700c or mountain bike size wheels for touring

sonicred007

Hi all

As some of you will have seen I recently completed the C2C... now I know for some of you that's a cake walk but for me it was a good hard ride.

Problem was I buckled my back wheel due to the varying nature of the surfaces on the route... however I enjoyed the largely traffic free/lite cycling -- makes such a change from commuting in London.

I wasn't particularly travelling with alot but the standard issue on the Spesh Crossroads didn't like... I've done London to Manchester with more but that was all on tarmac and I had wider tyres on for that journey.

I want to do more of this type of riding (ie verying surfaces away from cars)... do I get stronger 700c wheels or opt for the naturally stronger mountain type

Also the bike stops on the route didn't have spare inner tubes for a 700c... and I'm told the mountain bike is pretty much standard fair in most places... is this exaggerated?

I am going to get a more suitable touring bike in the next year or so... any particular pros or cons for 700c vs mountain bike size wheel... I'm no speed king so that doesn't particularly bother me

Best
Stuart

andymiller

sonicred007 wrote:

I want to do more of this type of riding (ie verying surfaces away from cars)... do I get stronger 700c wheels or opt for the naturally stronger mountain type

Also the bike stops on the route didn't have spare inner tubes for a 700c... and I'm told the mountain bike is pretty much standard fair in most places... is this exaggerated?

I am going to get a more suitable touring bike in the next year or so... any particular pros or cons for 700c vs mountain bike size wheel... I'm no speed king so that doesn't particularly bother me

I'd say there's probably very little in it except for the stuff about reputedly more available outside North America and Europe. 29er wheels have some advantages for taller people as frame designers have to make fewer compromises.

If you're currently riding 700c and happy with that then the best bet would be to get yourself a good pair of wheels built by someone like Harry Rowland or Spa Cycles. You can then move these on to your next bike and sell the wheels that come with the stock bike (or keep them as spares).

On the other hand if you're looking for a tough expedition bike then you might want to go down the route of using a mountain bike frame (eg On-One Inbred or 456). (Although equally there are 700c/29er options).

If you want a really tough rim then check out the Rigida Sputnik (available in both 26-inch and 700c). (although be warned, it is heavy and as with any wheel it's the quality of the build that counts). If you go with a steel-framed bike then you can fit MTB hubs if you prefer.

sonicred007

I'm thinking of getting the Surly Long Haul trucker frame and forks... I'm 5'9" so that may mean the 54inch frame does / does not fit - that's the biggest size that'll take 26's

I'm glad the answer is get a decent wheel built... I'm not planning on needing anything more tougher than the C2C route... I guess I'll have to get/hire a mountain bike for pure off road stuff

What sort of price am I looking at for the wheels?

Thanks for advice - and if I get the wheel made then they'll go easily onto the Surly frame and forks

andymiller

Very much off the top of my head, a £130 or so for a rear wheel with something like XT/Ultegra, more for XTR or Hope. Less for the front wheel.

EDIT: I've just looked at the Chain Reaction website - if you wanted cartridge bearings as opposed to Shimano loose bearings CR are doing custom builds with Hope hubs: £250-odd for a pair of wheels with Hope Pro IIs with Mavic 721s (You could go with Pro3s if you are going non-disc and/or 130mm OLD). They have a price calculator so you can look at different options. I don't know what their builds are like. You could use the calculator as a reference and see what prices you can get from other builders.

(I won't get into the cartridge vs loose bearings debate - a whole other thread!).

ralex

If getting a new bike, personally I would go for something with 26" wheels given your off road or trails aspirations, and some fairly comfy but still lightweight tyres.
Thorn Sherpa?
If you just want to upgrade your existing bike with new wheels I would go to Spa Cycles and get something with Rigida Sputnik rims :
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s179p0

sonicred007

Thanks Ralex

I was thinking of upgrading wheels to then upgrade the frame/forks entiirely

Looked at the Thorn Sherpa and I can see your point

The Waskerley Way or Whinlatter Pass on the C2C are prime examples that are off road to me, but in terms of the guides and the maps it's just a little rougher

Best

Stuart

amaferanga

Something like Deore XT hubs on Rigida Sputniks would give you super tough and reliable wheels without breaking the bank. I've never used Sputniks personally, but everyone seems to say good things about them. I've used XT hubs for touring in distant lands and they've been good for close to 20,000km with only a couple of regreases. For 700c Mavic A719 or A319 are good, but more expensive than the Sputniks. For 26" I've always used Mavic EX721 and had zero problems, but a lot of people complain about the rims cracking at the spoke holes (IMHO due to overtensioning of spokes which some 'good' wheel builders are prone to doing it seems).

sonicred007

Thank you Amaferanga

lloyd_bower

I am going to get a more suitable touring bike in the next year or so... any particular pros or cons for 700c vs mountain bike size wheel... I'm no speed king so that doesn't particularly bother me

Really depends where you are touring, certainly outside of the Europe and the US, mountain bike sized tyres are much more common and I reckon a safer bet.

sonicred007

lloyd bower wrote:

I am going to get a more suitable touring bike in the next year or so... any particular pros or cons for 700c vs mountain bike size wheel... I'm no speed king so that doesn't particularly bother me

Really depends where you are touring, certainly outside of the Europe and the US, mountain bike sized tyres are much more common and I reckon a safer bet.

That's what I was figuring... not that I am likely to tour outside the US or Europe, but even my C2C experience proved frustrating: one an official bike stop had no 700c inner tubes at all and then ten miles down the road a proper bike shop on had very narrow 700c tubes... this is what prompted my question

I'm looking at the Surly LHT (hopefully the 54 frame is big enough for me) with 26 inchers or the Thorn Sherpa... I have a Condor Squadra (a great thoroughbred racer, but not always a fun ride because it often just feels like exercise/sport) that I use less and less because the UK roads are so unappealing to cycle on in the south east (hit once on a roundabout and skidded out my front wheel another time and have a lovely nose scar to prove it forever) and without a car - never owned one - any kind of continuous cycling is out of the question...

I really enjoyed lots of the rolling, uninterrupted cycling of the Waskerley and the Derwent... fancy the likes of Germany and/or the States in the future... plus friends are talking about JOGLE for next summer

it took me 5 months to get back on my bike after smashing my face into the road... and after the C2C I'm angling for the next little adventure and the most suitable set up to make it feel like the most fun while the experience is fresh in my mind

Sorry to ramble on.. just glad to have my cycling wings back