Old 29er MTB wheels on touring bike?
voicycle
Posts: 95
in Road general
After some recent wheel acquisitions there are a few wheelsets 'trickling down' through the bikes in my workshop and I'm considering repurposing a pair of OEM 29er MTB wheels as an 'upgrade' for for my disc brake Dawes Galaxy. I'm curious whether they'll be suitably robust or if I'd actually need a bespoke build to make any improvement on that bike.
The homeless wheels are off of a 2014 Boardman MTB and are eyeleted Mavic XM319 rims on unbranded Formula hubs, 32h front and rear. I don't know spokes well enough to say anything about what they are. Rear hub is cup and cone so I presume will be QR only. Front hub is 15x100 which makes road use difficult but I just discovered this: https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Halo-QR-Thru-Axle-Adaptor_204088.htm
The stock wheels on the Dawes are Alex ACE19 rims on Alivio QR hubs, 36h front and rear. I've never liked the fact the rims have a brake track, and I've always known that bike would benefit from a good pair of handbuilt touring wheels, but it's never been a big enough priority.
What I like most about the idea (aside from aesthetics and weight savings) is the step up from a 17c to a 19c rim. What most worries me is the drop from 36 to 32 spokes.
Thoughts/opinions on whether those MTB wheels would stand up to loaded touring on the Galaxy? It goes out 2-3 times a year for 3-14 days at a time, usually fully loaded.
And anyone have experience with those 15mm to QR adapters?
The homeless wheels are off of a 2014 Boardman MTB and are eyeleted Mavic XM319 rims on unbranded Formula hubs, 32h front and rear. I don't know spokes well enough to say anything about what they are. Rear hub is cup and cone so I presume will be QR only. Front hub is 15x100 which makes road use difficult but I just discovered this: https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Halo-QR-Thru-Axle-Adaptor_204088.htm
The stock wheels on the Dawes are Alex ACE19 rims on Alivio QR hubs, 36h front and rear. I've never liked the fact the rims have a brake track, and I've always known that bike would benefit from a good pair of handbuilt touring wheels, but it's never been a big enough priority.
What I like most about the idea (aside from aesthetics and weight savings) is the step up from a 17c to a 19c rim. What most worries me is the drop from 36 to 32 spokes.
Thoughts/opinions on whether those MTB wheels would stand up to loaded touring on the Galaxy? It goes out 2-3 times a year for 3-14 days at a time, usually fully loaded.
And anyone have experience with those 15mm to QR adapters?
Custom Albannach Torragar [BUILD IN PROGRESS]
2020 Ribble CGR SL
2019 Vitus Vitesse Evo CRS Disc
2020 Ribble CGR SL
2019 Vitus Vitesse Evo CRS Disc
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Comments
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I have one of the adaptors on my commuter having done the same thing. It's pretty good, but can be a bit of a pain to get the wheel in because the adaptor is free to slide laterally. No problem when you have the knack, but if you're fixing a puncture with front panniers it could be a bit tricky. I would say that the wheels would be fine for your use. MTB wheels are built to take abuse, but it will of course depend on how well they were built.0
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Fantastic, thanks! Will give it a try. I suppose they ought to at least be strong enough that we're talking about a pinging spokes rather than a buckling the wheel kind of situation, and that's good enough to finish out a tour pretty much anywhere in Scotland. Will give it a go and see how I get on.Custom Albannach Torragar [BUILD IN PROGRESS]
2020 Ribble CGR SL
2019 Vitus Vitesse Evo CRS Disc0
