I have an old school 26" Principia alloy frame which no one wants to buy but way too good to chuck.
I also have a mixed country lane/ offroad commute which I will be doing more of as my kids become more independant.
Is it stupid to build it up as a cheapo hack using rigid mtb fork, 700c wheels, the widest tyres I can get away with (32c?) and BB7's on drops? Do 26" bikes handle ok with 700c wheels?
I've squeezed in 32mm tyres on 700c wheels to an old 26" frame and rigid forks. The wheels are a bit larger and it felt like it slowed down the handling a bit. I used flat bar though. Using a drop bar will introduce more handling changes. It'll still work, but personally i'd stick with the flat bars.
You will die a horrible death.
But probably not from the 700c wheels. 700x25c is the same rolling diameter as 26x2.1" if that helps.
Why not? I would go with the drops and see how it handles. I'm guessing the angles will be in the range of road/touring/gravel frames so I wouldn't worry too much about upsetting the handling, sure it might be a bit different, but most of my bikes handle differently from each other despite using original sized wheels!
Might seem too obvious but why not build it as a 26er or 650b? More tyre choices that way?
Might seem too obvious but why not build it as a 26er or 650b? More tyre choices that way?
I assume you mean more space rather than choice - I'd imagine there are an awful lot of CX/gravel tyres available around 700x32.
If you're building the wheels up anyway, it makes no difference, but if you had a 26in wheel set available I'd probably try that out with the drops first. A bit more squish from the tyres will go a long way, and with the right tyres won't slow you down much if at all.
I assume you mean more space rather than choice
Yes, I did. Thanks for the correction. More space = more choice of tyre-width/volume. Not more choice of tyres.
I'm also thinking that a 26er frame with 700cs will raise the B/B considerably, altering the handling especially on twisty un-paved sections.
And of course - wider tyres also roll better. Win/win?
something in the region of:
Check clearance, might struggle.
As above wheel size not much difference so BB height won't change much and even if it did it doesn't matter as much as the marketing ****s would tell you .
You'll want a short stem tho, your TT will be too.long by 3 cm or so compared to a drop bar frame .
Ive done this with both an one-one inbred and currently with a scandal. As i was going on hols and i wanted the option of both road and off road riding.
The scandal has 28mm tyre on and is fine, with the inbred i had to shop around to find a 32mm that would fit. Even then there was about 1mm if clearance.
26" monstercross with 2.35" tyres, a pair of something like https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/HBNIRM3/nitto-rm-3-gravel-handlebar and an 80/90mm stem...
A 26" adventure bike is born. 😉
Ok Rocketdog's Wanga is fantastic however I can see something like Malvern rider's pick above being of more use to me and I think it will suit the frame better - I might even dare I say it......unblank the brake bosses!!!
Now I just need a 26" fork with bosses for the classic look
Ok Rocketdog’s Wanga is fantastic
Can I quote you on my tinder?
This is precisely what I want to do with an old kona frame I've got in the garage, the plan is to weld on a disc tab at the rear, grind off the canti bosses and give it a lick of paint...
The plan is to kit it out with the kaffenback fork and some other bits from my commuter and pannier rack as a geared replacement for my fixie/possibly a bit of a tourer...
That's the plan anyway...
I’ve done this very recently. Was donated an old slot dropout 26er inbred and rigid fork. Cheap 700c wheels and some 36c tyres just squeeze in (slot dropout helps with seatstay bridge clearance. Vertical dropout would be a bit tighter). It’s flat bar at the moment cos I want to keep hydro discs on it. Handles fine with the right length stem, did 25 miles from padstow to the Eden project via camel trail the other week, with pannier. Nice and comfy. Might add bar ends for longer rides. Planning a bike touring trip round Belgium in a few weeks on it.
I’ve got some some pace carbon rigid forks you could have for £40. Very short steerer though.
Disc only mind.
Bought a Lynskey Ridgeline 26’r single speed frame on here, now with 700c wheels, rigid carbon 26" fork, 1.75 Veerubber 29'r tyres and drop bars, 19lbs.
Will email a pic, not having much luck posting pics anymore!
Nice bike maxlite - pretty cool you can get 1.75 in there.
Great inspiration keep em coming!
recently picked up a Kona Dewdrop frame and P2 forks dirt cheap on ebay and have done this
Built up with flared drops 105 double with a wide range SLX cassette, rear mech on a Wolftooth roadlink, can run either 26" x 2.4 or as it is currently 700c x 32mm
Rides lovely, very spritely and the flared drops are ideal
Hmmm I finally had time to drop in a 700c x 32c wheel off my daughters hybrid and whilst it fits there is only a few mill under the seat bridge and certainly can't get a bigger tyre in. So I think it will be 26" with big gravel tyres, flared drops, 1 x 10 with either a bar end shifter or a road lever shift and BB7's.