help with 24" wheel set
Thread started by
Kakihara at 07.13.07 - 12:54 am
Ok…
So I have this Univega that needs new wheels/tires I also want to turn this into single speed when I get the new wheel-set.
I took my bike last Saturday to this place that said they can order the wheels for me.. a few days later they said they cant find that size let’s try another size. Fine. i did some research and got some answers from friends that new size would work. TODAY I found out that he is having trouble finding even that size…. It has been almost a week and NO progress has been made. I am going to SF with my bike on the 27th and I wanted this taken care of
My questions/concerns
MY wheel size
24 x 1 ¼
(it says this and 547 on it. I know that 547 is going to be nearly impossible to find so 540 is what I am looking for) I WAS initially wanting 24 x 1 inch…which I was later told he could not order for me.
approximate measurements of front hub 93 mm
back hub 120 mm
the one that I would probably get is 540 x 32 which is = 24 x 1 3/8 (which is the wheel he was going to order but cant find now)
i was asking him if instead of the 32 can get 28 thinner tires on it (he was confused and didn’t know what I meant, later told me that no, I cant do that bc the wheel size has to match the tire size I thought there was a RANGE but whatever he didn’t know what I was asking and I asked several times so I let it go.. the answer was no… I am still not 100 % on this)
right now I have found this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=006&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=160083507756&rd=1&rd=1
will this work??? Any opinions/suggestions?
and the tires are these but i can worry about the tires a bit
less than the wheels
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Kenda-hybrid-road-bike-bicycle-tires-size-24-x-1-1-4_W0QQitemZ320136473729QQihZ011QQcategoryZ42334QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
a friend of mine was telling me that it comes down to bead seat diameter (BSD) (my bike is at the shop now.. so I don’t have the details on this yet)
Anyway I really appreciate any feedback on this.. also any short ladies riding 24s, where did you get your stuff? Did you have it built? I cant afford that right now… I was looking at the Terry front wheel but I need TWO and the terry ones are expensive as well
thaaaaaaaaank you
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hey
i didn't click your ebay links but you're gonna have to face it that for the most part you're pretty much going to be hosed when looking for wheels.
it sucks but that's the reality of your situation. it's kinda like trying to replacement parts for an apple IIe or a vcr that runs betamax..
long ago the 24" wheel size was replaced by the 650c for road bikes with small wheels.
if you need to find new wheels, just get whatever you're lucky enough to find. one thing that might be worth considering would be another bike. if that's you next to your bike in the photo, the seat as it is is way too low. just based on the pic, there's really no reason why you couldn't be on a bike with larger, more modern, wheels.
chunk07.13.07 - 1:18 am
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24" wheels are not a common size as I'm sure you're finding out. This also means there's not alot out there to choose from. You don't really get bargains in that size either. I've seen alot of tall challenged people using full size wheels. Using 26" wheels not a bad way to go either. I guess you want 24" wheels because that's what's on the bike? Also from the ebay link you posted, they are suppose to be steel wheels? I would think twice about using any steel wheels, weight on moving parts like wheels really make for a poor ride. Spending the money on alloy wheels is money well spent.
I sent a message to these people in OC and I have yet to hear back from them, they got good prices and is fairly close by.
http://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/
Their customer service really sucks so far.
Hang tight, I'm sure others will be coming up with suggestions.
User107.13.07 - 1:19 am
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chunk:
this is my first bike EVER.. and that pic was an old pic.. since then the seat has been raised considerably. i am 5" i tried to ride my friend's terry 26" she is 5"3' and it didn’t work ( i was barely able to get on the bike since it is not a mixte and the bar bothered me + my feet were hovering over hte pedals ahhaha). i thiiiiink i could do 26 if it was a mixte but i haven’t been successful in the others i have tried.
user1: thanks for the link and asking around.. i got a rough estimate to build my wheels for 200 bucks.. but i am afraid they will be using junky parts anyway… I will call around and look into the alloy wheels.
Kakihara07.13.07 - 1:32 am
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My first suggestion would be to go to a different bike shop - 24" rims are definitely still available and not that hard to find. I see some listed at Sheldon Brown's site:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/rims.html#540
and there's also very good quality 24" rims for BMX racing cruisers that will work for street use as well - I found some on the Sun-Ringle site:
http://www.sun-ringle.com/2006/bmxwheelsets.jpg
It may be true that you'll have to spend a little more than you'd like on getting a 24" wheelset built up, as they are not as common as 26" or 700c. However, as User1 says, it will be money well spent.
Also, there's a longstanding bias in the bike industry towards average to tall males, which is why you don't see a lot of properly sized bikes for smaller women (which is a shame, and actually kept a petite friend of mine from ever cycling). it's my understanding that there's a lot of handling and fit compromises that happen when a bike is designed for someone under 5' or so with standard-size wheels, so I'm tempted to say that if a 24"-wheeled bike feels like it fits you well, then that's what you should be riding.
If you're nearby, you could try Orange 20. I bet they could get some 24" BMX rims for you.
angle07.13.07 - 2:45 am
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Thanks Angle..
i do live nearby and since i might be having them built i was thinking of going to orange 20 on Monday..
I also saw the Harris rims.. but no wheels.. still 20 bucks for the 540 is not bad!
i am curious what all those Terry riders do when they need a new front wheel since they are not sold separately.
i had no idea how difficult this would be, i am definitely going to be checking out short girls and their rides and asking questions hahaha
aww that sucks about your friend not finding a good sized bike to ride. I always thought i would get a kids bike from target until my boyfriend and his brother surprised me with this awesome thing.
