road wheels/tires on a mtb frame

[dm_hawk]

I recently moved to the city and have really gotten into doing laps around the park on my Marin Eldridge Grade MTB. It would be nice to have thinner tires with less rolling resistance, so I would like to:

a. put a pair of slicks or "city" tires on my mtb rims (Mavic X139)

OR

b. buy a new wheelset (plus cassette) with thinner tires, so I could change the wheels between street and mtb at a whim.

What size wheelsets/tires would I need to look for in either case? My current tires are 26x1.95, and I don't see a size, per se, printed on my current wheelset - all I know is that they are 26".

Thanks in advance...

 

[gclark8]

do you have V-brakes or discs?

If V-brakes just go for slicks, the thinner the better, as thin as 26x1" Conti road tyres.

If discs, then new 700c wheels and tyres.

I used 48-64mm drop calliper brakes in one I built with 700c wheels this week:

 

[dm_hawk]

do you have V-brakes or discs?

If V-brakes just go for slicks, the thinner the better, as thin as 26x1" Conti road tyres.

If discs, then new 700c wheels and tyres.

I used 48-64mm drop calliper brakes in one I built with 700c wheels this week:

Thanks.

I have V-brakes. Will my wheels accomodate tires as thin as 26.1"? I couldn't find a size range written anywhere on the wheel itself.

 

[gclark8]

Thanks.

I have V-brakes. Will my wheels accomodate tires as thin as 26.1"? I couldn't find a size range written anywhere on the wheel itself.

Then measure the rim width with a ruler of vernier callipers. It will probably be 22-25mm between the braking surfaces, 16-19mm internally, you can use a 26x1"->2" tyre on that rim. Just make sure the recommended tyre pressures are observed.

There is a long topic on this subject: http://www.cyclingforums.com/t291662.html

 

[nerdag]

If discs, then new 700c wheels and tyres.

If you're runnig discs, then there's no reason not to buy 26" slicks either.

You can get 700c wheels if you want, but they would work better with discs than V-brakes, since the V-arms may not be long enough with the mounting posts set for a 26" wheel.

Mind you, if you build a pair or road wheels for your MTB (whether disc or V), you'll also want to make sure the rear spacing matches your frame - most modern MTBs have a 135mm rear hub outer lock nut diameter.

Most modern road frames and rear hubs are 130mm OLD.

n

 

[dm_hawk]

Then measure the rim width with a ruler of vernier callipers. It will probably be 22-25mm between the braking surfaces, 16-19mm internally, you can use a 26x1"->2" tyre on that rim. Just make sure the recommended tyre pressures are observed.

There is a long topic on this subject: http://www.cyclingforums.com/t291662.html

Thanks a lot!

I had a thorough read of the above thread, and ordered a set of Conti Sport Contact 26X1.3". I'll ride on those for now and decide later whether to bother with a new wheelset.

 

[Road Rage]

Thanks a lot!

I had a thorough read of the above thread, and ordered a set of Conti Sport Contact 26X1.3". I'll ride on those for now and decide later whether to bother with a new wheelset.

Hi dm,

Thought that I would put in a couple of words here too on this topic...

I wanted to make my MTB (06 Cannondale Rush) a bit more street freindly as well. I got really tired of the GGGRRRR that the knobbies made on the asphalt as well as the drag that they seemed to cause (drove a roadie like me crazy...lol).

I shopped around for a road slick that I could install on the 26" wheel. I came up with the Specialized Fatboy 26 x 1.25. Beautiful slick design, inflatable to 100 PSI...perfect. Or so I thought. The problem with this smaller slick on a 26" wheel is that it makes the outside diameter aspect a whole bunch smaller than normal, effectively changing your gear ratios by quite a bit. It felt like I was riding on the small chain ring all of the time even though it wasn't. This wasn't going to work for me.

I went out tire shopping again, both physically and online. Came up with the Maxxis Hookworm in 26 x 2.50. Still a road slick but with a cool siped tread pattern, like a motorcycle tire. These mounted up on my Rush's Mavics no problem and clearance wasn't an issue like I thought they would be...the Hookworms are a big, fat tire. I inflated them to their max pressure (65 PSI) and went for a spin.

Result? Incredible! These tires changed the personality of the bike completely. The Hookworms rolled fast and true around town. My Rush is now a potent urban assault vehicle and the big fat slicks look absolutely cool...especially on the Lefty. It's really a bike trail attention getter and conversation starter.

As my bike has disks, brakes didn't play a part for me like they will for you. Try and find the biggest slick that you can to keep between your V Brakes. You won't be sorry!