Both my wheels have been nicked! Help!

net_buster

Hi everyone,
Thanks in advance for anyone helping me out in this thread. First let me start out by saying i know virtually nothing about bikes . I've been the owner of a couple of carerra bikes from Halfords and that's about it.
I got both my tyres nicked on a carrera subway ltd edition which according to the website takes 26" wheels. After taking it to two bikes shops and getting a quote of over £250 which i definitely can't afford I've decided i'll have to buy everything second hand and do it myself. I've wanted to learn more about bike maintenence anyway since I love biking and use my bike everyday so i guess it's one way to learn. My Bike is my only way of transport and the way i usually get to work so it's a big of a nightmare without it

Anyway I'm really just looking for some guidance. Can i put 700cc tyres on my frame?? - i'm using the bike soley for road/city riding ATM so thinner tyres might be an idea since I have to replace them anyway.
Also it had disc brakes and is 21 speed - as I said i'm fairly clueless as to what information I need to supply so people can offer advice.
What parts will I need to get it up and running again? Is it even worth it or will it be as cheap to buy a new bike this Xmas when the sales on?

Thanks!

pdw

Bad luck

First up, 700c refers to the wheel size, not the tyre width. You can get narrow, slick tyres for 26" wheels which is probably what you want.

Beyond being 26", the only two variables to worry about are the spacing of the rear drop outs (i.e. the width of the gap that the wheel slots into), and the width of the freehub - this is the part of the rear hub that the gears slot onto.

The former is almost certainly 135mm, but you should check. The latter is slightly tricky as 7-speed cassettes are designed for narrower hubs than the 8/9 speed hubs that are common today. The good news is that £1 will buy you a spacer to make a 7 speed cassette fit on a modern hub (e.g. http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/17 ... pacer.html).

So your shopping list is something like:

26" disc compatible front wheel
26" disc compatible rear wheel with shimano 8/9 speed freehub (or even better, a 7 speed freehub)
7 speed Shimano cassette + spacer
Discs - best to find out the type and size of the brakes and try to get matching discs
Inner tubes
Tyres

Tool wise, you'll need a Shimano cassette lockring tool, and if you ever need to take the cassette off, you'll need a chain whip.

There's a ton of information on Sheldon Brown's site (http://sheldonbrown.com/).

PBo

you'll need something like this:

http://parkersofbolton.co.uk/p-821-shim ... elset.aspx

or

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/pair-of-mtb- ... 26712.html

you need a hub with the fittings to attach discs.

and then two disc rotors, a rear cassette and 2 tyres and innertubes - you can put 1.5 inch tyres on these wheels which are a bit more road friendly.

I'd also look on ebay.

cheers

Pete

Edit: also invest in anti theft skewers or a cable lock/cable to hook through u-lock, to secure your wheels too!

The Rookie

Even getting the bits from Halfords shouldn't cost £250, especially if you use the online click and reserve (at web prices) feature.

Lesson learnt, use a cable (with a loop at each end) to attach the wheels to the main lock.

PDW's list is spot on, I'd suggest Schwalbe city jet tyres (new) for VFM or shop around for used.

Simon

net_buster

Thank you to everyone who has posted in this thread, I'm amazed at the response! I'll do a bit of research tomorrow when I have a bit more time to digest the information and no doubt come back with a few more questions. Cheers again
Liam

cyberknight

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/pair-of-mtb- ... 26712.html

2 wheels mtb , disc specific for £80, add a cassette for £13

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/hg20-7-speed ... cre-detail
2 inner tubes

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/set-of-2-tub ... 14575.html
rim tape
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/btwin-26quot ... 71728.html

tyres
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/randonneur-r ... 26694.html

ebay ...
wheels
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26-MTB-Bike-D ... 45ffb2ff0b

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26-MTB-Bike-D ... 45ffb303bf
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26-MTB-Bike-D ... 45fdc0eaa9
tubes
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26-Inner-Tube ... 4cf92946e3
rim tape
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Bicycle- ... 3cbf35d81c

cyberknight

part 2

tyres
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-Schwalbe- ... 43aa9ab192
cassette spacer to use a 7 speed on an 8 speed hub ..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-speed-casse ... 2a17a5dd1d

or you could just buy a bike off ebay and sell what you do not need to fund the costs..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Cycling-/7294 ... 6.c0.m1538