mmeiser

Pro tip. Disc brakes and cassettes are easy to align so when you swap wheels you do not need to adjust brakes or derailleurs. Syntace and Sram make .2 mm shims for six bolt rotors. These shims also work for centerlock mount disc brakes. Likewise there are shims for behind cassettes.

Technically speaking you just gotta remember that you can only space things outward and not inward so you have to first identify which wheelset has the most outboard sitting cassette / rotors, you align the brakes / derailleur to that wheelset. (Pro ttip: Make sure they are perfect as possible... it will make the process easier.) Then you place one or two shims behind the rotor or cassette on the secondary wheelset, try it on the bike. If it doesn't align perfectly you add or remove shims from the secondary wheelset until you have it perfect.

I find its a lot like setting up wheels tubless. The newer the wheels the easier it is. The newer the wheelsets the more likely they require no shims at all. With things like thru axle skewers modern wheelsets have near perfect alignment from one hub to the next even when the hubs are made by entirely different manufacturers. Anymore when I set up two wheelsets for newer bike the wheelset are pretapped for tubless and the cassettes and rotors just align perfectly from one bike to the next. And yes I am a pro mechanic and have been doing this for 15 years. I also ride 6-7,000 miles a year. Indeed I just put my studded tires on the 2nd wheelset for my ebike because I f_cking love winter riding. Especially in the snow. But more on this in a minute.

I have two wheelsets for nearly every bike I own. I recommemd this for my customers too. As mentioned most new wheelsets align perfectly without any shims. It takes me a little time the first time I set up two wheelsets to work on the same bike, then I never have to worry about it again. I will typically run studded tires on one wheelset in the winter. Usually a cheaper, heavier wheelset. Then on the more performance wheelset I will run a road / performance tire. In the summer I run road tire on one and a gravel tire on the other.

Another pro tip. I play for keeps when buying or recommemding a second wheelset. If someone is looking to save money because they don't want to buy a second bike (or simply on a budget) then I recommend buying the cheapest wheelset or even finding a used wheelset. If someone is looking for performance then I recommend buying a high quality second wheelset maybe even carbon depending on their needs.

Most wheelsets that come on bikes are cheep pieces of crap so a second wheelset is the number one performamce upgrade you can make for your bike. It also gives your bike versatility. Think about it this way, god gave you a pair of feet but instead of running around barefoot all day you should think about maybe getting a good pair of warm waterproof biking boots, some lightweight trail runners or zero drop hiking shoes so you can do different stuff without loosing skin, toe nails toes and stuff from your bloody stumps. Its not that "manufacturers" are cheap. Its that cheap wheelsets are a great way to make a bike more affordable and for most people they are fine. (So technicallly not crap just a lot heavier then they need to be.) Wether you buy a $500 entry level bike or a $7000 bike you are going to get a "budget wheelset" unless it is specifically a "high mod" or "pro spec" model. This is not a cheat or a scam. Its SMART because wheelsets are one of the easiest thing to upgrade, second only to the saddle, pedals, grips/bar tape. What you should spend your money on is first and foremost a good frame and secondly good components because those are (or were) the hardest things to uograde. That said components have gotten way easier to upgrade with 1x mountain bike tech. Hell all you need is a new cassette, shifter, derailleur and chain to go from a 1x10 to a 1x11 or even a 1x12. You too can have a 9-52 tooth gear ratio so you can climb moutsins or just futz around in really deep snow. And why not go electronic while you are at it! Lol. I love electronic shifitng but that is another topic.

Disc brake wheels, as opposed to rim brakes, have made this wheel swap game awesome because tires and wheels can be completely different. For example my fat bike has 26x4.2" tires on one wheelset and 29x3.25 on the other. Likewise running 27.5x47 (same as 650x47) with gravel tires on one wheelset and 700x28 with road tires on the other has become popular and is promoted by manifacturers as the overall diameter on these wheelsets remains the same so bottom bracket height, geometry and handling remain optimal yet the bike takes on radically different capabilities from road biking to gravel. Or in the case of my fat bike from riding in the snow in the winter to ripping singletrack in the summer.

