AtNjineer

The bike size charts say a 29er frame is the right size for me at 6’ I do have the 29er bike now but do I have to stick with the 29er wheels?
I have a set of 26” sturmey archer wheels I want to throw on it. Leaving the 29” wheels mainly for off road use.

but does that throw off the sizing?

Kontact 

How are Sturmy Archer hubs going to fit into MTB dropouts designed for wider hubs and a thru-axle? How are you going to brake with no discs?

Other than that, the steering geometry and pedal clearance will be all screwed up.


And this is not a bike fit question.

Iride01 

Every sub-forum here has a description of what it's about. This is the one for this sub-forum.

Though I firmly believe that the sub-forum should be called "Fitting You to Your Bike". Or something that isn't as ambiguous as it is now.

While different size wheels may help you fit on the bike, the information about changing the wheels on that bike to a different diameter is better suited for the Bicycle Mechanics sub-forum as more people that are mechanic's and DIYer's will be in that sub-forum to notice and answer your question. Though some do come here and I think you got a mechanic and me a DIYer to respond here, wouldn't you like to hear the views of more mechanic's and DIYer's so you can pick what you thing best for you?

I don't think the change in wheels will throw the sizing of the bike off for you. It likely will make the bike more sporty handling. So if you don't like sporty handling, which some people call twitcy, then that's a consideration for you.

Steve B.

If the 26" wheels use the same axles and everything is disc brake, it could work. Might handle weird. Best solution is look for a deal on compatible 29" wheels and throw some street tires on them.

AtNjineer

assumptions aside..

Your right!

Switch from 175mm cranks to 165
throw the wheels on
and rise the seat a 1/4 inch
I should be good

AtNjineer

But the most common crank length for Bc’s is 175 so for what

oldbobcat

So throw those wheels on and see what happens.

Road Fan

Well, I agree, but since Kontact alluded to thinking about what it actually might take to make them work and to think about if the wheel swap is really just a swap:

the way a Sturmey AW hub fits a frame, they don't all fit the same.
Are the 29er wheels for derailleur gearing? Any issues there if you swap in the wheels from a Raleigh 3-speed?
The front wheels should be no problem, except the fork end spacing might not be a match,
the brake shoes might not match up to the smaller radius 26" wheels.
In the back if you don't transfer the trigger shifter to the 29er you won't have any 3 speed shifting.
If you don't get a narrow-width Sturmey sprocket the narrow MTB chain might not run smooth.
Will teh rear chainline of the Sturmey hub line up with the MTB front sprocket? If not you might have the chain throwing.
Will the unused rear derailleur be somehow in the way?
Finally, will the brake shoes line up with the rear wheel?

This could easily turn into a lot more than just a swap.

PhilFo 

You have to squeeze a 135mm rear triangle about 20mm in, to get the Sturmey axle nuts to engage any threads. A suitable single-tab anti rotation washer (better a mirrored matching set) needs to be found to prevent the ale from wandering in the dropout. If this is a newer RXL Sturmey hub, then the axle width isn't nearly as much of an issue, as they are spaced at 135 OLD, but the anti rotation thing is more important since the radial shifted hubs need more precision in axle placement for shifting. We still don't know how this bike is going to stop though...

blacknbluebikes 

stopping is over-rated.

Leisesturm

Seriously? Personally, I think you're having us on. I'd check your post history if it weren't so late. What's with the crank swap? For the love of God, why? S-A makes a LOT of hubs. And, believe it or not, a couple of them slide into a 135mm OLD dropout just fine. The CS-RK3 (don't quote me) even is a disc hub. But the main issue with your o.p. is the very first sentence: "The bike size charts say a 29er frame is the right size for me at 6’". What, there aren't bikes that fit 6' riders that don't use 29" wheels? Sounds like what you need are "all road" tires that can do a bit of everything. Any other plan is simply silly.

Eric F 

“29er” is not a frame size.

