[chucke]

Hey guys.

I want to switch from 29" to 27.5" wheels on my Chameleon R.

The current setup is.

RIMS: WTB ST i25 TCS 2.0 29" Rims
HUB: SRAM MTH 746, 12x148, 32h
SPOKES: DT Competition (32)

I am looking at possibly getting a Race Face Aeffect wheelset that is on sale.

https://www.jensonusa.com/Race-Face-Aeffect-R-30-275-Wheel

I don't know jack about wheelsets. Would this be a downgrade, upgrade or equivalent to what I have in 29"?

Also, is it compatible with my cassette and brake rotors?
CASSETTE: SRAM PG1230 11-50t
BRAKE ROTORS: Avid Centerline 180mm

If the RF Aeffect wheelset would be a downgrade please advise a different set that is at least equivalent and will not brake the bank.


Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Trinimon]

Pretty cheap rear wheel. I almost bought a set from CRC but I couldn't find any info on their hubs.

 

[pitdaddy]

Your bottom bracket will be lower and you will have pedal strikes. What size 27.5 tire do you plan to use?

I'd recommend going with a 40 mm wide rim and plus tires (2.8") so the bottom bracket isn't so low.

You will probably need a Shimano free hub since your cassette is the 11-42 tooth.

 

[chucke]

Your bottom bracket will be lower and you will have pedal strikes. What size 27.5 tire do you plan to use?

I'd recommend going with a 40 mm wide rim and plus tires (2.8") so the bottom bracket isn't so low.

You will probably need a Shimano free hub since your cassette is the 11-42 tooth.

The Chameleon is a chameleon... It comes with swappable dropouts so it can go from 29" to 27.5+" or single speed for that matter. The bottom bracket will not be too low when I change the dropout.

I am not sure what tire I will be running. Probably not too wide to start with.

SANTA CRUZ:
The Chameleon changes to suit its environment. Twenty-niner or 27-plus, geared or single-speed, this adaptable hardtail utilizes a suite of simple, swappable dropouts to convert it from aggro trail charger to single-speed racer to husky bikepacking mule, or anything in between.

 

[Tiboy]

The Chameleon is a chameleon... It comes with swappable dropouts so it can go from 29" to 27.5+" or single speed for that matter. The bottom bracket will not be too low when I change the dropout.

I am not sure what tire I will be running. Probably not too wide to start with.

SANTA CRUZ:
The Chameleon changes to suit its environment. Twenty-niner or 27-plus, geared or single-speed, this adaptable hardtail utilizes a suite of simple, swappable dropouts to convert it from aggro trail charger to single-speed racer to husky bikepacking mule, or anything in between.

The bike doesn’t include extra dropouts for wheel swaps. You can buy them for around $80.00.

 

[}{yBr!D^]

Yes, the Chameleon is able to switch between both wheel sizes which makes it an extremely versatile bike. You can compare with your stock wheelset size to compare what sort of setup you will run as a 27.5. From the SC site the Aluminum R model comes with 29x2.3 DHF(F) and 29x2.25 Crossmark II (R) and the R+ is equipped with 27.5x2.8(F/R) Rekon. So, it's safe to safe you can run the same setup from stock and you should be pretty happy since it "should" be an equivalent setup/feel to that of the 29er yet you do loose some contact patch considering the size change and most likely feel since the tire will be fatter (if your casing is strong then no worries).

Just make sure you get the right rim internal width vs tire width to properly seat and utilize everything the tire has to offer. The stock i25 must me close 25mm as the stock i40's can be anywhere between 35mm to 40mm internal width thus allowing plus tires.

 

[scottzg]

I see no problem with running the chameleon with 650b tires, even without going Plus. At least if you ride clipless and don't mind an occasional pedal touch. I don't. The chameleon is optimized for neither wheel size.

Your current wheelset has acceptable price-point hubs and cheap/decent rims. The replacement wheelset can make the same claim. They're both worth owning, but neither are worth buying a la carte, if that makes sense.

You will need to get the right freehub to have a direct swap, but they are.

I never look at prebuilt wheelsets- they're always marginally underbuilt (i'm hard on wheels so it's a total no-go) and they often do dumb stuff to hit a target price point or weight. And i'm a wheel builder. My current favorite budget wheelset is a dt350 rear hub, generic front hub, and RF offset rims. The hubs will last until the standard is obsolete, and the rims/spokes will last until you don't realize you burped a tire 3 miles ago.

If it were me, i'd be tempted to get some sort of 29x2.3 2 ply tires before faffing with budget b+. The buy-in is a lot less, and if your goal is to go fast and take hits... the tires might roll slower but you can run softer pressure and get good support and better rebound behavior. If you don't notice much of a difference... there you go.

Chameleon geo is too conservative for my taste, but that's a matter of opinion.

 

[Fuse6F]

If you want to go plus then have some fun. If your buying new wheels then i dont see the point of staying smaller width.

Aim for i35 to try 2.8 or 2.6”. But If you know you want 2.8” then go for i40.

Its a blast to line up on a fast steep trail, you only see fully’s on, and know you got a beefy stable tire/rim to hit it with!

 

[Mon19]

Hi gang,
Can a Salsa el Mariachi 2016 extra small frame take 27.5 wheels? The max tire wheel/tire size they recommend is 29 x 2.4, and minimum appears to be 29 x 2.1
Could I get away with 27.5 x 47mm gravel tires?
It would be a take off from another bike: the wheelset is already built with Velocity Aileron rims, I am not entirely sure of the rim width so I don’t know what maximum tire width they would take, currently they have 47mm tires.
I could not find BB drop info for the 2016 El Mar, but in other years’ frames the BB drop is 60mm for the 2014-2017 models; 66mm for the 2013.
The chainring I would transfer to the El Mar is 1 x 35t. They recommend 1 x 32t max.
Other compatibility questions are (maybe for another thread unless people don’t mind answering here):
transferring the BB and crankset from current 68 BB shell to 73 BB of the El Mar.
31.8 Co-motion shifter transferred from road bar a MTB bar.
TRP HyRd semi hydraulic brakes: can they work in a MTB setup? What MTB brake levers can they work with?
Thanks all! Let me know if I’ve missed anything.

 

[dsmith30005]

I am looking at possibly buying a 2018 Scott Scale 710. It comes with 2.8 tires on 30mm width rims (as originally bought). Seems to be way too narrow a rim for this tire but thats the way Scott make it. If I buy this bike will I need to put 2.4 or 2.5 tires on it so the tires wont roll?