Kakihara07.13.07 - 3:06 am
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well, i didn't mean to offend you it's just that i see people all the time on rides spending a lot of money trying to fix up the wrong bike.
that's not to say your bike is the wrong bike but GOOD LUCK getting an bmx rims/tires to fit on that bike. a 24" bmx rim is basically a small mtb rim and are meant for a wider (1.75-2.0 inch) tire. If you get lucky you might be able to squeeze a 24x1 tire on there but it'd be pretty tough.
when the time comes though, a lot of major bike companies make road bikes in really small sizes these days. a friend of mine who barely scrapes 4'11" on a good day recently got a giant road bike in the xxs size. it fit her like a dream and had 700c wheels.
chunk07.13.07 - 9:38 am
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Call my shop after 11, I'll see if I can find something for you.
Paul
Atomic Cycles
17322 Saticoy
Van Nuys, CA
818 609-0113
rev10607.13.07 - 9:46 am
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Yeah, all the new tiny bikes have sloping downtubes and other tricks to get a 700C bike that small. 650C is an option but those bikes are generally pretty rare and expensive and most are just made so tall roadies can be more aero for triathalon or time trial. But yeah, it's hard to front on a cute 80s steel mixte that was a gift even if 24" wheels are a pain.
All signs point to the pink bike taking rims with a a 547mm bead seat diameter, the old Schwinn juvenile size. BMX 24" is not gonna work, it's a decimal size and totally different (507mm BSD). 540mm wheels (wheelchair size) could work, might have to adjust brakes, the Terry front-wheel 520mm size could work too but then you might really need a long-reach brake. Sadly the only size with a decent tire selection is the 520mm Terry.
I got a headache just thinking about this and I'm glad I ride only 700C!
cabhauler07.13.07 - 12:58 pm
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suggestion from a bike illiterate newbie:
What if you could get Paul to just extend the forks so that you could put a 27 inch wheel on the front? Just a weld job right? Or maybe new forks? I don't know what I'm talking about - but maybe it will spark an idea... Hareford doesn't have to look normal, right?
Joe Borfo07.13.07 - 1:25 pm
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but Hareford is so cute looking "normal"
chunk: you didnt.. dotn worry about it :)
Kakihara07.13.07 - 2:39 pm
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I stand corrected - didn't realize the BCD was so different on the BMX rims. Looks like your best bet might be to try those 540 Rigidas from Harris Cyclery. I notice that they also sell grey wheelchair tires that are compatible with those rims, which might look kinda cool.
That is a groovy bike - I think it'll be worth the hassle to get it fixed up.
angle07.13.07 - 4:53 pm
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2 quick things.
1 trying to rig the bike up so it'd work with a 27" wheel will not only throw the handling of the bike way out of whack but could be the catalyst for a trip to the dentist for new teeth or worse.
2. while grey wheelchair tires might look cool, the rubber is super soft and designed to work on things like tiled floors not mile after mile of street use. they'd wear out in a matter of days on a bike. plus, the tread isn't meant for a bicycle. a lot of those tires have a flatter profile on the top and would be horrible cornering since a wheelchair really doesn't rail through corners.
chunk07.13.07 - 5:31 pm
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I wouldn't think wheelchair tires would be good, either, except that Harris Cyclery lists some "high performance" ones that they say work well with bikes, and I usually trust thier advice:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/540.html
I haven't seen them myself, though, so I don't know for sure.
angle07.13.07 - 7:42 pm
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i'm too lazy to read the whole thread and this might have been suggested already but i say order some 24" rims from Velocity (velocityusa.com or have a shop order them) and then build up a sweet wheel set to some surly hubs of better ones of you have the money. Go to Orange 20 and Jim C or Tony would help you with that. Finding a built up wheel set is gonna be a bitch. Just build up a custom wheel set
:D
good luck
She-Wolf07.14.07 - 4:51 pm
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Yo
Don't sure whats happening with your search for 24 inch wheels but I came across this schwinn over the weekend. It's a junior varsity that is in great shape. The shop said they have the parts to make this all original. Which means changing the seat and handlebars. He showed me the parts and they are schwinn parts. The bars are new old stock. They want $100 for this. Oh yeah it also has two schwinn tires that like new on this.
BTW, I am not responsible for the quality of the pic. It really doesn't do this justice.
Rule #1 in photography 101, have your light source BEHIND your back when shooting.
User107.23.07 - 3:06 pm
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650C's are a size in between 26inch and 700C's.
You might try a 26inch tire/wheel but then your brake calipers might not be able to adjust the pads up far enough to make up that 1inch difference. But any bike shop should have 26inch wheels so you could try it and see.
If anyones got inexpensive 24inch stuff it'll be Paul at Atomic Cycles.
dave07.23.07 - 3:48 pm
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thanks guys!
"If anyones got inexpensive 24inch stuff it'll be Paul at Atomic Cycles"
yup. he was really helpful when i called and told me what we can do and had some used 24s in the shop. i planned on going on the weekend but during the week did more research and friends and i hoped 650c would fit. I called a few places that didn;t have it in stock, so i went to a place that did (the place where my bike was for a week with no progress). tried them and they fit!!!! i looked around and called a few places but in the end ordered the ones in the photo:
(the other velocity stuff i looked at locally would be about 300+ and this was the best deal and exactly what i was looking for)
they are not in stock so they are building it for me in all black!! i can;t wait to get started on working on my bike..
i appreciate all the replies
i took more photos of my bike, hopefully will be adding some "after" photos soon.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97534244@N00/sets/72157600874293291/
new crank set chain seat maybe brakes etc etc.. still, i want it to be a gradual process
user1: i appreciate the info and photo..
Kakihara07.23.07 - 5:27 pm
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