Wheels for an old mountain bike

SachaJ

I'm preparing to do up an old mountain bike, picture below.

I'm assuming it has 26" wheels and I'm thinking I might be best to grab a couple of new wheels while the Wiggle 20% sale is going on as they will be the most expensive part of the build. The bike has the old type rim brakes so I'm wondering would these wheels fit:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sram-406-race-mtb-front-wheel/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sram-406-race-mtb-rear-wheel/

Next up, is it a standard rear sprockit fitting? What else would I need - set of quick release skewers/axels? Something like this:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/halo-porkies-xl-alloy-qr-skewers-pair/

Tyres. Was thinking of putting 1.5" on but the 1.75" are a tenner cheaper each. Is it worth going for the thinner tyres?
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-tourride-city-mtb-tyre/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-comfortcontact-reflex-mtb-tyre-and-tube-set/

Any info appreciated as I don't really know much about this stuff....

Tenzor07

You may be as well to pick up the parts from Adverts or from a local bike shop no point in buying wheel(s) that are worth 10 times as much as the bike..

Even the skewers you have linked to are worth a lot more than the bike...

SachaJ

Tenzor07 wrote: »

You may be as well to pick up the parts from Adverts or from a local bike shop no point in buying wheel(s) that are worth 10 times as much as the bike..

Even the skewers you have linked to are worth a lot more than the bike...

My intention is to only keep the handlebars, frame and forks and update everything else. Have a budget of around €500 so it should make for a decent bike.

lennymc

my 2 cents. you would be better of buying a decent bike with your 500 quid. If its a build experience your after buy parts for 500 quid and build it up. The frame and forks dont look anything special. You could get a nice reynolds 531 frame and parts and build that up. Unless you have any special attachment to that bike I wouldnt spend too much on it.

the wheels you listed above look like disk specific wheels so probably wouldnt work with rim brakes. I would also guess that the frame spacing is different for the new wheel hubs.

piston

It's what the bike is worth to you is the important part.

Wheels and tyres are the single biggest improvement to be made to any bike. This type of bike will never be fast compared to a road bike but in my experience, early MTBs ride pretty well with good slick tyres and are very tough, durable, comfortable, practical and make excellent all round bikes.

The one thing I would look out for here is the fact that you probably have a thread on freewheel on your original wheel. The wheel you linked to is a cassette hub. You cannot get cassettes with any less than 7 speeds and I believe even 7 speed cassettes are getting thin on the ground. This may mean you have to get new gear changers as well. If you currently have 5 or 6 speed thread on freewheel block, I would get a wheel with a thread on hub and do a like for like replacement. It will keep the costs down.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html Explains the difference between freewheel and cassette hubs. Some people rubbish freewheel hubs nowadays but remember they standard issue for best part of a century and people have toured the world on them. Adding more gears generally leads to increased cost as the thinner chains don't wear as long.

SachaJ

Great info, thanks lads....

Reason I want to use the old bike is because it has a steel frame. I'll be adding a child crossbar seat so want plenty of strength.

The bike has 6 speeds on the back but I'm not adverse to getting new changers either as what's there is almost 20 years old.

studiorat

Trezor's right hang on and pick up a second hand pair. You'd get them for the price of one of those SRAM wheels. Does it even need new wheels? Given the amount of rust on the rear of the bike I'd wonder about doing it up at all.

You could buy a better bike price of the wheels alone, let alone €500.

http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/carrera-subway-8/1484213

http://www.adverts.ie/bikes/wheels-26-inch-mtb-7-speed-cassette-handlebar-shifter-brake-levers-rear-mech/1484837

In other news I may have a half decent pair of suitable wheels in the shed I may be putting up on adverts soon!! There's a set of new slicks in there too!

lennymc

SachaJ wrote: »

Great info, thanks lads....

Reason I want to use the old bike is because it has a steel frame. I'll be adding a child crossbar seat so want plenty of strength.

The bike has 6 speeds on the back but I'm not adverse to getting new changers either as what's there is almost 20 years old.

i have at home an old townsend trail 531 mountain bike that I modernised. I bought the bike new in 1992 or something so I am keeping it and will keep it. I also have a 531 harry quinn frame that i got from tax man on here. I like 531 steel

Anyway, if I was you, I wouldnt change anything that didnt need changing. First thing to do would be to evaluate what is there at the moment. Is the bike in regular use? If not, then maybe change all cables (inners and outers). Check the condition of the chain. check bottom bracket. If you dont need to change anything then my advice would be not to. As for tyres, i would look at the narrower slick tyres provided you are going to be riding on tarmac/roads. The wheels should be 26 inch btw. I did run into problems with various part compatability and ended up using a full sora chainset and derailers/cassette on that bike.

