26 inch road wheels

In article <[email hidden]>,

Keiron said:

hey all.

purchased decripid road bike off ebay for fix-up. it has 26inch wheels,
steel rims so rusted to hell. I'm trying to buy new replacements but
struggling to find 26" road wheels. Is there any reason why 26" MTB rims
built around the old bolt-on axel hubs shouldn't work? gradient of rims,
general strength for example? Clearly i'd have to use mtb slick tyres but
any other 'problems'?

Which 26" road bike did you buy? British "club" and Schwinn
"lightweight" bikes used 26" tires, but they are not the same size as
MTB 26" tires. Given your description of it as a road bike with steel
rims and 26" wheels, I'm guessing it is one of those first two choices.

http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Ryan Cousineau said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Keiron said:

hey all.

purchased decripid road bike off ebay for fix-up. it has 26inch wheels,
steel rims so rusted to hell. I'm trying to buy new replacements but
struggling to find 26" road wheels. Is there any reason why 26" MTB rims
built around the old bolt-on axel hubs shouldn't work? gradient of rims,
general strength for example? Clearly i'd have to use mtb slick tyres but
any other 'problems'?

Which 26" road bike did you buy? British "club" and Schwinn
"lightweight" bikes used 26" tires, but they are not the same size as
MTB 26" tires. Given your description of it as a road bike with steel
rims and 26" wheels, I'm guessing it is one of those first two choices.

http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

If Ryan's guess (the so-called 26x1-3/8 rim) is right and you tried to
switch to MTB rims, the brake pads wouldn't come anywhere close to the
sides of the rim. Don't think a brake with long enough reach is made.

I've done that conversion (for a lark, mostly) and had cantilever posts
brazed onto the forks/stays.

Mark

Keiron said:

hey all.

purchased decripid road bike off ebay for fix-up. it has 26inch wheels,
steel rims so rusted to hell. I'm trying to buy new replacements but
struggling to find 26" road wheels. Is there any reason why 26" MTB rims
built around the old bolt-on axel hubs shouldn't work? gradient of rims,
general strength for example? Clearly i'd have to use mtb slick tyres but
any other 'problems'?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your existing wheels have a much larger diameter than the 26 in mtb
rims. With the existing brakes the pads will probably hit the tire's
sidewall and not the rim.

However you can use 26 in mtb wheels *IF* you put on long reach
side-pull caliper brakes such as those for BMX bicycles.

Here in Canada those brakes are available at Canadian Tire stores for
about $12 Cdn.

You might find used ones at a recycle cycles operation or your bike
shop.

Alloy rims are much better braking surface than your steel (chromed)
ones.

Hope this helps.

Peter

Thanks all but i'm afraid matters are further confused. I dug out the
rotting tyres that accompany the wheels to find the following designations:
Front: 32-597 (26 x 1 1/4)
Rear: (37-590) 26 x 1 3/8 ~ 650 x 35A

This is exactly how they appear on the tyres.

Now according to Mr Sheldon Brown this makes the bike either a "Older
British sports & club bike" (front wheel measurements) which i accept as i'm
in england, it's an old road bike and its an O'Brien frame (relatively old
english company). The back tyre however is EITHER: schwinn lightweight,
which is patently isn't OR a 3-speed, department store or juvenile 10 speed,
again neither of which it is OR using the french system: "A french version
of the 26 x 1 3/8; italian high-performance bikes for smaller riders."
Guessing it is this one. This would make the wheels 2 different sizes either
590mm Or 597mm ISO.

I'll further investigate the actual wheel size but assuming thats its one of
these sizes can i purchase rims of these sizes anymore (preferably in the
UK). Can i get appropriate tyres i.e. those which use straight rims? Or if
i'm able to get a 590/597mm modern wheel which probably has sloping rims
will the older wienman calpier brakes be suitable?
I appreciate that these are checkable facts but fact is i cant seem to
locate these products or data so i'm appealing to those who just happen to
know or who have toiled through this dilemma already.

Thank all.

Keiron said:

hey all.

purchased decripid road bike off ebay for fix-up. it has 26inch wheels,
steel rims so rusted to hell. I'm trying to buy new replacements but
struggling to find 26" road wheels. Is there any reason why 26" MTB rims
built around the old bolt-on axel hubs shouldn't work? gradient of rims,
general strength for example? Clearly i'd have to use mtb slick tyres but
any other 'problems'?

First, what flavor of "26 inch" is it? Lots of road-bike-ish units
were sold in years past which used the old EA3 rims with 26 x 1 3/8
tires, and those are *not* mtb rims; throw a set of 559 wheels on a
frame that's set up for 590, and the brakes are likely to grip nothing
but tire sidewall.

Also, beware of the possibility that it's an old Schwinn with S6 rims;
those are yet another size (597) and take tires that you may have to
special order. There are other, even less common "26 inch" sizes that
it might be, but that's less likely.

