700c on MTB FRAME

matureemo

Right people before I start, I am a mountain biker through and through, don't like drop handlebars and roads(traffic). But as fun and a project have converted old Scott hardtail into road bike (yes I know I could have bought a budget racer but this 'pimped' up bike has my stamp on it), lightweight static fork, super-slick Conti Sport Contact 1.3 tyres etc. Just want to do a bit of extra fitness road/distance work in the winter (no race competition). Question is this: frame will accept 700c but will I notice much difference fitting them as far as speed/energy etc? You never know may end up in the future getting a straight handlebar sports bike! Thks for your feedback.

Mikey41

I think you would as this is the reason Hybrids use 700c. If you used 25mm tyres for example, you will have less mass in the wheels than the MTB wheels/tyres and it will roll much more easily.

amaferanga

No it won't make a difference. 26" wheels with narrow slicks will be just as good as 700c wheels with narrow slicks. You may have issues with reach for brakes anyway unless your using discs. It's not worth the hassle IMO.

JamesB5446

Yes, it will make a difference. If they fit then go for it.

Wrath Rob

MTB's with 700c wheels are just 29" MTBs. The clearance may be a little tight but with 25mm wheels you should be fine. Not sure if your brakes will be aligned to a different rim position? Of course, if your MTB is running disc brakes then you'll have a whole other issue.

desweller

Just to reiterate Wrath Bob's point...the rim diameters for 700c and 29er are the same.

If you have a conventional 26" wheel setup then you'll run into frame clearance issues. Your best bet is to stick with your 26" rims and get some slick tyres like Schwalbe City Jets and a close ratio road cassette (as the gearing on your MTB is probably pretty short compared to a road bike), e.g. 11-23. Chances are you'll still run out of gears at the top end if you have small MTB chainrings. Difficult to do anything about that without incurring significant expense.

amaferanga

JamesB5446 wrote:

Yes, it will make a difference. If they fit then go for it.

No it won't. Tyres yes, rims no (assuming rim weight is similar).

JamesB5446

It will. For the same reason 29" wheels are not the same as 26" wheels.

Does any one know what is thinnest tyres you can get on most 29ers, by the way?

Monty Dog

Narrowest tyres you can fit on a 29er rim depends on the width of the rim - many are 25mm wide and inadvisable to use a tyre narrower than 28mm. What you'll also find out that with regular MTB chainrings of 44 teeth max, you could run out of gears on the road on long downhills.