I’ve got a Trek Equinox 7 from around 2008, and even though it was spec’d with 23mm wide tires when new, modern 23mm tires won’t clear the seat tube so I had to find a 700x20mm tire and 20mm tires are virtually non-existant these days.
So I think my options are to convert the bike to 650b (I really don’t want to go this route), or modify the rear dropouts, or have the rear dropouts replaced.
Right now I’m thinking it might be viable to machine or file a horizontal slot rearward in the vertical slot thereby turning the dropout into a pseudo-horizontal dropout. I haven’t done any careful measurements yet to determine how far rearward I would need to extend the slot nor have I verified if this is even feasible. I’m kind of thinking just an axle diameter might be enough to provide clearance to the seat tube.
I don’t want to convert to tubular rims, so if I damage or wear out the current tires then the bike is basically parts.
I have attached a marginal photo of the rear of the bike along with a quick and dirty CAD sketch showing what I’m considering. And of course if I cut too far rearward then durability becomes a factor.
I figured the framebuilders section might be the best place to post this. I don’t know how long I’ll keep this bike so just looking for input right now.
thanks for any advice or opinions.