Second, is it worth the effort? Decent 27" bike-boom roadies in good
shape can often be had from garage sales for under $20, and they are
generally going to be a better bet for a refurb than what you've
probably got.

Third, if it's set up for 559 wheels, and if it's worth the effort,
nice aero rims from Velocity are easily had which build into very good
street-bike wheels. They're sold as mtb rims, but with skinny slicks,
they're really good for pavement.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Keiron said:

Thanks all but i'm afraid matters are further confused. I dug out the
rotting tyres that accompany the wheels to find the following designations:
Front: 32-597 (26 x 1 1/4)
Rear: (37-590) 26 x 1 3/8 ~ 650 x 35A

This is exactly how they appear on the tyres.

Now according to Mr Sheldon Brown this makes the bike either a "Older
British sports & club bike" (front wheel measurements) which i accept as i'm
in england, it's an old road bike and its an O'Brien frame (relatively old
english company). The back tyre however is EITHER: schwinn lightweight,
which is patently isn't OR a 3-speed, department store or juvenile 10 speed,
again neither of which it is OR using the french system: "A french version
of the 26 x 1 3/8; italian high-performance bikes for smaller riders."
Guessing it is this one. This would make the wheels 2 different sizes either
590mm Or 597mm ISO.

I'll further investigate the actual wheel size but assuming thats its one of
these sizes can i purchase rims of these sizes anymore (preferably in the
UK). Can i get appropriate tyres i.e. those which use straight rims? Or if
i'm able to get a 590/597mm modern wheel which probably has sloping rims
will the older wienman calpier brakes be suitable?
I appreciate that these are checkable facts but fact is i cant seem to
locate these products or data so i'm appealing to those who just happen to
know or who have toiled through this dilemma already.

Oh, bloody.

Okay, what you have is a bastardized mess. My instinctive guess, from
long experience with similar bikes, is that the rear is the wheel
which doesn't belong on this bike. Either one or the other is wrong
for the bike, however, and both are of questionable virtue now, so the
best plan is to closely examine the brakes and see which wheel works
with them best. Once you've determined the size that should be
adopted for the replacements, you can start shopping for a different
pair of wheels. Be aware that if you can find them, aluminium-rim
wheels in the correct size will provide much better braking than
chromed steel, particularly in wet conditions.

Best of luck; such projects can be fun, but do try to avoid
overspending. A complete used bike in immediately useful condition
may be cheaper than the cost of the bits to make this one whole again.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Keiron said:

purchased decripid road bike off ebay for fix-up. it has 26inch wheels,
steel rims so rusted to hell. I'm trying to buy new replacements but
struggling to find 26" road wheels. Is there any reason why 26" MTB rims
built around the old bolt-on axel hubs shouldn't work? gradient of rims,
general strength for example? Clearly i'd have to use mtb slick tyres but
any other 'problems'?

Sure, there could be several problems.

Which one's not at all obvious. 'Decrepit' could be a 26 x 1-3/8 EA-3
[-590] rim, a mountain bike 26 x decimal [-559] rim, or a triathlon 26 x
1 (571] rim.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

In message <[email hidden]>, Keiron
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Thanks all but i'm afraid matters are further confused. I dug out the
rotting tyres that accompany the wheels to find the following designations:
Front: 32-597 (26 x 1 1/4)
Rear: (37-590) 26 x 1 3/8 ~ 650 x 35A

This is exactly how they appear on the tyres.

Quoted message said:

I'll further investigate the actual wheel size but assuming thats its one of
these sizes can i purchase rims of these sizes anymore (preferably in the
UK). Can i get appropriate tyres i.e. those which use straight rims?

I'm wading in with more on UK availability and context but most of what
the other posters have said applies in the UK.

The sizing you have given makes sense and no further information on the
old rims is needed. However you could usefully take some measurements on
the frame. How much space is there between the tyre and fork crown? Or
if the tyres are too shot to inflate, between the 597mm rim edge and
fork crown?

We have an old Mercian that came with 597mm rims but has plenty of space
for a 622mm (700C) wheel and 25 - 622 tyre and will still just about
take mudguards.

If you decide to stick with one of the old 26" sizes there are some
parts are readily available but probably not all at your local bike
shop.

You can get several of good tyres in the 590mm size in the UK including
the Schwalbe Marathon which is a long lasting touring tyre. (Any local
shop in the UK should be able to order these from Fisher.) There are
quite a few more basic quality ones around too. The choice is worse than
for the larger British touring size 32 - 630mm (27 X 1 1/4"😉 and much
worse than 622mm (700C). The greater limitation in this size is alloy
rims. SJS in Bridgewater (sjscycles.co.uk) have some nice Sun CR18 rims
listed in their online shop but I was not been able to find any others
when I was evaluating an old frame. The CR18s are not cheap but would
let you build a really good set of wheels. (Not cheap in any size.) If
you plan to use the existing hubs, you need to check how many spokes
holes they have as well as assessing the condition of the bearings.