If it was me, and i had no particular attachment to the bike, i would buy a steel framed bike for 500 quid. it will be easier in the long run. Or even buy a good steel frame. Steel frames are nice, but (imho) they need to be good steel frames.

Sheldon browne's website will have most of the information you will need on anything bike related.

hope that helps

Lenny

SachaJ

lennymc wrote: »

i have at home an old townsend trail 531 mountain bike that I modernised. I bought the bike new in 1992 or something so I am keeping it and will keep it. I also have a 531 harry quinn frame that i got from tax man on here. I like 531 steel

Anyway, if I was you, I wouldnt change anything that didnt need changing. First thing to do would be to evaluate what is there at the moment. Is the bike in regular use? If not, then maybe change all cables (inners and outers). Check the condition of the chain. check bottom bracket. If you dont need to change anything then my advice would be not to. As for tyres, i would look at the narrower slick tyres provided you are going to be riding on tarmac/roads. The wheels should be 26 inch btw. I did run into problems with various part compatability and ended up using a full sora chainset and derailers/cassette on that bike.

If it was me, and i had no particular attachment to the bike, i would buy a steel framed bike for 500 quid. it will be easier in the long run. Or even buy a good steel frame. Steel frames are nice, but (imho) they need to be good steel frames.

Sheldon browne's website will have most of the information you will need on anything bike related.

hope that helps

Lenny

Great thanks. I know the sprockets & chain are all in ****e and could do with a bearing on the front forks/frame.

I'll take a good look at it and see what can be salvaged. The wheels are not too bad but there is a slight wobble on them. I'll give them a chance and can always upgrade later.

Bike has not been used much in recent years and lived out the back of my brothers house.

lennymc

keep us updated.

piston

The wheels can be trued so long as they are not actually buckled/kinked. Even then, a skilled wheelbuilder could work wonders but it would be cheaper to buy a set of cheap wheels. With patience, you should be able to true them yourself if it's just a spoke tension issue. There should be a guide to it on the Sheldon Brown site and there are any number of You tube videos on trueing wheels.

Take the hubs apart (again, more guides on cup and cone bearings on Sheldon's site). You ideally need a set of cone spanners but it may be possible to manage without. Clean them well in white spirits, clean the cones and axles. Examine them for pitting. There will be a shiny ridge where the ball bearings run but it shouldn't be deep or pitted. Check that the back axle isn't bent (happens more than people realise). Axles and cones can be replaced for a few Euros from a decent bike shop. Quick release hollow axles would be more expensive than solid nutted ones. Serious wear or damage on the cup inside the hub means the hub is scrap. Some high end hubs have replaceable cups but not at this level. Replace the ball bearings, they're very cheap. You will need (usually) 11 x 3/16" ball bearings on each side at the front and 9 x 1/4" ball bearings on the back. The originals probably have less balls and a cage filling in the gaps. You don't need the cage, it will run better and last longer with the extra balls. The cage is there because it makes it easier to build at the factory. Fill the cups with grease and push the bearings into it. The grease will keep them in place. Adjust the cones until there is no play but the bearings still turn smoothly with no sticky spots. Sheldon will give you chapter and verse on achieving this.

6 speed freewheel blocks are easily and cheaply available from Uk Ebay. 18 gears is all you really need and a 6 speed block will outlast a 10 speed cassette many times over if you look after the chain.

Simple MTB shifters usually last okay, just oil them and maybe replace the cables if they look rusty or frayed.

BostonB

SachaJ wrote: »

Great info, thanks lads....

Reason I want to use the old bike is because it has a steel frame. I'll be adding a child crossbar seat so want plenty of strength.

The bike has 6 speeds on the back but I'm not adverse to getting new changers either as what's there is almost 20 years old.

Why would you spend money on that rather than just a new one. I don't understand.

Tenzor07

BostonB wrote: »

Why would you spend money on that rather than just a new one. I don't understand.

I don't get it either, spending €500 on what is a rusty paint chipped old frame when there are loads of good bikes for the same price and less on Adverts!

SachaJ

OK.... get the message

Spoke to the missus and she said I could get a bike through her cycle to work scheme. Looking at the Cube LTD 2012 now. I reckon it would be a bit of a difference to the 20 year old bike.

I think I'll still try and restore the old bike over time but not spend much on it

Tenzor07

SachaJ wrote: »

OK.... get the message

Spoke to the missus and she said I could get a bike through her cycle to work scheme. Looking at the Cube LTD 2012 now. I reckon it would be a bit of a difference to the 20 year old bike.

Hallelujah!

BostonB

It makes better financial sense. I have a mint 16yr old MTB and even I ended up spending a fair bit on it once I started commuting on it. The money would have been better spent on a new bike.

Mycroft H

You can learn a ton from stripping and replacing old bikes though which would not be otherwise learnt with a new bike.