AtNjineer

it’s not a frame size but with a tad of coherentness lol you know what I’m talking about

a little more common sense and a little less of a politically correct imagination lol


too much imagination being used in here. Because I only brought up wheels by sturmey archer I never said with matching hubs lol

all good. Know how it goes on here

Trakhak

If the S-A hubs fit the frame, and the brakes are compatible, all you need to worry about is the reduced ground clearance for the pedals, maybe.

Eric F 

What is "coherentness"? As far as I can tell, that's not really a word.

What is "politically correct imagination"? Using parts that are designed to work together isn't being "politically correct". Generally, it leads to having a bicycle that functions efficiently and safely.

Frame sizes for 29" wheels range significantly, fitting people of a wide range of heights. Same with frames for 26" wheels, or 650b wheels. A 6' tall person could ride any of those wheels sizes (and others) with no issues. However (as others have noted), putting 26" wheels on a frame built for 29" wheels brings up a bunch of compatibility - and possibly geometry - issues that can't be ignored if you want a reasonably functional machine.

All that said, people do all kinds of unusual things with bicycles. Good luck.

LesterOfPuppets

If you're looking at a chart like this, it's only for department store bikes. With slightly nicer bikes you can get a 29er model with choice of frames sized to fit most folks from 5'4" to 6'6" You can also get 27.5" and 26" wheeled bikes with frames to fit someone 6'0"

Share some good photos of your existing bike and 26er wheelset and we might be able to tell you if you can fit those wheels into the frame or what changes might be required to put them in the frame. If you can get those wheels into the frame the bike will handle much differently than it will with 29er wheels and the pedals will be lower to the ground than what you're used to.

You'd most likely be MUCH better off buying wheels that closely match those that came on your 29er instead of fooling around with 26er wheels.

Eric F 

Apparently, I'm too short to ride a bike with 29" wheels. Chart fail.

Polaris OBark

The final two entries on the right-side contradict one another as well.

Also, without knowing tire width, the wheel diameter isn't all that informative.

If OP wants smaller wheels, a nice pair of 27.5" might be ideal, and as they are getting unpopular, might be slightly less expensive.

Kontact 

What kind of Sturmey Archer wheelset has no Sturmey Archer hubs?

AtNjineer

so a senior member is going to chime in and share the perception that wheelsets do not come with hubs from other companies.

Thats great

ive never been so enlightened

alright

for the admins i wont put your incoherence into more words than I have

LesterOfPuppets

AFAIK S/A makes hubs, but not rims or spokes, so S/A wheels basically means a wheel set with S/A hubs. I can't fathom a way of having an S/A wheelset without S/A hubs. Not sure of all this, but maybe a C&V guy can chime in with verified info

Eric F 

Kontact's question was fair. Sturmey Archer is best-known for their hubs. When someone mentions a "Sturmey Archer wheel", most experienced bike folks understanding would be a wheel built with SA hubs. Because of that, a "Sturmey Archer wheel" without SA hubs is a puzzling concept, and is going to invite questions to determine whether it's something unusual, or something being identified incorrectly.

How did your experiment with 26" wheels go? It's been over 6 months since this was initially posted. Surely, you should have some experience with your attempt to fit those wheels on your 29er frame by now. I'm curious to hear about the results, and maybe see some pics.

Kontact 

A senior member asked you a polite question:
What kind of SA wheels don't come with SA hubs?

Could you please answer that question?

Some help: https://www.sturmey-archer.com/products

AtNjineer

stop guy guy with your coat of sugar

I know the difference I’m almost against my will annoyingly aware or the condescension.

Or I would had been asked what hubs do I have in my wheels.

Maybe they are not sturmey archer wheels tho it’s possible that this item is using the sturmey archer name is bc the set uses a sturmey front hub idk
heres the image and reason why I refer to them as sturmeys

but ive swapped out the hubs for a dynamo and alfine 8 hub

I did try and put them on my 29 in frame but the rear did not have the spacing for the 8 speed so it was a no go. Then soon after I was on the local trail and took a tumble. I bent the fork a tad. Since then I haven’t really been riding that* bike.

I’ve been riding the 20”

AtNjineer