Wheels
 

Stupid question,I have a waterford frame with 26"wheels set up for trail riding,I want to convert to my commuting bike,can I put bigger wheels on it,I am buying a nice lightweight set but there are more 27.5 options ,I did say it was a dumb question

Rim brakes? Is there enough adjustment for the larger diameter wheel?

Unless your bike has disc brakes, the brake reach difference from the 26" (ISO 559) rims to 27.5" (ISO 584) rims is 12.5 mm (~1/2") and will probably be beyond your brake caliper's adjustability. Also will the fork and rear triangle accept the larger wheels and tires without rubbing?

Rim or disc brakes? Answer this question and you can go on from there.

Rim,I tried a 622 in the frame it fits but you are right brakes don't reach.

Cantilever brakes or caliper? If calipers, you could possibly swap out the calipers to some with longer shorter reach. If cantilever (which is what I'm guessing, given it's a trail bike), I think you're limited. Also, as noted above, the rear triangle may be the deal breaker if not the brakes.

Caliper,yeah I starting to realize the problem,I just can't find many 26" lightweight wheelsets

Where you located?
I know a shop around here that has a Mavic 217/XTR wheelset that's never been ridden, never asked the price just cool to see. Probably plenty of shops have similar options.

I will,thanks for 5he tip,I am in Minnesota

I guess that your wheels are decimal 26" ones aka MTB wheels. If so, you can put quite narrow slicks on them if the rim is narrow enough.

26 x 1" https://www.einradladen.com/26-x-10-...-Kenda-Konzept

It's really one inch not ten inches. LOL

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...25f1dfe918.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5f8e6faa63.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...40f53d9188.jpg
Cheers

Yeah I am leaning that way,been looking for a long time,no luck.Thanks for the link.

I found 26x1.25 tires to be a great size for suburban/urban commuting. More than a few tires to choose from, such as https://www.modernbike.com/panaracer...6-x-1.25-black

Just picked these up for my daughter's bike and I'm building up a pair of velocity A23 rims.
https://planetcyclery.com/michelin-w...1-black-tr8372

Forgot about these https://www.boxcomponents.com/Box-Two-Brake these brakes have 35mm of pad adjustment, might cover the jump to a 27.5

Wow check out these brakes,pretty sure they will work,thanks

Never tried these but: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...Fp%2F895288265

Thanks for the options,can't wait to check them out tomorrow, great options

Why the need to switch from 26 to something else? If you want a lightweight wheelset find a wheel builder and get them to build you one. You can quite easily find hubs and spokes and there are at least a few decent rims still out there for 26". If you aren't a heavy person you could potentially go 28h or less (though finding rims in that drilling and size might be a bit tough especially in rim brake).

If I were building wheels I would probably go White Industries T11 or CLD hubs (depending on rear spacing) , Sapim Force spokes and Secure Lock nipples on a Velocity A23 rim (which you can get in 26 with machined sidewalls). If you wanted lighter and more performance oriented you might consider Sapim CX-Ray spokes and if you are truly weight weenie go with aluminum nipples. For tires I wouldn't go super narrow personally as I like the width for comfort and ease of rolling over stuff and also speed.

veganbikes 's advice is correct. Switching wheel sizes will not gain you anything but incompatibility hassles.

I disagree with the above advice to get ultra-narrow tires - wider tires, all other things being equal, have less rolling resistance, and also require less pressure, which gives a more comfortable ride and more traction. There are lots of good 26" tires in medium widts (1.5" or so). My favourite is the panaracer Pasela, which rolls like a racing tire, but for a low price.

