Rim Size? Wheelset needed?

evetsri · 11-13-2014, 02:36 PM

Hey guys,

Im quite fresh to the sport of cycling. Over the last month ive compacted knowlegde on bikes in this tiny brain of mine. That being said, when i started up i bought cheap bikes to work on, so i could just get my hands dirty. I bought and old Sears "FreeSpirit" bike as the first bike i would tweek with. I found out the hard way that my rims/wheelset required a certain wheel size. 26x1 3/8, and that no other 26inch wheel would fit my rim. So now i have a set of bikes, and this FreeSpirit bike just collects dust. I would like to take the tires off the old bike, and install them on a newer one(my tires are worth more than the bike at this point). My question is what size rims/wheelset do i need to fit these types of tires? And where can i find them? I usually do all my shopping on ebay, obviously for the great prices. But im unsure in on WHAT to buy. I know people are gonna say that its too expensive and not worth it, but it was never about the money. So please just positive comments and helpful ideas would be great plz!! Hopefully the pic helps, thanks again!!!!!

P.S. The FreeSpirit bike looks nothing like it use too. Obviously.

nfmisso · 11-13-2014, 07:10 PM

(11-13-2014, 02:36 PM)evetsri Wrote: .... I bought and old Sears "FreeSpirit" bike as the first bike i would tweek with. I found out the hard way that my rims/wheelset required a certain wheel size. 26x1 3/8, and that no other 26inch wheel would fit my rim.

do you mean tire ?

(11-13-2014, 02:36 PM)evetsri Wrote: So now i have a set of bikes, and this FreeSpirit bike just collects dust. I would like to take the tires off the old bike, and install them on a newer one(my tires are worth more than the bike at this point). My question is what size rims/wheelset do i need to fit these types of tires? And where can i find them? ..........

This will NOT work because the brake pads will not engage the rim.

Look up "Bead Seat Diameter bicycle tires"

The BSD of a 26 x 1 3/8 tire is 590mm. The BSD of a standard 26" mountain bike/beach cruiser is 559mm. 31mm diametrical difference; 15.5mm radial. Far too much to the brakes to accommodate.

You can 559 tires for less than $15- each. New CHEAP wheels are going to cost at least $50- each, and then you have to solve the brake issue, figure a minimum of $70- to do that - depending on the type of brakes your bike has. So $170- vs $30-.......

Two of my bikes are currently fitted with 590mm wheels and tires. My Miyata 310 originally had 630mm wheels and tires, I was going to change to 622mm but that still did not leave enough space for fenders. The 310 require new long reach caliper brakes ($70- set). There is a wide selection of 590mm tires at reasonable prices, and Sun offers their CR-18 rim in that size, which retails for ~$25- (still need to add spokes and hub). My SR Sierra Sport also currently has 590mm wheels and tires. When I got the frame and fork, it was advertised as 26" - the brake pads were not anywhere close with 559mm rims. For awhile, I had 571mm rims (also called: 26", 650c), now it has 590mm (also called: 26", 650a). I could have gone with 584mm (also called: 26", 27.5", 650b) - but the street tire selection is limited, expensive and not high pressure needed for a person my size. 571 and 590 represent the limits of brake pad adjustment on my SR.

evetsri · 11-13-2014, 07:23 PM

Thanks for the insight. Pretty much what ive been told all day. I hanks again.

(11-13-2014, 07:10 PM)nfmisso Wrote:
(11-13-2014, 02:36 PM)evetsri Wrote: .... I bought and old Sears "FreeSpirit" bike as the first bike i would tweek with. I found out the hard way that my rims/wheelset required a certain wheel size. 26x1 3/8, and that no other 26inch wheel would fit my rim.
do you mean tire ?

(11-13-2014, 02:36 PM)evetsri Wrote: So now i have a set of bikes, and this FreeSpirit bike just collects dust. I would like to take the tires off the old bike, and install them on a newer one(my tires are worth more than the bike at this point). My question is what size rims/wheelset do i need to fit these types of tires? And where can i find them? ..........
This will NOT work because the brake pads will not engage the rim.

Look up "Bead Seat Diameter bicycle tires"

The BSD of a 26 x 1 3/8 tire is 590mm. The BSD of a standard 26" mountain bike/beach cruiser is 559mm. 31mm diametrical difference; 15.5mm radial. Far too much to the brakes to accommodate.

You can 559 tires for less than $15- each. New CHEAP wheels are going to cost at least $50- each, and then you have to solve the brake issue, figure a minimum of $70- to do that - depending on the type of brakes your bike has. So $170- vs $30-.......

Two of my bikes are currently fitted with 590mm wheels and tires. My Miyata 310 originally had 630mm wheels and tires, I was going to change to 622mm but that still did not leave enough space for fenders. The 310 require new long reach caliper brakes ($70- set). There is a wide selection of 590mm tires at reasonable prices, and Sun offers their CR-18 rim in that size, which retails for ~$25- (still need to add spokes and hub). My SR Sierra Sport also currently has 590mm wheels and tires. When I got the frame and fork, it was advertised as 26" - the brake pads were not anywhere close with 559mm rims. For awhile, I had 571mm rims (also called: 26", 650c), now it has 590mm (also called: 26", 650a). I could have gone with 584mm (also called: 26", 27.5", 650b) - but the street tire selection is limited, expensive and not high pressure needed for a person my size. 571 and 590 represent the limits of brake pad adjustment on my SR.