem while riding. It just makes it more tippy on the kickstand.

antokelly

Sweetlou i know i did ask the question more curious than anything else, but to be honest I'll well enough alone i think ,i would probably end up ruining my lovely Thorn sherpa.
thanks for the reply anyway.

cyccommute 

Now are you really talking about 599mm rims? As in rare old US lightweights for 26x1.25" tires? Or are you talking about 559mm mountain bike rims? I suspect that you mean 559mm rims. That's a horse of a different color. A "700C" rim is 622mm in diameter. The difference between the two rims' radius is 3.1 cm. That's a pretty large distance especially when you consider that you have to cram a tire on top of that. Your tire is going to be very close to the top of the fork even with a thin tire. A touring tire might not fit. Fenders certainly wouldn't fit.

You also have to consider that the bike is designed with a tire that is smaller in diameter with regards to your toes and the wheel. Adding 3.1cm to the diameter of the wheel might result in some toe overlap problems. If the bike is already close, it would be even worse.

And then there's the brakes. I don't know of any brake that has 3 cm of adjustment for the pads except, perhaps, Paul Motolites.

If the issue is wheel weight, you can certainly get lighter rims and rebuild the wheels. There are some very light mountain bike rims out there that are tough as nails and not horribly expensive. Learn how to build your own wheels and you'll save even more.

antokelly

thanks Stuart yeah wheels are my next buy when i'm allowed. can you point me in the right direction on light strong 32 hole rims .i have 36 hole 599 sun rhyno bit on the heavy side so lighter wheels lighter tires might just be the way to go. thanks.

cyccommute 

Mavic mountain bike wheels have always served me well XC717 are super rims but pricey. XM317 and XM117 are pretty good too. A little heavier but cheaper. I have a set of Velocity Aeroheat on a bike that I like a lot too. They don't make the Aeroheat anymore but the Aerohead seems to be equivalent. In a 559mm rim, it would make for a very strong wheel.

antokelly

thats brilliant i'll try and sus out the mavic on chainreaction
thanks.