If it is a steel frame cold set the rear end to 135mm.

 

Hi Shiggy,

yes it is a steel frame. I am not familiar with what "cold setting" is, but I saw something on the Sheldon Brown website about it. I'll do some more research. In the meantime, what do you think?

 

Are you looking to buy a new wheel? or are you looking for a cogset to go on the wheel that came with the frame?

The MTB standard in the 1980's was 130mm. The current road standard is 130mm. So there options. Assuming that the frame takes a 26 in. wheel, you can:

a) Build up a MTB rim to a current road bike hub. The cassette that you would use will be determined by the shifters and chain rings that you have on the bike.

b) Find an old MTB wheel. The cassette or freewheels you need would be determined by the wheel that you find.

c) Like Shiggy said, if the frame is steel, you can fit a newer MTB wheel into the frame, by either cold setting the frame, or just squeezing the new wheel into the drop outs.

Option "B" is likely the cheapest, and will cause the least amout of related issues. But it really depends on what you plan on doing with the bike, and what you're willing to spend.

 

Hi Shiggy,

yes it is a steel frame. I am not familiar with what "cold setting" is, but I saw something on the Sheldon Brown website about it. I'll do some more research. In the meantime, what do you think?

Fancy term for bending. I have spread a frame form 120 to 135 with no issues.

If you want to use a 135 wheel, do it.

 

Hi Laffeaux,

thanks a lot for explaining the different options. The one I am leaning towards is actually getting a road hub and build a wheel with it. I need to check that I can reuse the old wheel that I have. If I do that, though, I have another question: can I use a road 9 speed cassette with mtb 9 speed shifters and derailleur?

Thanks a lot.

 

I have another question: can I use a road 9 speed cassette with mtb 9 speed shifters and derailleur?

Yes. Mostly...

There are limitations of Sram vs. Shimano vs. Campy that exist, but beyond these there's no difference in road vs. MTB cassettes. You can always use a Shimano road cassette on a MTB with Shimano shifters, and if your rear derailler and chain are long enough you can use a Shimano/Sram mountain cassette on your road bike.

 

Thanks a lot Laffeaux. I guess now I need to figure out what I can do.

 

Are you looking to buy a new wheel? or are you looking for a cogset to go on the wheel that came with the frame?

The MTB standard in the 1980's was 130mm. The current road standard is 130mm. So there options. Assuming that the frame takes a 26 in. wheel, you can:

a) Build up a MTB rim to a current road bike hub. The cassette that you would use will be determined by the shifters and chain rings that you have on the bike.

b) Find an old MTB wheel. The cassette or freewheels you need would be determined by the wheel that you find.

c) Like Shiggy said, if the frame is steel, you can fit a newer MTB wheel into the frame, by either cold setting the frame, or just squeezing the new wheel into the drop outs.

Option "B" is likely the cheapest, and will cause the least amout of related issues. But it really depends on what you plan on doing with the bike, and what you're willing to spend.

Hi Laffeaux,

I have finally figured out what I wanted to do. I am going to build a MTB wheel with a road hub and put a 9 speed road cassette with a MTB rear derailleur and use 9 speed MTB shifters. The reason behind my choice is that I don't feel too comfortable "cold setting" the frame, so this option gives me kind of the best of both world, as the bike will be used for winter training as well. Using the road cassette will force me to work harder which is a good thing.

Thanks a lot.