MTB hubs in road bike?

[mr_h._simpson]

Hello,

I'm getting a Giant Defy soon and was hoping to get some solid wheels built for training and save the light ones the bike comes with for racing.

It is a disk brake model so the choices of road hubs that are disk friendly is very limited.

Does anyone know if you can use an MTB hub, such as Shimano XT, as this would open up the choices? Or do things not fit?

Thanks.
Andrew

 

[mitchy_]

the new disc defy's use a 100mm front/135mm rear hub, same as a mtb so yes you can use a set of mtb hubs/29er wheels.

that said, what model are you getting? some of the stock wheels aren't that light.. you might be better off using them as training wheels and buying a decent set for racing. (if you're into chinese carbon, a nice light set can be had for $6-700)

 

[mr_h._simpson]

Thanks heaps mitchy.

I thought I'd have to lace it to a road rim but a narrow 29er rim would fit would it? Guessing I couldn't run road tyres but would need to go a slick MTB if I went that way?

Model I'm getting is the Advanced SL 1, wheelset is SLR-0. What's your take on those wheels for racing?

Thanks for the info.

 

[mitchy_]

if you're going to build them yourself, then i'd go for a wide road rim... 29er wheels can work, but you just need to check it's suitable for high pressure tyres (some mtb wheels state they are for low pressure mtb tyres only)

not that i've used them but the SLR-0's are a respectable 1520g, so they should be ok. a friend of mine has a Advanced Pro 2 and said the wheels are almost 1800g, so he ditched them in favour of some chinese carbon wheels at around 1400g.

my disc CX runs a carbon 29er wheelset, and is compatible with CX tyres and road tyres depending on my mood.

 

[mr_h._simpson]

Thanks heaps Mitchy for the info!

 

[Calvin27]

Most 29rims would be 19mm id which should fit down to 25c comfortably unless you're getting some heavy duty ones.

The other thing to watch for is hub tolerances where the centreline of the rotor changes enough to annoy you. This means (I assume cable actuated) brakes may need adjustment after switching wheels over.

 

[mr_h._simpson]

Thanks Calvin,

I was thinking I'd need to adjust the caliper when I switch over wheels. I only race once a mth or so though so shouldn't be a big issue.

 

[OCD'R]

Space the disc out so both wheel sets have the disc exactly the same. I've done this with some 0.25mm washers built for doing just this. They only required (1x) 0.25mm to get the two wheelsets identical.

 

[wavike]

http://www.notubes.com/Iron-Cross-Team-Wheelset-P1340.aspx or grail wheelsets are worth a look

 

[OCD'R]

That's a no to iron cross wheelset (max 45psi), Grail remains an option.

I run 27mm wide (external) with 28c tyres on my road disc bike - love wide rims.

 

[OT]

Hello,

I'm getting a Giant Defy soon and was hoping to get some solid wheels built for training and save the light ones the bike comes with for racing.

It is a disk brake model so the choices of road hubs that are disk friendly is very limited.

Does anyone know if you can use an MTB hub, such as Shimano XT, as this would open up the choices? Or do things not fit?

Thanks.
Andrew

Disc brakes haven't been approved for road or crit racing yet. You might want to look into a non disc version if racing is a priority?

 

[Trickymac]

for my commuter i got a set of light bicycle 29er carbon rims laced to hope hubs bulletproof commuting

 

[mitchy_]

That's a no to iron cross wheelset (max 45psi), Grail remains an option.

I run 27mm wide (external) with 28c tyres on my road disc bike - love wide rims.

i have the same setup (28mm tyres on 27mm rims), it's glorious.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

Me too - wide rims. Though I run 35C on mine. And I don't use the disc brakes yet as the wheelset was built to suit both the rim brake frame I have and the disc brake frame I'd like to own one day. Used the Giant branded DT Swiss 32H hub from the Anthem plus the wheel builders sealed bearing 28H front hub set to the wheel builders house rims using Sapim Race spokes and brass nipples. 1830 grams and $260 delivered.

The other option was to go full road/cross with Novatec D611SB and D612SB hubs and Kinlin XC-279 rims but this would have popped my budget. BDOP in Taiwan also sells this setup as package for a self build option for US$250 delivered http://www.bdopcycling.com/DIY Alloy Road Disc Wheel Kit 24-24.asp and you could probably get a local builder to put it together for another $150 if you can't or don't want to.

My new 36H retro roadie wheels are wide too...H plus son TB14....they'll do my 25C tyres nicely.

 

[mr_h._simpson]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I'll check out the bdop site.

Definitely want to go a wide rim set up to run a 28 or 30c.

Final question! The cassette is an 11 sp. All the hubs I've looked at say suitable for Shimano 8/9/10 speed. Does the 11 speed cassette fit on or do I need a new freehub body? And if so can it fit on to an XT (for example) hub?

Thanks!

 

[mitchy_]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I'll check out the bdop site.

Definitely want to go a wide rim set up to run a 28 or 30c.

Final question! The cassette is an 11 sp. All the hubs I've looked at say suitable for Shimano 8/9/10 speed. Does the 11 speed cassette fit on or do I need a new freehub body? And if so can it fit on to an XT (for example) hub?

Thanks!

This is where it gets a bit tricky. Mtb 11spd fits on a 10spd free hub of Shimano, or an xd driver if sram.

Road/CX 11 Spd requires a longer free hub, there is less options in disc hubs for 11spd, but they do exist. Look at the Novatec D771/D772 hubs. 11spd road free hub, disc compatible, relatively light and also adaptable to most current axle standards. (I run them on my TCX with a 15mm front axle)

 

[mr_h._simpson]

Thanks heaps Mitchy!!

