New bicycle, building, etc.

[Sal Atticum]

I am looking for some party parts for the winter singlespeed MTB I'm going to be working on (as soon as I get the time).

For now, I'm looking for wheels.  26" and/or 700c, depending on whether I wish to try this thing they call "cyclocross."  They don't need to be in good shape, pretty, or have a ss hub (see below).

To go with the wheels, I'm looking for an MTB ss or flipflop hub (I hear they exist).  I intend to attempt to rebuild whatever rear wheel I get around whatever hub I can find.

Probably more to come.  If nobody has anything lying around or I can't find anything, the hub will have to be purchased and I may strip a wheel or two off the pedal car. 

[Toaster]

Just so you are aware beek, I'm about 90% sure that the canti mounts on that frame wouldn't be in the right spot for a 700c wheel, 26in should work though.

[Sal Atticum]

I'll have to swap a wheel (and/or a brake) this weekend and see.  I've had luck throwing 700c on a 27" frame, but that's moving the other direction I suppose.

[Plantains]

You guys are busch league...

http://www.bikepro.com/products/brakes/brakecanti/avid_trialign.html

You can use these to run any size wheel as long as you have clearance. I've been eying them for a possible 29er upgrade. Granted... they're about $75 but you could basically use these to run 700c wheels on ur MTB for cross and 26" or even 29er for MTB. Makes 1 bike into 2.

+ Avid
+ Kool stops

There are a couple other options... nothing thats better and I haven't seen anything thats less than that I don't think...

[Sal Atticum]

Now I'm intrigued.  29er, but on that frame with tires?

[Plantains]

Its essentially frame to frame... so you'd have to see what fits. Many of the new XC framesets have so much clearance that its doable... tho on more ahem we'll call our stuff... purist frames beek, I doubt there'd be tons of tire clearance.

Although... to try and make things as compatible for the future as possible you may want to consider running a cassetted wheelset with a single speed "conversion" kit (which I have btw). If you got 29er wheels, and they fit, that way you wouldn't have a 29er ss setup by default, only by choice.

So you could run geared MTB on 29ers and then switch to 700c for cross, and then 29er ss or 29er cross or... well... you get my concept. And... in case you didn't know... you'll be hard pressed to find a wheel cheaper than something that bicycle wheel warehouse can build for you.

[Sal Atticum]

This is pretty much why I never went so far as to build a bicycle before.  Getting everything compatible and trying to be cheap about it seem to be mutually exclusive.

I did measure; 29ers won't fit in the frame.

[Plantains]

Well cheap is a relative term I suppose. A bike can be built to do everything necessary (essentially be a jack of all trades, master of none) for relatively cheap. Meaning... you could build a hybrid and have a bike that sucks at off-roading, is too heavy to race road with, geared so it can't be used on a track, and have alright cross capabilities.

However... if you want to build a bike that will be good at any one thing, the price goes up. This is why many (if not all of us) have a number of different bikes, let alone expensive ones. I mean I alone have a mountain bike, a track bike, and a road bike and the total of the three is likely a 5 digit number. But they all excel at what they're built to do, and nothing else.

So my point is, if you want to build a good bike that can do more than one thing... you can likely build it cheaply with respect to if you were to buy an entry level cross or MTB bike, but it certainly wouldn't be "cheap" and by the average persons standard they would probably say you're crazy.

[Sal Atticum]

Perhaps my question is this: would it be silly to throw drops and 700c wheels on a mountain bike frame for 'cross season, then switch to a flat bar and 26" wheels for the winter?

Or maybe this way: is it stupid to try to ride 'cross on a singlespeed?

[Plantains]

hell no. tons of people do both.

To clarify tho... it may not be worth putting 700c's on for crossing rather than the 26ers. I mean... the only advantage you MIGHT have would be rolling over stuff, and gearing. Both of which could be handled mentally.

[Sal Atticum]

Mostly I figured it would be goofbally to run wide tires for a cyclocross race.  I know I shouldn't care, but peer pressure and all.

[Plantains]

dude... the first duathlon I did, I did it on my Mountain bike with slicks. Cryathletes are all peer pressure... this is how softrides and the like became popular. lol.

My thoughts... ur a cyclist and as such its about riding the ride, not what kind of bike you use.

[Sal Atticum]

Isn't max width for a real cyclocross race 35mm according to UCI?

[Plantains]

this i don't knwo? I do know... people have ridden on mtb before tho. But they do sell cross tires wider than 35.