SnazzyMax

Hi!

First time posting here.

My bike is a Btwin Triban 540 - bought approx. 3 years ago new.

I'm looking to buy new wheels and possibly new brakes (disc brakes if possible), so I may render this bike fit for a small tour from Barcelona to Bordeaux.

I've never changed the wheels (stock Mavic Aksium - 24mm i think?), but I'd like to go for the full 32mm if possible, so I can have wider tyres for more grip on rougher terrain. Is this a good idea?

If I get wider wheels, then I'd like to change the stock rim brake system to a disc system too.

Any suggestions please? I'm really not sure what to be looking for or where to start - I'm not particularly knowledgeable in this field.


Thanks to all in advance for your help!

Dan Burkhart 

That bike brand is a new one to me, so I did a quick search. It does not appear that frame or fork has disc brake mounts, so switching would not be an option. The blurb I saw said it already accepts 32mm tires, so I don't really know what you expect to gain except perhaps a more sturdy wheel set to support loaded touring.

Trevtassie

There's no reason why you can't tour with rim brakes. Change the cables to a quality set like Jagwire road pro. Change the brake pads to some Koolstops or Swisstops . You can easily put 32mm tyres on 24mm rims but the issue with your current rims is more to do with strength rather than width, with only 20 spokes put a big load on the back rack and you will need to be very careful, especially if you are a bit chunky. Realistically you'd be better off with 32 or 36spoke wheels. You aren't going to be able to easily fit racks on those carbon forks to spread the load either. With no disc mounts on the frame or forks you could change the front fork to one with mounts for racks and discs but back discs are never going to be an option. You are kind of trying to change a sports car into a van, It's possible, but will cost a bit and never work as well as a real van. You need to evaluate whether it might be cheaper to find a more appropriate used bike as a base.

HillRider

Changing to disc brakes is not at all practical and if you really have to have them you need a different bike. However, touring with caliper brakes is done all the time. As noted fit good pads like KoolStop Salmons and you should be good.

Your wheels are wide enough to fit 32 mm tires but the low spoke count really isn't adequate unless your touring load is very minimal. Replacement 32 or 36 spoke wheels are highly recommended. The bike does have mounts and eyelets for front and rear racks so you are OK there.

Finally, is the gearing low enough? The specs say the bike comes with an 11x28 11-speed cassette and mid-compact 52x36 double crank. Is a 36x28 gear low enough for the hills you have to deal with, particularly with a touring load?

Crankycrank

How much weight do you weight and how much weight do you plan to carry? You may be able to get away with your current wheels and wider tires if combined weight is say (wild estimate) under 230 lbs. Looks like your trip is around 400 miles so not a huge strain to your bike on decent roads. My biggest concern, as HillRider mentioned, would be gearing as I think yours is pretty high for doing loaded climbs. A real tour bummer if you end up killing yourself on inclines. Lots of touring info can also be had in the touring section https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/ .