 

[Willy Pete]

Thanks Calvin,

I was thinking I'd need to adjust the caliper when I switch over wheels. I only race once a mth or so though so shouldn't be a big issue.

Space the disc out so both wheel sets have the disc exactly the same. I've done this with some 0.25mm washers built for doing just this. They only required (1x) 0.25mm to get the two wheelsets identical.

Agreed - shim the discs so that you can swap wheels without any further adjustments. Did this with my Hybrid. The Disc Shims you need are made by Syntace and come in a pack of 8. The shims are 0.2mm each and I've only needed to use one per wheel to date to get the discs centralised. Bought mine from the Australian Distributor's site direct, arrived express post next day. Fantastic service.

http://www.eightyonespices.com.au/#!buy-syntace/c1z0u

Stating the obvious, make sure you source disc specific rims. They're usually stronger than those used on rim brake wheelsets. Choose the inside width based on the tyres you intend running. I'm running 700 x 32c slicks on a 17mm inside width rim, front & rear, and they're okay (Mavic A317 Disc) but not optimum. For comparison, Giant fitted Alex DA22 road rims on their 2010 Seek hybrid models coupled with Maxxis Columbiere 700 x 32c wire bead tyres, and the DA22's only have a 14mm inside width. Trend nowadays is to go for 19mm - 21mm wide rims with tyres 25c - 32c to overcome the 'Lightbulb' effect. My 700 x 32c Schwalbe touring tyres are mounted on 19mm rims (Mavic XM719 Disc) and are noticeably superior in hard cornering. (Not really a fair comparison to the factory fitted cheaper Mavic rims, the Xm719 Disc rims are fully welded & much stiffer) Wider rims encourage hard cornering & reduce tyre wall flex. Note that the two Mavics are considered MTB rims.

Check out the ETRTO designation in the spec for each rim you are considering - in the case of the Mavic A317 rims above, the listed size is ETRTO 622 x 17 and the Mavic XM719 rims are listed as ETRTO 622 x 19 (622 is the sizing standard for 700c & 29er rims) The good thing about any 700c disc braked hybrid is that you can quickly swap wheels around with slicks, touring tyres or even MTB knobblys.

As your usage is road oriented, you will be looking at more specific Road Disc rims, (which tend to have a more Aerodynamic profile) are lighter, and usually don't have eyelets.

Suggest you consider those factory fitted wheels as entry level suitable for training/commuting and look into building a better wheelset for racedays. Any LBS will tell you that wheelsets are where most of the larger manufacturers cut costs on components - Giant along with others are now using their own self-branded hubs on most of their range to make it harder to determine component levels against their competitor's offerings.

Cheers

 

[mr_h._simpson]

Thanks for all the info Willy Pete!

Agreed - shim the discs so that you can swap wheels without any further adjustments. Did this with my Hybrid. The Disc Shims you need are made by Syntace and come in a pack of 8. The shims are 0.2mm each and I've only needed to use one per wheel to date to get the discs centralised. Bought mine from the Australian Distributor's site direct, arrived express post next day. Fantastic service.

http://www.eightyonespices.com.au/#!buy-syntace/c1z0u

Stating the obvious, make sure you source disc specific rims. They're usually stronger than those used on rim brake wheelsets. Choose the inside width based on the tyres you intend running. I'm running 700 x 32c slicks on a 17mm inside width rim, front & rear, and they're okay (Mavic A317 Disc) but not optimum. For comparison, Giant fitted Alex DA22 road rims on their 2010 Seek hybrid models coupled with Maxxis Columbiere 700 x 32c wire bead tyres, and the DA22's only have a 14mm inside width. Trend nowadays is to go for 19mm - 21mm wide rims with tyres 25c - 32c to overcome the 'Lightbulb' effect. My 700 x 32c Schwalbe touring tyres are mounted on 19mm rims (Mavic XM719 Disc) and are noticeably superior in hard cornering. (Not really a fair comparison to the factory fitted cheaper Mavic rims, the Xm719 Disc rims are fully welded & much stiffer) Wider rims encourage hard cornering & reduce tyre wall flex. Note that the two Mavics are considered MTB rims.

Check out the ETRTO designation in the spec for each rim you are considering - in the case of the Mavic A317 rims above, the listed size is ETRTO 622 x 17 and the Mavic XM719 rims are listed as ETRTO 622 x 19 (622 is the sizing standard for 700c & 29er rims) The good thing about any 700c disc braked hybrid is that you can quickly swap wheels around with slicks, touring tyres or even MTB knobblys.

As your usage is road oriented, you will be looking at more specific Road Disc rims, (which tend to have a more Aerodynamic profile) are lighter, and usually don't have eyelets.

Suggest you consider those factory fitted wheels as entry level suitable for training/commuting and look into building a better wheelset for racedays. Any LBS will tell you that wheelsets are where most of the larger manufacturers cut costs on components - Giant along with others are now using their own self-branded hubs on most of their range to make it harder to determine component levels against their competitor's offerings.

Cheers

 

[dusty_nz]

Hey Simpson.

I have the same bike. Giant defy advance sl1. Factory wheels are heavy at 1800 grams.

Awesome bike.

MTB wheels are limited by the pressure. Sux as I have a spare set of roval SL MTB rims at 1350 grams.

Make sure you use disc specific rims as braking will pull spokes through the rim.

Let us know what you decide to do.