EjustE

I felt I had to put that parenthesis out there because 24 inch wheels and tires are BMX and kiddie crowd these days...

but...

it wasn't always like that.

Here is my bind:

I am thinking of potentially taking a (small) plunge and acquiring a Schwinn Prologue TT frame and making a TT/Tri bike out of it. (if you don't know what it is, google it, this thing looks ridiculous, had a 2-3 year run production in the 80s, rode like an accident ready to happen -the riding position pretty much puts your rear end above your head and you are stretched flat, and it was faster than hey).

and it took a 24 inch front wheel.

I'd like to take the challenge, seems like fun (in a twisted way), but if there are not any decent wheels and tires around that size these days, I might take a raincheck.

Ideas?

[edit]

here is a link that shows the bike (albeit a bit frankened; but the idea is there - and those were offered only as frames back then) :

https://oldtenspeedgallery.com/owner-...n-prologue-tt/

Iowegian

Terry bikes used 24" wheels and there seem to still be tires and rims available for those. Probably not really easy to find but not impossible either. They have a website with a forum. Ask over there if you don't find anything with google.

jgedwa

And I think that some recumbents use that size. Or did.

I predict you will not have a great selection of tires or rims, but you will find some.

jim

krems81 

Not a great selection of tires, and only a few rims that I know of. Panaracer makes a tire, and sun m13 IIs are narrow, polished road rims available in the 24" (520 bsd) size. Velocity aeroheads are also available in this size.

Here's a custom single speed conversion I built with a 24" front wheel, 700c rear (Terry geometry). It came with steel wheels, so I built up a wheelset for it with Sun M13 II rims (the bars got switched to bullhorns and taped post-photo).

EjustE

This looks great! Excellent work.

But those are fat wheels and knobbies (and I bet they work great in a commuter - that's what I am running on my cross bike). I am looking at something a bit more race like. Do those rims come in 15 mm size? (or anything close to that?) I might put a 23 up front, but that is about the upper limit I am thinking about.

(OH, yeah, That is a great saddle btw, what is it?)

krems81 

The rims have about a 14mm inner width. Narrow, box section road rims. Perfect for your tt bike. The tires themselves are a hair wider at 25mm, and they've got a bit of light road tread. Here they are: https://smartbikeparts.com/search_details.php?itm=TR6102

Not sure that any narrower tires are available. These aren't super wide, though they may run a mm or so larger than their 25mm designation. If you want me to build a wheel for your TT bike on your preferred hub, I'd be happy to.

The saddle is a women's brooks b17s leather saddle.

EjustE

I know lots about Terry bikes, but the thing is that Terrys were never meant to be a competition bike (or cater to the competition crowd). I think that that they were running 25-28 tires all the way (back in the day) and it was more of a comfort thing. I am seeking pizza cutters. 19s would be perfect; I can live with a 23 up front in that set up

EjustE

famous last words and I might take your offer if it actually happens (because wheels is pretty much the only thing I don't do.). If you built that front wheel yourself, that's some pretty mightly nice work. That said, I am talking about pizza cutters here...

It looked a lot like Brooks, but I was hoping that it would have been some less expensive alternative. Someone has a great taste. Bravo.

Citoyen du Monde

You could use a 24" tubular up front. They are a common production item.

Ex Pres 

+1 Ya beat me to it. These come up all the time in my ebay tubular searches.

Vinci

You need to find out what size of 24" front wheel that is. Yes, there is more than one and they are all different diameters. The small Terry bikes use an ISO 520mm front rim. There are also ISO 540mm rims that are still called 24".

Whatever the case, there are tires out there. I know for the Terry bikes, Schwalbe makes a 23mm Durano in ISO 520mm.

Trakhak

If you do find a TT (plongeant) bike like a Prologue, make sure it's the right size. It's a good fit if your seatpost ends up almost completely buried. For example, I take about a 55-cm frame (c-to-t) in a level-top-tube bike and a 59 c-to-t in a funny bike. And bullhorns are best; those bikes weren't intended for use with drops.

krems81 

The Sun M13 II rim above is 520 ISO. Thanks for tipping me off, I didn't know about the Schwalbe Durano. https://www.biketiresdirect.com/pscd5...ad_tire/pp.htm


I'm pretty sure the 540 size was typical on low end steel wheels. The Shogun had a 540 iso front rim when I got it. Quality road rims are only available in 520.

krems81 

Those rims have a 14mm inner width, about as narrow as clincher rims get.


Thanks! Nothing like a Brooks. Too bad for the vegans.

Bianchigirll 

I think Terry may disagree with you. while I don't think there were any actuall pros riding her bikes, I do believe the line went to atleast 600 bike wich is certainly racable.

bak in the late '80s almost everyone had a 24" frnt wheel bike. and way back didn't they make jr track bikes with both wheels 24"?

EjustE

Oh, yeah

If you use drops in them you will be very uncomfortably close to the wheel. I suspect that even with a period quill stem, the bottom of the drops will be at fork crown level in this bike.

I will probably go period and put a Scott assembly (not bullhorns per se, but an one piece TT/Tri bar in a kind of an oval shape with an integrated aero bar). The super nice thing about these bikes is that (like a lot of the Paramounts) were sold only as frames. So if you get any coordinated top of the line gruppo, and components for that era, you can restore them in a correct condition.

RobbieTunes

I just traded a Terry with a front wheel that would handle a TT just fine, narrow Araya rounded alloys, with Panaracer Technova 700x18 tires. If you're going to really push it, I'd look for a competition tubular.

And like all the other, much more knowledgeable posters here, I'd say a 520 wheel/tire would get you the quality you need. Disassemble the wheel, have it rebuilt with great spokes and properly tensioned, race it all you want, shouldn't be a problem.

RFC

Couldn't help myself:

retrofit

Check out Velocity They make 24" (ISO 520) wheelsets (under both road and recumbent links) and rims.

As for tires, I put 24" x 1" Panaracer Pasela's on my son's Felt F24 and have been very pleased. Kenda also makes 24" tires.

stan

Grand Bois

People will point and laugh.

RobbieTunes

If I rode that thing in bike shorts, people would think there was an eclipse.

EjustE

Way too much seat post on this bike. It should be less than an inch to ride it stably

RobbieTunes

OK, how about this one?

EjustE

^^^^ that's more like it, but still a bit too much seat post. About half as much would be ideal for those. But that looks like a 650 B wheel from here

Imagine trying to shift at the down tube at that previous bike

Bam42685

This thread might not be a joke, but this bike makes me laugh.

The one Robbie posted doesn't look nearly as silly.