Wheelset proposals - am I on the right track?

top_bhoy

To all, bear with me on this one please

I currently have a Kona Kula 2009 currently running a Formula Disc hub on the front and a Shimano M525 Disc hub on the rear. Both wheels fitted with the original Maxxis Ignitor 26 x 2.1 tyres.

The full bike spec is shown in the link: http://www.konaworld.com/09/09_kula_en.cfm

I feel the tyres are a bit overkill for pottering about cycle paths, road, etc and so intend to use 26x1.6 Continental Sport Contact Rigid Tyres instead on these wheels. However, I want the ability to still use the bike on trails etc - for which the sports don't seem appropriate. Rather than have the constant hassle of swapping tyres, I think I should obtain a pair of the Fulcrum Red Metal 5 Int Standard MTB Wheelset, a Deore freewheel and simply change the wheels depending on the cycling usage. Changing wheels should then be an easy activity. I have also fitted a rear rack which inhibits the QR somewhat and would like to replace if possible the QRs with a bolt through.

Now to some questions:

1) Are my intentions sensible to minimise hassle?
2) Am I missing out on any equipment which I need?
3) Would the similar Fulcrum Red Metal 5 AFS MTB Wheelset offer a better solution in terms of the QR/bolt thru - the Deore M575 Disc Brake Set can be used with either the Centre-Lock or 6 bolt rotor system?
4) The bike will not be used for rough terrain - are there alternatives I should look at?
5) Do I need different size of bolt thrus for each wheelset?

The Fulcrums appear to me to be a decent entry level wheel appropriate for the amount of usage I will use them for but I'm no expert on MTB wheelsets and all opinions welcome..

Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully it all makes sense.

Cheers

nicklouse

so new wheels, tape/tubes/tyres. cassette and discs.

you dont need a freewheel.

looks like Qr front and rear.

changing to a nutted rear is possible with the shimano hub. new axel.

the fulcrums it is not.

bolt through axles are not available for the frame.

DCR00

IMO it seems a tad insane to spend a load of money on a new wheelset + gubbins for the sake of changing tyres

Considered Conti Twister Supersonics ?

i use for them for both commuting and trail use

they only cost me £35 for the pair

much cheaper than new wheels

bike-a-swan

If you want a cheap second wheelset try superstar, they have a set going for £80 I think.

bike-a-swan

If you want a cheap second wheelset try superstar, they have a set going for £80 I think.

top_bhoy

DCR00 wrote:

IMO it seems a tad insane to spend a load of money on a new wheelset + gubbins for the sake of changing tyres

Considered Conti Twister Supersonics ?

i use for them for both commuting and trail use

they only cost me £35 for the pair

much cheaper than new wheels

Possibly insane but I don't smoke, an occasional drinker, no new car, no gadgets, simple PAYG mobile, etc. I already have a road bike and I don't have the space to have a commuter/pub bike/MTB so I need to have some flexibility and often this means spending some cash.

If spending (or investing) £200-300 will give me the versatility and flexibility I want without the major inconvenience of having to remove wheels and tyres at short notice, that will be in my opinion, be a correct move.

What I want to avoid is spending the £200-300 and ending up with parts which aren't correct.

MountainMonster

Top_Bhoy wrote:

DCR00 wrote:

IMO it seems a tad insane to spend a load of money on a new wheelset + gubbins for the sake of changing tyres

Considered Conti Twister Supersonics ?

i use for them for both commuting and trail use

they only cost me £35 for the pair

much cheaper than new wheels

Possibly insane but I don't smoke, an occasional drinker, no new car, no gadgets, simple PAYG mobile, etc. I already have a road bike and I don't have the space to have a commuter/pub bike/MTB so I need to have some flexibility and often this means spending some cash.

If spending (or investing) £200-300 will give me the versatility and flexibility I want without the major inconvenience of having to remove wheels and tyres at short notice, that will be in my opinion, be a correct move.

What I want to avoid is spending the £200-300 and ending up with parts which aren't correct.

Tyres only take 5 minutes to change both front and rear if you have a track pump. Either way you have to take the wheel off to switch them.

The only scenario where I could think of buying a whole new wheelset with all the bits, and still be worth it, would be if you were changing tyres quite a few times per day. Why not just spend the 5 minutes if your only changing at weekends or such?

cooldad

Changing wheels also often means the deraileur needs a little bit of indexing.

DCR00

Top_Bhoy wrote:

DCR00 wrote:

IMO it seems a tad insane to spend a load of money on a new wheelset + gubbins for the sake of changing tyres

Considered Conti Twister Supersonics ?

i use for them for both commuting and trail use

they only cost me £35 for the pair

much cheaper than new wheels

Possibly insane but I don't smoke, an occasional drinker, no new car, no gadgets, simple PAYG mobile, etc. I already have a road bike and I don't have the space to have a commuter/pub bike/MTB so I need to have some flexibility and often this means spending some cash.

If spending (or investing) £200-300 will give me the versatility and flexibility I want without the major inconvenience of having to remove wheels and tyres at short notice, that will be in my opinion, be a correct move.

What I want to avoid is spending the £200-300 and ending up with parts which aren't correct.

Ok, well sounds to me that you would “like” as opposed to “need” a new wheelset, which requires no justification

If you have the money and don't mind spending it, then why not

*AJ*

This should answer your QR problem.....

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=26621

jairaj

are you running disk brakes? will they need to be bed-in / caliper re-aligned each time you swap wheels?

UncleMonty

^ This can be a right pain

I was thinking about buying some cheap light wheels myself for commuting but I was worried about the disk alignment, I tried my mates wheels on as a test, with my Jucy 3's it was quicker to change the tyre than align the caliper.

anjs

Also need to consider different wear rates on the two cassettes and one chain.

antfly

Conti Race Kings are what you need, they are very quick on the road and trails.

jairaj

This all sounds like a right faff if its just for the sake of using different tyres. Sounds like things will work better just changing the tyres not wheels.

It really doesn't take that long to do at home with some decent tyre levers and a track pump or even a compressor. Plus you'll get quicker with practice

tsenior

as said i would just get some tyres which suit the riding you do and leave them on

I have specialised fast tracks on my commuter which cope well with LIGHT off-road use and dont slow you down too much on the roads, they also last well.

race kings are similarly rapid but only used them for a bit so dont know how long they last.

top_bhoy

Sounds pretty unanimous that in the pursuit of trying to 'improve' things I'll only be creating problems in other areas. My road bike has a tight rim/tyre combination so I'm reasonably good at changing tyres. The MTB shouldn't be any more of a problem than that combination and I can't see a scenario where I will be having to change tyres several times a week, far less a day.

At least I know a direction to go down without spending £200-300 and getting it wrong.

Thanks for all the replies and advice.