So I bought an older road bike and I'm going to buy a 700c flip flop wheelset and I'm not sure if the wheels will fit. I can't say I've heard of people running into this issue but the wheel is 3 inches larger.
I intend on bringing my bike frame and fork to where I'm buying the wheels to test them, but is this ever an issue?
Thanks and sorry for the noobness.

700c is 622mm, 26" is 559mm.
difference in radius between the two is 31.5mm plus whatever size tire you intend to use.

aside from questions about fitting, how do you intend to run the brakes?

A 700C wheel will almost definitely not fit on a frame designed for 26" wheels.

There is a different of three centimeters in radius between the two.


Edit: Beaten to it.

so I'm just SOL with this bike frame?
Thanks for the responses.

There's really no compelling reason why someone couldn't build you a 26" wheel with a fixed hub.

They'll look at you funny and probably call you names behind your back, but mechanically it's reasonable.

700x23 does fit on 26" MTB frames designed with FAT tires in mind, but V-brakes would need an adaptor to work right, and the frame would have to fit 26x2.2in tires at least.

Just to be sure, you have a MTB, right? or do you actually have a 26x1-1/4 (S-6, 597mm). Decimals and fraction sizes are not the same and it's easy to confuse the two.
said adaptor: https://www.mavic.com/mtb/products/ca....323944.3.aspx
read this: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

dsh - so I'd just get a 26 x 1.25 rim, a flip flop hub and have them throw spokes on? The thing is I don't want to spend too much haha
aeo - the breaks wouldn't be that big of an issue but the bike is definitely not a mountain bike. Its an older road bike, what used to be either a 10 or 15 speed.

Yeah, that's pretty much all there is to it.
If you supply the hub and rim, they'll probably charge you $25-50 in labor, plus the cost of spokes (a dollar a piece).

The best idea might be to explain what you're trying to do and order the complete wheel through the shop (hub/rim/spokes) instead of just showing up at their door and saying "Hey I bought these from that online place that undercuts local prices, use them to build me a wheel". It'll cost more but they will like you better.

I see what you're saying. I just don't intend on spending $1xx on a wheel when I can sell my bike for a hit and get a fixie and just call myself dumb for buying this bike in the first place.
I do appreciate all the help though

Not sure if it will be more economical than pitching the frame and getting something more appropriate, but Surly does make a "thing" which converts a regular Shimano cassette holder into a fixed drivetrain.

I have no idea how it works:

https://www.amazon.com/Surly-Cassette.../dp/B001GSSHXM

I'll look into that thanks. I also don't mind getting a new bike since I'm selling an old one that has sat in my garage for about 3 years...
thanks again for everything

I think the Fixxer is only worth it to convert a really nice highend wheel like a disc or something carbon.Also,i'm guessing a "older" 26"wheel would be a freewheel,not cassette.With brakes a ghetto fix(i hate the term suicide) would be the easiest and cheapest if OP is not hellbend on busting out mad skidz.

My fixed gear conversion started life as a mountain bike with 26" wheels. I cut off the canty posts and laced some 700c rims onto a set of Surly hubs. A 105 standard reach caliper brake fit perfectly from the reflector mounting hole in the fork crown. I don't run a rear brake and I use 700 X 28c tires.

I ended up getting a different bike, a completed fixie and just for *****s I compared wheel/tire sizes and the 700 x 25's were smaller then the 26's, isn't that backwards?

Are you sure they are 26"?

apparently not...a guy I'm friends with at a local bike shop said it was 26 x 1.25 but apparently thats not the case? I guess I'll break out the tape measure tomorrow haha

if they're larger than 700c, then it's likely 27"

This used to have 26x2 3/4 tires on it. Now I'm running 700x26c in the front and 28c on the rear.
And I like to make people look at my bike.

aeo you're probably right thanks
coma thats a good looking bike, I'm a big fan of bullhorns.