newbie - Have a spare front wheel, can I convert to rear?

bendeneo

Hello all,

Whilst having ridden bikes for years, mainly mountain bikes, to and from the station. I was given an old 1982? Raleigh Criterion 12 which is now my daily ride.

The rear wheel now has a bit of a buckle to it, and to be fair its probably better just to replace than to get straightened (this is a guess to be honest).

My brother had a spare 700c wheel knocking about, which looks to be quite a nice one but it is a front wheel.

My question is whether or not I can convert this front wheel into a rear wheel by replacing the hub?

Sorry if this is a silly question but in my head it seems possible!

Regards,

Ben

desweller

New hub and new spokes.

rothers_bikeo

And new rim as well probably to take the extra spokes, not much left

bendeneo

Ah, that would be me buying a new rear wheel and keeping the spare front.... as the spare front!!!

Cheers!

Ben

cougie

And your old wheels are 700c ?

wheelygood

Old wheel could only be 27 x 1 1/4" and NOT 700c!

mz__jo

1982 Raleigh would probably be a 126mm width over locknuts at the back. If it is 27x11/4 as well you are definitely in obsolete equipment. I would undoubtedly just change the rim if it wouldn't true up but then I have a stack of bits and have built my own wheels for the last 40 years or so. If you don't feel capable of doing this you need to find a good old-fashioned LBS who might have the wheel you need (new or sh) or know where to find one.

The things to look at are:
1. The rim size (or tyre size, but if it is 700 the width could be a factor)
2. The width between the rear fork-ends. (easier to measure that than the hub when the wheel is still whole)
3. The number of cogs on the freewheel.
4. The number of spokes (if you are thinking of changing just the rim, your old rear wheel will probably- almost certainly- have 36 spokes; any replacement rim must be the same).

At the same time look at your wheel. What is the state of the sprockets, the wheel bearings, the freewheel bearings? Are there any nasty noises? Is it worth trying to keep the hub? If you change the rim and you need to change spokes you will need to remove the freewheel. Do you have the tools to do it?

On the whole if you can take the worst of the bend out by putting your knee behind it and retensionning the spokes it might be the best thing to do while you consider the options.

Note I have not talked about different spoke lengths or rear widths which are a complication of a higher order.

mz__jo

Sorry I just re-read the post. Criterion 12 presumably means 12 speed so at least originally a 6 speed freewheel. means almost certainly 126mm wide between the fork-ends. You can stretch them to accomodate 130mm wide hubs but its a pain getting the wheel in and out. Your derailleur will probably accomodate a 7 speed freewheel but its not guaranteed, you could find that there is not enough travel to cover all 7 sprockets, or that the chain snags on the seat stays in top gear.

bendeneo

Thanks guys,

I am pretty certain they are 700c, but as for all the other considerations that has made me realise that there is a lot more to this than at first thought!

I will do some measurements tonight and update.

Hopefully it wont make my plans too difficult to achieve!

mouth

My '86 Banana was 700c, which are easier to come by.