Bikeman Panaracer Pasela ProTite Tire - 26 x 1.5, Clincher, Wire, Black/Tan, 60tpi

Also, you should know that moving your brake pads to match the braking surface when changing rim sizes will result in a significant change to brake performance. Generally speaking, if you are moving the pads away from the brake's pivot point - as you would have to do if going to a larger wheel size on your bike - you will have less braking power for the same force input at the lever. IF moving from 26" wheels to 650b (27.5), the 12.5mm pad movement required is a significant change over the original distance from the pivot to the pad, and will cut braking power greatly. It might be possible to use non-V-brake compatible levers, which pull less cable but with more tension, with the V brake model linked above. I wouldn't think it would work very well with V-brake 'long pull' levers.

I have pretty narrow 26" rims on my MTB that is converted to a dropbar bike. When I switch out the 2.125 tries for smooth 1.25 tires I notice a HUGE difference in ease of pedaling with the narrow tires. In fact when I had 42 (or was it a 44?) large chainring on the bike I often spun out with the narrow tires because it was so much easier to pedal than with the wide tires. I put on a crankset with a 48 teeth large chainring to correct that spinning out problem.

Cheers

Part of the spinning out problem is likely because you actually made your wheel a smaller diameter. And part is likely because most 2.125 tires are not the lightweight supple-casing tires that most narrower slicks are. If you get the same make and model tire in a wider size it will generally roll easier. If I am wrong and you changed from brand A, Model X tires in 26 x 2.125 to brand A Model X tires in 26x1.25 then I am mistaken, but I am willing to be that the different sets of tires had nothing in common besides the rim they fit on.

Wheel diameter isn't that different between a 2.125 a 1.25, not enough to need a new chainring. Wider is better to an extent and then it isn't. I'm putting the 1.1's on my daughter's bike because its the narrowest tire I can find that's decent. But a 1.1 is equal to a 28mm tire, not really all that narrow. How much faster 28 is than a 23 isn't that significant a difference and 32 or 35mm aren't faster. There is a point where wider just adds more rolling resistance and enough extra weight to upend the whole thing not to mention any possibility of aerodynamics go out the window. For commuting a 1.2-1.4 tire is wide enough though I wouldn't go wider then 1.2 which is a 30mm tire and really after that things get slower and don't add much more to a commute then time.

This is not true. 'Rolling resistance', the energy lost to tire casing flex as you ride, is less for wider tires, if comparing otherwise identical tires. At higher speeds aerodynamics will play a part, especially if your rim is too narrow compared to the tire. And for climbs, the additional weight will play a part, although if the tires have identical construction then this will be pretty minor.. But if tire construction is the same, wider tires have less rolling resistance.

Maybe not that much a difference in wheel diameter but I KNOW that when I put the narrower 26" tires on my MTB wheels my largest chainring was too small and I frequently spun out whilst pedaling on flat surfaces. The difference between the two sizes of tires was immense in the amount of effort i required to pedal.

YMMV and apparently does.

Cheers

Russ Roth If we assume the cross section of the tire is round such that the increase in width corresponds to an equal increase in height, changing from 2.125" to 1.25", the difference to the radius is 0.875", and a difference to diameter of 1.75", which is approx. 7% of a nominally 26" wheel. To get the same drive ratio you would need to increase the size of the chainring by 7%. 44 x 1.07 = 47, so an increase of three teeth, which would explain Miele Man feeling the need to swap from 44 to 48.

Miele Man has not told us that his average speed went up when he changed tires, just that he was spinning out, and a smaller tire would definitely require an increase in cadence to achieve the same speed in the same gear.

I have seen the studies where this is true comparing 23 vs 25 and 28 though most seemed to find that while 28 had an advantage the difference in resistance between a 28 and 25 wasn't as great as the difference between 23 and 25 and was becoming a case of diminishing returns. I've yet to see one that claims a 32 or 35 has a smaller contact patch then a 23 or 28 and I suspect that's for a reason. I assume that once you get past a certain point the sidewall has to be stiffer tomaintain the shape of the larger casing and weight eliminates any advantage in any situation. Even for light tires the difference between 23 and 25 can be several ounces per tire.

Wouldn't have thought it would be that big a difference but it seems it might be.