To give you another hopefully insightful example of how this adds value to your bike I also set up secondary rear wheels for people with trainers. I just find one cheap wheel and set it up with a trainer tire. The key is making sure to shim the rotors or cassette the first time so everything lines up perfectly. After that you are all set to go between the trainer and riding outside and back again on the trainer in minutes. Or as I say around the shop. Just bring it to a professional like me. I make it work perfectly and seem easy. That is my job and why I get laid the big bucks! (Note: People working at Walmart make more.)

Here's what I personally do. First of all as mentioned I f_cking love winter riding. So I have always had studded tires around since I made my own some 20 years ago. That said in the last two years I started ditching the car more and ebike commuting 4-5 days a week so this winter I have decided to up the game. This year I made the leap to the latest / bestest new breed of tires from "45 Nrth". Sure I love the old Schwalbe studded I habe been running for years but from a technical standpoint they are pieces of crap. Well not really crap but more "primative". This is to say the quality of the new breed of stuff is spectacular. Not to be to much of a geek but but 45Nrth has almost singlehandedly revolutionized performamce winter biking with their tires let alone cloathing and other gear. Basically like their sister brand Salsa they have shined a bright light into a space that only "loosers without a licemsce" have dabbled in and made it not only cool but fun. And yes.. when people see me riding in the winter they still occasionally ask me if I lost my license implying that I am some sort of drunk. But mostly people realize because of my fancy carbon, titanium, merino wool and lycra "virtue signaling" that I do this because I love it, not because I am some sort of a "loser" but more of a "weirdy". Anyway the old schwalbe are steel bead and have a habit of blowing off the rims if over inflated or just old. Especially since moisture has a way of getting into the rubber and corroding the steel bead. Rubber is porus after all. The new 45Nrth are kevlar beeded and can be set up tubless. The old tires weigh twice as much as the new tires which have much more enginering including multiple types of rubber instead of just a single ply. This with the kevlar threads means more pliable sidewalls don't break down from running lower pressures while having different properties in the belt to avoid flats and again different rubber on the tread and fancy "sipping" for grip.. Also the old Schwalbe tires are 30-60tpi or something like that while the new tires are 60-120tpi. Thats "threads per inch". What it means is a considerably lighter more durable tire that can hold up to a high pressure and yet be more compliant and flexible so it does not break down when running lower pressure. Finally the studs on the old Schwalbe tires litterally get rusty and on occasion fall out. The new tires have corrosion resistant studs. On the old tires if studs fell out oh well. On the new tires you can litterally add and remove studs as you see fit. Some people like more studds in the front and less in the rear just the same as some people will use a studded up front and not in the rear. If you loose control with the front tire you die. If you loose control with the rear tire you simply "drift" and if you go down you go down much more predictably.

So in summary. First, I f_cking love cycling, especially winter cycling. I think its the same reason as I love true wilderness. Its because when I'm out there riding in the blizzard, the snow, the dead of winter the only mofos I am going to run into are crazies like hang out on this forum and talk about studded tires, gear ratios and rubber compounds. And those mofos are my bros, my sisters, my peeps and my tribe. Congrats on being a crazy guy or girl on a bike. And if you are a crazy old guy or girl on a bike, like in your 70's or 80's... you are my hero. I'm getting there rapidly. Gonna hit 50 soon. Health awesome so far due not sitting behind the wheel of a car. And I might make it if the cars don't kill me one way or another yet. F-cking polluting, metal death coffin, fat and lazy making pieces of sh_t.

P.S. And yes when I say I love riding in blizzards that is not some sort of metaphor. I really mean I f_cking love riding in blozzards. And if you challenge me on it I will share dozens of photos of rides and trips I have taken in the winter. You see I live in Ohio. We don't have mountains... so the only time nature aserts itself is when it storms like a mofo. So I have to either ride hundreds of miles to mountains and nature or wait until it storms like a mofo and scares away all the lazy people so I can have my "nature" all to myself. And then I am apt to either bike hundred or thousands of miles or if I am busy just go do a quick overnighter in a raging blizard in the public park a half mile away in my hammock or hot tent... because noone expects a crazy bastard to be stealth camping in a public park in the middle of a damn blizzard! And that is why I love the winter. #MicroAdventure #AlastairHumphryeys #BeauMiles #s24o

If this is helpful or you have any questions give me a thumbs up... oh wait this is not R_ddit-dot-com. LOL, bikeforums is autmatically redacting mentions of other websites. I did not realize they were so insecure. Well instead of a thumbs up just respond with a question or to let me know if this was helpful.