An extinct wheel?

[Sound22Card]

I'm posting in BMX because that seems to be the area I have to address to solve my problem.

I purchased a used handcycle without its front wheel, ...the drive wheel. The price was amazing so I thought I could handle getting a new front wheel. The setup is the same as an ordinary bike...chain from crankset to derailleur to front wheel gears.
The bike I have is an Invacare 'Top End' XLT. (I believe Invacare and Top End have parted ways recently.) I assumed that a duplicate of the rear wheels would go on the front. I could be wrong.
The wheels are 20" diameter but very thin..(0.5 inches wide) The rear tires are about the same width and extends half an inch above the rim. Just sliding a rear wheel into the front fork shows it was the same diameter, as the rim lines up with the brake pades just fine.

My problem is that the bike shops I visited say a BMX wheel is the only way to go ......but they don't have a three gear cassette on them. I only have two gear rings on the crank, so asking for three on the axel isn't asking too much, is it? Apparently, it is. At a BMX store I was told the genius there would have to build me a wheel. Sounds far too expensive to me.

Is there any other route to follow on this? Why isn't a wheel for this bike available?

I don't mind going to a wider wheel/tire combination on this bike, as the fork inner width is 4.75 inches. The brake mechanism might not fit a wider wheel but I don't mind buying a new brake unit.
A wider wheel would be good, as it is the main drive wheel. The brake pads are currently set to fit a rim that would be 1.5 inches down from the inner top of the fork.

Any ideas, folks? The summertime is near and I really want to get out there, working out in the wind.
Lots of photos are available if you're interested.

~ray

[Talha]

(05-28-2023, 10:28 PM)Sound22Card Wrote:  My problem is that the bike shops I visited say a BMX wheel is the only way to go ......but they don't have a three gear cassette on them. I only have two gear rings on the crank, so asking for three on the axel isn't asking too much, is it? Apparently, it is. At a BMX store I was told the genius there would have to build me a wheel. Sounds far too expensive to me.

Is there any other route to follow on this? Why isn't a wheel for this bike available?

BMX bikes generally feature a single-speed system without several gears because they are primarily intended for freestyle and racing. It might be difficult to locate a BMX wheel with a three-gear cassette as a result. There are a few other things tho...

Single-speed conversion: You might change your bike to a single-speed arrangement rather than looking for BMX wheels with cassettes.

Custom-built wheel: Like you've already told. This is by far the most expensive alternative

Also, you sounded surprised about not finding three-gear cassettes. Remember that BMX aren't intended for changing speeds, you use them primarily for maneuvers and short quick bursts of power ( like performing a stunt). So wheel makers or part manufacturers tend to ignore the tiny three cassette demand and focus on single speed cassettes.

I hope you find something. Keep us posted