Put 29 inch wheels on 26 inch frame?

[bkpr]

Quick update:

My LBS dismantled, lubed, and reassembled my bike today, installed a new Blackspire 42t chainring and a new SRAM PC-7x chain, (as well as made a couple of cosmetic adjustments).

They assure me the 29er wheels will fit on my bike no probs, so I ordered the Latitude disc wheel set suggested by bdstorer, all black (rims and spokes) from Dirt Works. They don't have any in stock, so they're building a couple up for me. Will take about a week.

Will let you know how it all goes and post a couple pics here, as well as in this thread.

Happy days

In other, unrelated news: shattered the glass on my iPhone today

 

[n plus one]

Roadie tyres 700x28c front and rear (on a 26" MTB frame) using the Salsa 26" chromoto fork (or Scor Captain Ahab forks if I can source one -- the Token carbon forks with disc mounts look good but I haven't contacted supplier re price).

Yep. Shouldn't be a drama.

 

[bkpr]

Quick update #2:

Turns out that the Latitude wheels aren't disc compatible, so the order was switched to the Orbits - $560.

Turns out the orbits aren't specifically built for single speeds (have room for 9-speed cogs), so I put a stop to that as I've seen a couple of SS conversions and didn't like the look. Got a quote for a custom build, same as the orbits but with Surly SS hubs. $840!

So I've (finally) decided on a standard Orbit wheel up front (DT Swiss rims, spokes, nipples, Dice Roulette hub), and the surly build on the back (same everything except hub). The price came down to just under $700. Which I'm ok with, but girlfriend took a little convincing, heh... I figured if I was going to pay $560 for a wheel set that looked and felt (to me at least) like a conversion, then I'd prefer to cough up a few more bones and get something I know I want.

Anyway, that is all for now.

 

[bkpr]

Quick Update #3:

Surly Quick Release rear hub is a three-week wait. *sigh*

 

[ovadahill]

Quick update #2:

Turns out that the Latitude wheels aren't disc compatible, so the order was switched to the Orbits - $560.
......
So I've (finally) decided on a standard Orbit wheel up front (DT Swiss rims, spokes, nipples, Dice Roulette hub).....

I'm a bit annoyed that the Dirtworks catalog shows Orbits with disc rims (TK 7.1d) but apparently for the advertised price they only have the TK 7.1 (for rim brakes).

 

[bkpr]

They didn't mention that to me, however, they didn't have a single speed specific rear wheel already made — so I had to order a custom on the back.

The rep did apologise for not having the Latitude wheel in a disc compatible build.

 

[superv3000]

put 29 inch wheels on 26 inch frame.

Guess you have your wheels by now, please post up pics & tell us how it goes..


Just to Revive this thread, other considerations:

road bikes have 130mm rear spacing while MTB have 135mm (& even 150mm DH)spacing.

Front is essentially the same, but road or cyclocross forks are now available with v-brakes & disc to suit 29er's.
But forks should be corrected for OEM suspension ie for rake & correct geometry.

Good luck, the worst that can happen is you put all the original gear back on the bike & sell the 700s on this forum.

Try ebay USA - They have heaps of 29er / 69er / 96er options.

 

[Roaster]

Hi guys. This is resurrection of an old thread, but I am looking to do something similar to my trek6300 and I have a few noob questions.

1) has anyone done it successfully with a trek6300?

2) I dont think this is the case, but will the derailleur need any readjustment if I mount a cassette with exactly the same specs onto a bigger wheel. I think it will just be plug and play but a few comments have put the fear in me.

3) It looks to me like the outer diameters of a 26 inch wheel and a 29inch are similar once the tyres are on, only the rim that is bigger and the tyre smaller on the 29 inch. With that in mind I guess it should be an easy swap?

4) 700c vs 29in MTB rims/tyres - does it make a great deal of difference on the road? my existing slicks are 26x1.9 - if I just pump these up to their upper pressure limit, would it still be a significant difference to a thinner tube on either a 26in or 29in?

Sorry about all the questions - I'm very new to the whole frankenbike game and am a bit nervous about wasting cash getting it wrong.

 

[Techno Destructo]

Hi guys. This is resurrection of an old thread, but I am looking to do something similar to my trek6300 and I have a few noob questions.

1) has anyone done it successfully with a trek6300?

2) I dont think this is the case, but will the derailleur need any readjustment if I mount a cassette with exactly the same specs onto a bigger wheel. I think it will just be plug and play but a few comments have put the fear in me.

3) It looks to me like the outer diameters of a 26 inch wheel and a 29inch are similar once the tyres are on, only the rim that is bigger and the tyre smaller on the 29 inch. With that in mind I guess it should be an easy swap?

4) 700c vs 29in MTB rims/tyres - does it make a great deal of difference on the road? my existing slicks are 26x1.9 - if I just pump these up to their upper pressure limit, would it still be a significant difference to a thinner tube on either a 26in or 29in?

Sorry about all the questions - I'm very new to the whole frankenbike game and am a bit nervous about wasting cash getting it wrong.

1) Not me. Never tried.

2) I don't think changing cassettes will ever be truly plug and play, but hopefully it'll be very close. You'll probably still have to do slight adjustments to the rear derailleur.

3) Yep... If you're using a typical road tire diameter (19-23), you'll be totally fine. Heck, you could probably go into the 30's and still be ok...

4)700c rims are narrower than 29'er rims. This means when cornering at high angles (hard cornering at speed), your weight is driving closer down to the center point of the wheels. A 29'er rim is designed for larger off-road tires, therefore the centrifugal force driving on the wheels/tires will be more on the side of the rim/tire, increasing your chance of the tire rolling on the rim during intense forces. Plus, good road tires aren't designed for wide 29'er rims. You'll have to buy fatter tires, which means the PSI won't go as high. This also increases your chance of rolling the tire in the corner, and a loss of energy while pedaling due to the softness of the tire from the lower PSI. If you're riding almost exclusively on the road, go for the road rim, and get a tire that goes to at least 120PSI, and pump it up to that PSI (uh, 120 that is... beyond that, I've heard the benefits are negligible). Don't go for the best of both worlds unless it's REALLY important for you (the bike will spend 50% of the time off-road). Focus on what the bike will be designed to do. Otherwise, you might as well buy a hybrid!

 

[Roaster]

Thanks very much for that techno destructo.

I am getting to the stage where I am ready to put in an order at jenson or CRC. after reading your post I'll probably have a crack at the 700c rims and go for a really thin high pressure tyre/tube arrangement.