There were alloy rims made in 597mm and these often change hands at
cycle jumbles and between enthusiasts. The ones I have seen are 40 hole
for the rear and 32 for the front but 36 hole may well exist too. The
tyre choice is very limited although Schwalbe made some recently and I
think SJS still have some.

Quoted message said:

Or if
i'm able to get a 590/597mm modern wheel which probably has sloping rims
will the older wienman calpier brakes be suitable?

I'm not too sure what you mean about the slope. On my 630mm Dunlop alloy
rims which have sloped brake tracks it's just the brake blocks that take
the angle. Old long reach side pulls are not super effective and if this
is a bike to use you might want fit some long reach dual pivots and
modern levers.

The other thing you may need to think about is the dropout spacing. The
narrow spacing on old frames is good if you want to use old hub gears,
fixed hubs and similar period parts or to use the hubs you have already
got but it is another hurdle if you are trying to turn an old bike into
a modern one.

Sheldon Brown's site is the place to read up on this, hub bearings and
practically everything else including how to measure brake drop. The
Glossary is a good way in and he has also set up an effective search
within the site.

If you overcome the brake drop problem, there are two related things to
consider about going to the 559mm mountain bike size. Your frame will
probably only take the narrower MTB slicks because of the space between
fork blades and between the chain stays and fitting MTB wheels with
tyres of the same section as you have now will lower the bike nearly
20mm which may or may not matter depending on the present bottom bracket
height, the crank length and the type of gearing - fixed wheel needs
more height than freewheel.

Quoted message said:

I appreciate that these are checkable facts but fact is i cant seem to
locate these products or data so i'm appealing to those who just happen to
know or who have toiled through this dilemma already.

I've not heard of O' Brien and so I can't help with any idea of the
standard of this frame. The 597mm wheel size was used relatively
recently in the UK with steel rims for some fairly basic light commuter
bikes as well as for good quality clubman bikes with Reynolds 531 tubing
(in the 1950s and 1960s). Does the frame have any Reynolds transfers?

A lot depends on how, and how much, you get to use the bike. Spending
out on new good quality rims, spokes and tyres could make sense if you
commute on it over a good period even if the frame is nothing very
spectacular. With drop bars, a dowdy paint job and a basic rack this
could be quite a good stealthy commuter unlikely to attract the wrong
kind of attention in the bike racks. The suggestion that a 1970s 27"
wheel bike would be a better buy (the Bike Boom bike mentioned by a
previous poster) could be true although many of those bikes have fairly
poor alloy rims with rusted up spoke nipples. A few (those that were
used a good bit) may also have seriously worn brake tracks so new rims
will be needed - the value of those bikes very much depends on careful
evaluation before buying.

I "toiled over this 26" dilemma" with a nice frame that was clearly
intended for 597mm rims and in the end put the frame aside until I had
cleared a few other projects....

--

Martyn Aldis, e-mail [email hidden]
==============================================================================

Hi all,

Thanks for all your suggestions and comments. It turns out that the wheels
were actually two different sizes, one 590 and one 597, mightly odd
methinks. The solutions was salvaging another bike out of a skip with,
rather happily, two 597 wheels with a few miles left. Looks like this will
be the vice of this particular machine but it'll be sweet while it lasts. I
hope to share my new wheel knowledge if the next poor soul.

Thanks again.

keiron

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Keiron said:

purchased decripid road bike off ebay for fix-up. it has 26inch wheels,
steel rims so rusted to hell. I'm trying to buy new replacements but
struggling to find 26" road wheels. Is there any reason why 26" MTB rims
built around the old bolt-on axel hubs shouldn't work? gradient of rims,
general strength for example? Clearly i'd have to use mtb slick tyres
but any other 'problems'?

Quoted message said:

Ryan Cousineau said:

Which 26" road bike did you buy? British "club" and Schwinn
"lightweight" bikes used 26" tires, but they are not the same size as
MTB 26" tires. Given your description of it as a road bike with steel
rims and 26" wheels, I'm guessing it is one of those first two choices.
http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

Mark said:

If Ryan's guess (the so-called 26x1-3/8 rim) is right and you tried to
switch to MTB rims, the brake pads wouldn't come anywhere close to the
sides of the rim. Don't think a brake with long enough reach is made.
I've done that conversion (for a lark, mostly) and had cantilever posts
brazed onto the forks/stays.

Ryan's probably on the right track. But 'no long brakes'?? Plenty of
$15 to $20 calipers out there. This woman used a BMX 1020 brake to
reach her MTB (559) rims in a 27-inch wheel frame:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/daily.html

(that photo changes regularly. Today's shows a 1973 Jeunet 610 frame
with MTB wheels set up as a fixie)

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971