After deciding that I want to scale down my bikes I have two a 29er really made up as a hybrid type bike and a hard tail MTB To be honest I just want one bike I would like to get a 26inch wheeled frame and have a set of 700c wheels and skinny tyres to stick on it when I do the long rides I do with the tent on the back on a rack etc but still have something I can use for the light MTB riding I do on the odd weekend. Would be using rigids up front as the wheels would fit ok then, disc brakes so no probs with the brakes on rims. What do they ride like though? I have never tried it.

Yes it should work fine – I’ve certainly bodged it in the past.

What do they ride like? Like a bike with skinny tyres really – bumpier.

Won’t hub spacing be an issue..?

I’m assuming mtb hubs with 700cm rims otherwise, yes, road wheels have 130mm rear hub width (mtb are 135)

Works fine, the rear hub spacing is only 5mm difference and the fronts are the same.

I’ve got a set of 700c rims mounted to some CK disc hubs and they fit fine on a 26″ IF. Larger tyres (38s) do have clearance issues on some frames.

My commuter is an On One Inbred with 700c rims built onto XT hubs. Works fine. Mtb frames will take a 700c wheels with a 32 size tyre without problems.

I use disc brakes but you can get adaptors to raise V or canti brakes up to meet the rim. Mavic do one.

It rides / handles alot better with 700c wheels than it does with slick tyres on 26-inch rims.

Yes, done it on an old frame. You’d need to be careful what size tyres you use as it can get pretty close. Pretty sure it worked on a 420mm pair of On-One rigid forks as well. Rode from Holyhead to Cardiff on it and it was fine. Can’t remember any odd handling characteristics….

As for hub spacing, 700c is the same diameter as 29″ so you can run 700C tyres on a 29er pair of wheels….

you can run 700C tyres on a 29er pair of wheels….

Careful about mixing wide mtb rims with narrow road tyres…

I think Liam Killeen or Oli Beckinsale used to do just this so they could train on road effectively with the same bike fit.

Be doing it myself once I can afford to rebuild my hubs onto 29er rims, but likely using cross tyres due to width on road and proper off road tyres over summer.

Fair point by Clubber. I think I’m currently running 35c tyres on a pair of Fulcrum 29er wheels, but would need to check this to confirm….

I have thought about bodging old frames in to 29ers. Anyone gone the full distance with 29″ suspension fork on a 26″ frame. I would have thought that would screw the geometry but if its rated for a long travel would that compensate?

Last summer.

1999 Kona. 700c Wheels. 35mm Cross tyres

8)

I used to use a set as an alternative set of wheels for my inbred – open pro rims on WTB disc hubs. If you want to frequently swap between 26″ and 700c wheels it helps to have matching hubs on both sets to save having to adjust the brake calipers every time you swap them. If you don’t use a matching set then 6 bolt rotors can be adjusted with fancy little shims from Syntace. I don’t think centrelock rotors can be shimmed, but I’ve never owned a set, so thats a guess.

I run my old skool Ti-Inbred with two sets of wheels, and it works perfectly:

Commute: Mavic Open Pro + Hope XC, Conti Gatorskins (skinny and fast) or Schwalbe Marathon Plus (beefier)

Off-road: Mavic 717 + Hope XC

Because the hubs are the same, there is never any issue with the disc brake setup when swapping wheel sets.

Most rim manufacturer’s website will tell you min/max tyre width info…

that Kona is nice

That Kona is lovely

….but the patio needs weeding

That Kona is sweet dood! I’m going to try this with my lovely 96 Kilauea. I have been using a road rat for the past month, in attempt to pull of this kind of hybrid… but the tubing is dull compared to the Columbus loveliness of my Kona. So…. what do you reckon about fitting a 700c fork to a 26″ frame with 700c wheels? ie: could I put some On one 29er forks on to the Kilauea and therefor only have to worry about one set of V-brake boss adapters (or maybe a re-weld)???? Is this possible?

old Trek MTB frame, planet x carbon fork on front, drops, some sort of v to canti adaptor on back, 700c wheels off the classifieds from a jake the snake i think , 32mm tyres, frogglegs, XT triple – ugly as hell but fun on tarmac and anything that isn’t too rocky

no probs with 135 spacing edit as that is rear only

hmm i have a spare soloist frame sat around atm with a 29er fork ,this could get intresting.

Stablebarns – Member

That Kona is sweet dood! I’m going to try this with my lovely 96 Kilauea. I have been using a road rat for the past month, in attempt to pull of this kind of hybrid… but the tubing is dull compared to the Columbus loveliness of my Kona. So…. what do you reckon about fitting a 700c fork to a 26″ frame with 700c wheels? ie: could I put some On one 29er forks on to the Kilauea and therefor only have to worry about one set of V-brake boss adapters (or maybe a re-weld)???? Is this possible?

An older bike will need a short axle to crown fork.

I think the geometry is similar between a 96 Kilauea and a 99 Caldera as in they were both designed around a 63mm travel fork or in rigid terms a 410/420mm axle to crown.

The On One 29er carbon fork is 470mm axle to crown. Add in the extra height of a 29er/700c wheel and you will need a step ladder to get on to your chopper.

Most shorter forks still allow for a 35mm 700c tyre/wheel to be fitted.

The Salsa fork I use is 420mm axle to crown and will fit a full blown 29er wheel with a 2.25” tyre 😯 See picture below.

BTW don’t go the reweld route unless going for a disc conversion like I did.

canti adapters are only circa £25 for a set to do the rear meaning any work can be undone later on.

Edit >> Like these:

Found here

My Kona in fugly 69er mode:

Was way to chopper like …..

Loadsa room with the fork though:

😀

iain1775 – Member

….but the patio needs weeding

Duly noted 😳

So…. what do you reckon about fitting a 700c fork to a 26″ frame with 700c wheels? ie: could I put some On one 29er forks on to the Kilauea and therefor only have to worry about one set of V-brake boss adapters (or maybe a re-weld)???? Is this possible?

Depending on the geometry of your Kilauea I’d be more inclined to go for some 26″ rigid forks for a 700c wheel, the on ones are 445mm a-c and are equivalent up to 100mm travel and have plenty of room spare. 29er rigids would be very slack handling imo.

These are also popular.
http://www.carboncycles.cc/?s=0&t=2&c=43&p=199&

I think you would find forks 440/445mm axle to crown too tall.

This is a friends 1995 Explosif with the same forks as mine and a 29er wheel.

Open question …. any recommendations on rim/hub combinations and almost as important a recommendation as to where I could get them from?

Thanks

Jon