Is it possble to covert 26x4 to 3 onch tire and rim combo

[Marcela]

Where did you shop your rims?

 

[PCeBiker]

Where did you shop your rims?

I fell into a rabbit hole on Aliexpress and spent half a day searching for rims.

My rims aren't labeled so I had to do manual measurements.
I did find what appears to be an exact replacement for my rim, but I don't think that much at all in a 29" rim?

 

[PCeBiker]

Where did you shop your rims?

I didn't think to shop at the DT Swiss website.

Much better rabbit hole to fall into.


This rim is pretty close to what I have but it's about 5 mm narrower bead to bead.

U 663 – Durable electric urban bike rim | DT Swiss

This durable rim can withstand the higher demands of electric urban bikes, whose batteries allow you to ride longer distances.

www.dtswiss.com

The rim might still work, but maybe not with a 2.8" tire like mine?

The rim is double walled, so your spoke length doesn't have to be Dead On.
There's plenty of room to have the spoke go through the nipple without poking your tube.

And it's tubeless ready if you wanna go tubeless.
And its DT Swiss, so its a quality rim, (and hopefully ebike tough?)


.

 

[Marcela]

That one looks good. The 30mm inner rim width is right for the 26 dia rim I was looking for, would have to check to see if there was a 29 tire to fit. 36H. Don't see a price.

Wonder if the width of the distance between mounting holes on the hubs is an issue. The hub motors are about 3". The front conventional axle on the one bike width is 3.5". My midmotor conventional 29 bikes are about 2".

 

[PCeBiker]

I'm thinking of getting this rim,..

It comes to $105 with the shipping.

DT Swiss U 663 Disc Tubeless Schrader/Presta rim, Silver | Bikeinn

Get DT Swiss U 663 Disc Tubeless Schrader/Presta in Silver for 62.49 CDN$. Ideal for bike with fast delivery. Buy Rims and spokes at Bikeinn!

www.tradeinn.com

I want to get the 27.5" version because I've got 3 new 27.5" x 2.8" Super Moto-X tires and want to be able to use them.

This particular Canadian store doesn't offer the 29" version that you would probably want to get the longest spokes possible.



When I bought my second ebike (a Voltbike Outback with Fatbike dropouts and a hub motor), I ordered a new set of double shoulder inverted air forks, a 29" wheel, and a 29" x 2" Shwalbe Hurricane tire.
(The Outback came with RST Guide Fat Forks with those stupid QR axles)




Unfortunately, the steerer tube was too short to fit my Outback,..

So,.. I ended up buying Suntour downhill air forks, and a new 27.5" wheel for it (that had Boost Spacing instead of Fatbike spacing) to mount my Super Moto-X tires.


This is my original Fat Outback rim with a 27.5" Super Moto-X tire.

The rim has 40mm bead to bead spacing, and fatbike dropout spacing.


This is the new 27.5" wheel with a Super Moto-X tire currently on my Suntour forks, along with my new 29" wheel with the Hurricane tire on it,..

So I've already got a 27.5" x 2.8" tire mounted to a skinnier 35mm rim, which I just kinda realized (or remembered??)

So I think I might get the DT Swiss rim and try and string it into my original ebikes Fat Motor.

Apparently, it's an unbranded MXUS motor that I has identical specs and measurements as a Bafang?

I don't use that ebike anymore, but I like the motor better.
Its actually a 750 Watt motor that was detuned (programmed) to 500 Watts.
And my Bafang motor has either a bent axle or a crooked bearing or something, because the freewheel wobbles as the wheel spins.

That's almost as annoying as bent spokes, but it looks like I might have to live with bent spokes if I want a 27.5" rim on a fat motor ?

 

[PCeBiker]

,.. would have to check to see if there was a 29 tire to fit. 36H.

The tire doesn't care if it's a 28, 32, or 36 spoke rim, as long as it's a J-hook crotched rim.
The rim needs to have 36, 12 gauge spoke holes to match your motor.

The only thing that I haven't verified is if the DT Swiss U663 is drilled for 12 guage?


I bought my 29" Hurricane off Amazon, thinking that it was the largest size available, but there is a 2.4" available that would give more ground clearance (to help with pedal strikes) and should easily clear your fork braces and rear swing arm (or chainstay as they call it)

You might like the Hurricane?
It's got a Fast rolling center tread, with knobs on the sidewalls.

The AI Grounder is another good option.

Don't see a price.

Only available through a dealer but some sell online.
Like the Canadian site that I linked to.

Wonder if the width of the distance between mounting holes on the hubs is an issue. The hub motors are about 3".

If you mean the "width" of the Fat Motor, then yeah, you'd have the same problem as me with bent spokes, but with the 29" U663 rim, you'd have longer spokes with less bend.

 

[Marcela]

When I was checking diameters, didn't seem like the 27.5 was much more than the 26, if I was going to do it, to make it worth my while, I'd have to go the 29. There's only 1 of the u663 available for the 29, have to wait a couple weeks, but they look promising.

