Hi all been awhile since visiting... so hi . I am in the process of turning my old Trek 2100 (carbon/aluminum) road bike into single speed, for cycle path workouts (crushed limestone/ paved) and a somewhat short commute to work. My questions are these:
I will be using and ENOs eccentric rear hub, but have no idea of what kind of wheel to build around it.
1. The wheels I took off of the Trek were 700x23c, if I go to cyclocross tire will I need a silghtly larger rim?
2. Does anyone have a rim suggestions for around $450 for the wheelset? I like to keep them alloy as opposed to carbon.
3. And lastly gearing: most of what I have read says 42T X 15T gearing, I live in Illinois and while not mountainous it has plenty of short steep climbs, any input?. the LBS suggested 48T x 18 that seemed a little intense for me although once up to speed it would seem very doable. By the way Iam very math illiterate and have tried studying the tables for gear ratios....... they dont help me.
Hi all been awhile since visiting... so hi . I am in the process of turning my old Trek 2100 (carbon/aluminum) road bike into single speed, for cycle path workouts (crushed limestone/ paved) and a somewhat short commute to work. My questions are these:
I will be using and ENOs eccentric rear hub, but have no idea of what kind of wheel to build around it.
1. The wheels I took off of the Trek were 700x23c, if I go to cyclocross tire will I need a silghtly larger rim?
2. Does anyone have a rim suggestions for around $450 for the wheelset? I like to keep them alloy as opposed to carbon.
3. And lastly gearing: most of what I have read says 42T X 15T gearing, I live in Illinois and while not mountainous it has plenty of short steep climbs, any input?. the LBS suggested 48T x 18 that seemed a little intense for me although once up to speed it would seem very doable. By the way Iam very math illiterate and have tried studying the tables for gear ratios....... they dont help me.
1. only if you want to run a much lager cross tire, You could get away with a 28-32 on the stock rim. Should be more than enough.
2. maybe mavic cx1.1 (aeros or somthing) makes for a much stronger rim
3. Try riding your regular bike around and find a gear that is doable. Just pick a gear that you think might be close and just ride without ever shifting. Keeping in mind that you will probably run a shorter crank. don't be afraid of gear, its going to be hard on those climbs no matter what. I think the 48x18 would be ok.
1) The rim isn't going to be the limiting factor for cyclocross tires, but rather the brakes, chainstays, and fork crown. Unless you're riding on extremely loose surfaces, 28mm road tires should be enough and they should fit.
2) Mavic Open Pro is pretty much standard. It's tough, and well within your price range.
3) There's a good gear inch calculator here: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/ Give it some ratios, a tire size, and it can spit out speed at a given cadence.
Thanx all for your replies it really helped. Here are my decisions based on input given.
Rims: Mavic cxp 33
gearing: 42 X 16 + 18 (White Industries has a double freewheel a small adjustment changes cogs)
and it will be a full freewheel with front and rear brakes. I will post a picture when it's done for those interested. Havnet been this excited since my training wheels were removed...lol
Thanks again for all of your feedback. May the force do its thing in your general directions peace
