Have bought a bike without wheels, help replacing them please
 

Hi bare with me im a Newbie,

I have recently started commuting to work. I have a Dawes Giro 200 that im using at the moment, but wanted to try a hybrid which i could also use for my more leisurely cycles with my girlfriend. So i have just bought a Dawes Discovery 210 on eBay which has no wheels and thought it cant be too difficult to replace the wheels. The guy gave me some new tyres for it which are 26" x 1.5.

I have never built a bike before so know nothing, im gereally quite handy so i am sure i can manage. The bike has V breaks if that matters, and a 7 speed gear shifter. Im pretty sure it has everything except the wheels and the rear cog.

Is this is as simple as buying any new wheels the correct size and a 7 speed Gear Cog.

Do i need specific brand wheels and Gear Cog?

How do i know what size to buy?

Is there more to sizing than 26" x 1.5?

Any help greatly appreciated.

I sure hope you didn't pay much for it, as a quick google has it down as £225 new and complete.

The actual replacing - no. Finding which ones you can use takes some knowledge.

Those won't do you much good, as my net search has the dawes 210 down as using 28" wheels.

You can still expect a learning curve. Even in something as simple as bikes there are a few hoops and hurdles.

It does.

Which today puts it fairly close to the bottom of the heap.

It'd better be. Unless you got it for next to nothing you haven't got many parts to buy before you'll have closed the gap to what a complete bike would have cost you.

Not entirely certain about what you mean by "the rear cog". For your sake I hope it isn't the rear deraillleur.

If your evaluation is right it pretty much is. 7-spd cassettes are getting a bit rare, not to mention 7-spd bodies. Probably your best bet is to buy a rear wheel with a 7-spd, shimano compatible freewheel(the bit with the 7 sprockets on).

I'd recommend you to get a new chain as well. Chains wear together with the sprockets and usually won't play nice if replaced individually.

Front wheel can be just about anything, as long as it's got a rim-brake compatible rim, the right diameter and a rim width that reasonably matches the tire width you're planning to use. For the rear there's a triple match between derailleur, cassette/freewheel cluster and the shifters that you've got - and of course the same rim matching as for the front.

Brand can be whatever though.

well, google has your bike down as using 28" wheels. I'd start there. You can always borrow the wheels from your other bike, chuck them in there and see if the brake pads line up with the rim as they should. Then see what size they are.

If your bike is a 28" there's no way you'll be able to use 26" wheels, unless you also convert to disc brakes, which'd require a new fork.

Oh yes. Tire width should be a reasonable match to the rim width, and tire width should match intended riding requirements and style. In 26 you can get anything from say 1" to 2.5". With the popularity of the so-called 29ers there's a decent spread available in 28" as well.
Tires also need to fit in the frame.

And it's worth noting that 26" x 1.5 is not the same as 26" x 1 1/2.