Silly question time, re wheels.

[Brandane]

I want to buy a set of replacement wheels for my Spesh Tricross. Nothing wrong with the originals; I want to keep them with the set of 700x38 tyres I now have fitted; but I also want to have a set of wheels with narrower tyres (700x28) for road use. Just so that it's easier to swap between narrow and wider fitting tyres .

Having done some on-line research, I am pretty much set on a pair of Shimano RS20s. Reasonable price (at ChainReaction.com) and should fit my needs. The rim is 2mm narrower than the Alexrims Ace19 that came as standard, so no problem there.

The silly question though.... are hubs a standard width?? The Shimano wheels come ready built and I was wondering if the hub will be too narrow to fit on the Tricross, given that they are road wheels.

This is the wheels here:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25889

A good saving if I buy a pair of black ones! Plus they have a good deal on the standard Shimano cassette I will obviously need too.

 

[John the Monkey]

Hubs on modern bikes are usually 130mm or 135mm at the back (called OLD, or Over Locknut Distance when talking about hubs, or spacing, when you talk about the frame). A front wheel is a front wheel in most cases.

Sheldon Brown's site has more detail;
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

I'm fairly sure the tricross will be 130mm at the back, but it could be worth checking with a steel rule first.

 

[Brandane]

Hubs on modern bikes are usually 130mm or 135mm at the back (called OLD, or Over Locknut Distance when talking about hubs, or spacing, when you talk about the frame). A front wheel is a front wheel in most cases.

Sheldon Brown's site has more detail;
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

I'm fairly sure the tricross will be 130mm at the back, but it could be worth checking with a steel rule first.

Excellent, thanks for that. Just checked, the OLD rear is 130mm, front 100mm. Also found specs for the wheels and the OLDs are the same.

 

[John the Monkey]

Excellent! Remember that you'll need a cassette tool & chainwhip to swap the cassette over between wheels as well.

 

[gps315]

Great thread, i have been trying to work out the same thing on my Scott P4, wanted some stronger faster wheels......may have to try some of those too....

Thanks

 

[Brandane]

Excellent! Remember that you'll need a cassette tool & chainwhip to swap the cassette over between wheels as well.

Replacement cassette, same as existing one, is only £18 so just going to buy that too and saves getting hands dirty every time I want to change them around. BTW what is a chainwhip? Sounds like something you might find in an adventurous ladies' dungeon .

 

[John the Monkey]

The only problem with that is that the cassettes will wear at different rates - you *might* find that the one you use less has problems changing gears with the chain worn by the other cassette. Unless you get two chains...?

 

[battered]

Yeah, do watch for differential wear on cassettes. Make sure you change the chain regularly and keep it all as good as possible.

Getting a second cassette is a good call because by the time you've messed with that and reset the brakes (different rim width, remember?) you could have just swapped tyres and had done for nothing.

A chain whip is an interesting S&M device, it's a lever with a length of chain on that grips the cassette gears and allows you to undo the securing bolt with a 10mm hex key. Kinky stuff. Without it or something similar you have SFA chance of getting it apart. A car oil filter chain wrench works though, or an old bike chain gripped in a vice.

 

[HLaB]

Yeah, do watch for differential wear on cassettes. Make sure you change the chain regularly and keep it all as good as possible.

Getting a second cassette is a good call because by the time you've messed with that and reset the brakes (different rim width, remember?) you could have just swapped tyres and had done for nothing.

+1 with a cassette on both wheels you could use two chains (one for each wheel type) and avoid the problem of differential chain to cassette wear.

 

[battered]

Chain swapping wpould be a right rave though, you'd have to break it every time. Even if you fitted a Sram Powerlink or similar you'd still get filthy rethreading it and frankly if I had to mess about like that just to use a different tyre I'd rather just get the tyre levers out.

 

[Brandane]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I will go ahead and get the wheels, complete with new cassette. I will see how it works on a chain that has done about 1200 miles, and if there is a problem it is going to cost me a new chain and cassette for the old wheels. That way everything is new so should be fine. Then try to use both sets of wheels regularly so the cassettes wear evenly.

 

[John the Monkey]

Chain swapping wpould be a right rave though, you'd have to break it every time. Even if you fitted a Sram Powerlink or similar you'd still get filthy rethreading it and frankly if I had to mess about like that just to use a different tyre I'd rather just get the tyre levers out.

Yep.

Changing a cassette is a piece of piss, 5 minutes tops.

 

[MacB]

get yourself a box of disposable nitrile gloves and use them for mechanical work. About £8 inc postage for 100 and they last quite well, they are thin enough that you can do delicate stuff with them on.

 

[Brandane]

The new wheels arrived today, and are now fitted on the bike. They look the business on an all black bike. The only problem is that as I had been warned; new cassette and worn chain do not mix . I ended up swapping the old cassette onto the new wheels and now it all runs fine. Only thing is that if I want hassle free swapping around of wheels, it's going to cost me a new chain and another new cassette.

 

[Rykard]

The new wheels arrived today, and are now fitted on the bike. They look the business on an all black bike. The only problem is that as I had been warned; new cassette and worn chain do not mix . I ended up swapping the old cassette onto the new wheels and now it all runs fine. Only thing is that if I want hassle free swapping around of wheels, it's going to cost me a new chain and another new cassette.

hmmmm sounds like the situation calls for N+1....