# Are 29er wheels suitable for gravel/touring bikes?



## jeff400650

I am considering Stans Arch EX rims with 32 spokes on a wheelset for bike that will be on pavement and easy trails and will carry 200 lbs of me and up to 50 lbs of stuff. With 35 to 40mm street oriented tires. 

It seems like there are a million 29 inch disc wheelsets out there with thru axles at good prices, but very few 700c sets.

The bike has 27.5 inch wheels with 2.1 inch knobbies, but I want a separate set of wheels for road and easy dirt road use. I will probably try tubless for the first time.


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## bikerector

Yes, 29er rims are the same diameter as 700c.

What I'm not sure on is the stans arch and a non-mtb as the unique bead hook on stans rims can be finicky with things that they aren't designed for and several of stans rims have psi limits on the upper end or you risk blowing the rim off.

What thru-axle types are you looking for (15mm front and 142x12 rear seems to be the most used, 12mm front for road bikes (fewer options I think))? CX bikes have been using thru-axles for several years now and there are plenty of wheels to go with that. I think most disc wheels have convertible hubs now because of the many different standards currently on the market.


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## harryman

Yep, I've been using 29er wheelsets (SRAM specifically) for years now on my road bike. Since wide rims are all the rage in the MTB world, narrow ones @21mm are cheap, especially compared to road wheelsets. Since they are generally a couple of mms wider as well, they are perfect for slightly plumper road rubber. 

I run anywhere from 28-45mm on mine, they're great.


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## Marc

jeff400650 said:


> I am considering Stans Arch EX rims with 32 spokes on a wheelset for bike that will be on pavement and easy trails and will carry 200 lbs of me and up to 50 lbs of stuff. With 35 to 40mm street oriented tires.
> 
> It seems like there are a million 29 inch disc wheelsets out there with thru axles at good prices, but very few 700c sets.
> 
> The bike has 27.5 inch wheels with 2.1 inch knobbies, but I want a separate set of wheels for road and easy dirt road use. I will probably try tubless for the first time.


A) The lack of thru-axle roadie disc wheels is due to disc not being standard equipment on road bikes. They simply are fringe exotic equipment no one uses on road really. Per bikerector, CX has had the stuff for years. Either shop 29er wheels, or get some custom-built wheels (You just missed a 20% off sale ProWheelBuilder was doing on wheel builds for New Year's)

B) Make sure your 27-Fiver-er will fit the new hoops, and be advised you'll change your bike handling. Changing wheels size means changing BB/axle height and therefore mechanical trail. Depending on your frame geometry you probably will alter your tire clearance ability at least a little.



27-Five was a bizzarro size to start with. 


Most gravel/touring bikes use 700C (29er) wheels. Although some folks retrofit 700C touring/CX bikes to 650B wheels to be able to clear higher-volume (read larger size class) tires. Which, BTW, you are actually going the other way...otherwise with 700C "all road" or "gravel" or CX bikes you frequently cap off at 40-45mm tire clearance, whereas with 650B in a 700C frame you can get 50mm.


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## jeff400650

Thanks for the replies. This from harryman is my thinking, and is what I wanted to hear.


harryman said:


> Yep, I've been using 29er wheelsets (SRAM specifically) for years now on my road bike. Since wide rims are all the rage in the MTB world, narrow ones @21mm are cheap, especially compared to road wheelsets. Since they are generally a couple of mms wider as well, they are perfect for slightly plumper road rubber.
> 
> I run anywhere from 28-45mm on mine, they're great.


The comments about the tire coming off or not seating properly make me leary though.

The 32 spoke, tough and 21mm wide wheel that is still fairly light, all for under $400.00 seems pretty ideal for my application. The 30% off sale ends today.

Here is my bike Diamondback Bicycles - Diamondback Bikes, 2017 Haanjo EXP Carbon 

I am loving the bike for all kinds of riding. The big knobbies are great on rough trails, of course. I got a set of light and supple 42mm smooth gravel tires from Compass, and they transform it into a fun and faster road machine, But I find myself switching tires back and forth alot, and want to just have two wheelsets ready to go. I think 40mm ish tires on 29" wheels will be about the same diameter as the 2.1" (54mm) knobbies on the 27.5" wheels.

Here are the wheels that are in a shop 10 miles away from me. I'll have to verify axle options. Performance Wheelhouse -- Stan's Arch EX 29 Mountain Bike Wheelset

November Dave is another good looking option. But I can get the above wheels today for about half the price, and they seem pretty similar.


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## harryman

jeff400650 said:


> I think 40mm ish tires on 29" wheels will be about the same diameter as the 2.1" (54mm) knobbies on the 27.5" wheels.


The 29er wheelset would be a smidge bigger, but you look like you've got plenty of clearance, so you should be OK.

You can play around with different sizes here: BikeCalc.com - How to calculate Bicycle Wheel Size

I just converted an old Ti 26" hardtail to a 700c/29'er commuter and can fit 35mm tires in it just fine. I did switch out to a road fork to steepen it up, drop the BB and get the trail managable. BB height is less of an issue than trail IME, which you will likely feel, but it won't make it too wonky.

This can let you know if you're still in the ballpark:

Bicycle Trail Calculator | yojimg.net


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