Wheels for MTB Commuter

Beardy10
Beardy10 Posts: 115
edited April 2008 in Commuting chat
I want to buy a second set of wheels so I can put some road tyres on my old Specialized MTB and use it as a commuter.

Any suggestions which wheels to go for? Presumably regular MTB wheels are relatively over engineered for road use so maybe I can get something a bit lighter ? Obviously need to stick with regular size though....and the bike has V brakes.

Thanks

Comments

  • Gambatte
    Gambatte Posts: 1,453
    why not just a second set of tyres?
  • Beardy10
    Beardy10 Posts: 115
    Gambatte wrote:
    why not just a second set of tyres?

    I want to be able to use it as an MTB still....reading my post again it does sound like I am just going to use it to commute!
  • nwallace
    nwallace Posts: 1,465
    What wheels are on the bike just now?

    I have Mavic XC717 Discs on my Zaskar and a XM719 (with braking surface) on the front of the Sardar (X119 on the back)

    1.9" Slicks will probably have a recommended maximum of around 60psi
    1.5" Slicks will probably be around 80psi
    1" Slicks will probably be around 90psi

    The XC717s have a recommended maximum of 75psi for 1" tyres. Where as the XM719s have a recommended maximum of 115psi for 1" tyres.
    Do Nellyphants count?

    Commuter: FCN 9
    Cheapo Roadie: FCN 5
    Off Road: FCN 11

    +1 when I don't get round to shaving for x days
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Beardy10 wrote:
    Gambatte wrote:
    why not just a second set of tyres?

    I want to be able to use it as an MTB still....reading my post again it does sound like I am just going to use it to commute!

    Yeh it does actually, saying your dragging your old bike out.
    I like bikes...

    Twitter
    Flickr
  • John Stevenson
    John Stevenson Posts: 962
    You could probably save a few grams by going to light wheels, but it'll be a tiny fraction of the difference made by the tyres, both because they're a lot lighter than MTB tyres but mostly because slicks roll that much faster.

    Rather than wheel weight, I'd be worrying about rim width and the exact position of the braking surfaces. It's far easier to swap wheels like this if those two dimensions are the same, because you won't have to adjust your brakes.

    The simplest way to manage that is to use the same model rims.
    John Stevenson
  • Rykard
    Rykard Posts: 582
    If it's an old bike, it may be easier to get 2 new sets of wheels as this will also mean you won't have to fiddle with the indexing if the dishing is slightly different.
    Cheers
    Rich

    A Vision of a Champion is someone who is bent over, drenched with sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.
  • Gambatte
    Gambatte Posts: 1,453
    If it's an old bike, it may be easier to get a cheap or 2nd hand roady?

Categories