I think it would be beneficial to have the eyelets, you ever work with them?

Takes a really robust fork to control those 26 x 4. I am hoping going to a lighter tire will help in that department. My rear hub drive has the rst fork, it is pretty noodly, easy to get it to wobble. The front hub drive fork has two sets of triples and bigger stanchions, much better.

Another thing is cause the bikes are so heavy I was looking at the ecargo tires. Haven't seen any in the 29 sizing. One bike weighs 140#, the other 160+#. Some of the tire weight ratings are not listed.

Think as long as the eyelets on the hub motors don't have any sharp edges, a little bend is not going to hurt them.

 

[PCeBiker]

When I was checking diameters, didn't seem like the 27.5 was much more than the 26,

I'm pretty sure that a 26" tire has a 559mm rim diameter, a 27.5" tire has a 584mm rim diameter, and a 29" tire has a 622mm diameter, so a spoke for a 29" wheel should be 31.5mm longer than a 26" wheel. (I think? Lol)

And a 26" fat rim has nowhere near a 26" rim diameter.

if I was going to do it, to make it worth my while, I'd have to go the 29. There's only 1 of the u663 available for the 29, have to wait a couple weeks, but they look promising.

I think it would be beneficial to have the eyelets, you ever work with them?

I've never worked with them, but I found out about them recently and was considering installing them on my wheel.

I decided against it because my wheel ain't broke, but it probably would be if I tried to fix it.

I gotta do my homework and learn more about wheel building.

I wanna do it right if I'm gunna do it, so I need to find out what that means, especially since I'll need to bend the spokes at the nipples.

I'm pretty sure that I'll get quality DT Swiss or Sapim spokes and nipples as well as those eyelets.

And,.. I think that the U633 rim is drilled for 12 gauge and you use eyelets on the spoke nipples if you want to use 14 gauge spokes?

Takes a really robust fork to control those 26 x 4. I am hoping going to a lighter tire will help in that department.

Yeah the RST forks are really tough, but they don't have real damping and they kinda suck
They have springs inside that are wrapped in plastic/rubber sleeves that scrub inside the fork stanchions to act as dampers.

I would lock my front brake and watch the fork movement as I pushed, and the forks would move ¼" at a time then bind.

My current front end is still quite heavy with the downhill forks, and the Super Moto-X tires are heavier with their Moped rating, and they've got heavy duty tubes with half a quart of Flat-Out inside.

But my ebike is amazingly stable and comfortable.
I can float through 2" deep potholes, no-hands, and the handlebars just wobble a bit.

Air forks are worth the investment.
Maybe something made for a Surron with double shoulder fork braces would be better suited for your ebike.

I did look into them after I bought the inverted forks, but bought the Suntour Forks instead.
They're supposed to be quite durable.

Another thing is cause the bikes are so heavy I was looking at the ecargo tires. Haven't seen any in the 29 sizing.

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The largest Shwalbe Pickup tire is 27.5 x 2.6 and is load rated for 170 Kg.

The largest AI Grounder tire is 29 x 2.35 and is load rated to 140 Kg

And my Super Moto-X (27.5 x 2.8) is load rated to 155 Kg

One bike weighs 140#, the other 160+#.

Wow That is heavy!!

I thought my ebike was at about a hundred pounds.

Either way, you should be good with any Moped rated tire that Schwalbe has to offer unless you're a three hundred pounder yourself. Lol

Some of the tire weight ratings are not listed.

You have to scroll down to the chart, then scroll to the far right of the chart to see the load rating.

Think as long as the eyelets on the hub motors don't have any sharp edges, a little bend is not going to hurt them.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking, and the 12 gauge spokes don't have any flex, so the spoke heads aren't wobbling.

Maybe an eyelet isn't a good idea, because the spoke end has to pivot so much?


It's the spoke at the nipple too.
There's quite a bend because the nipple isn't allowed to pivot or lean,..

The spoke is so bent that my spoke wrench only fits on the nipple if the spoke is bending out of the way.

 

[Marcela]

I am 180#. The 26 x 4 tires on there are rated for 198#. I scaled it and most of my weight goes on the rear tire.

Probably depends on the rim maker whether the eyelets can be used or not. My 26" rims don't use eyelets and haven't seen any problems so far so probably not necessary. The Vado is the only bike I have that uses eyelets. Maybe the eyelets allow for the manufacturer to make shitty holes and easier to put the eyelet in. When it comes to wheel building time, you want the nipple to turn easily, or I do, cause I do it by feel. The websites probably explain why, it's not rocket science.

Whether 12 or 14 ga I would bet either to work as long as everything is kept in good shape, the heavier gauge might allow for negligence.

The Schwalbe pick up is what I was aiming for. If I can't find a decent 29 tire I will prob slide down to the 27.5 just for that.

 

[PCeBiker]

When it comes to wheel building time, you want the nipple to turn easily, or I do, cause I do it by feel.

I spent Months farting around with my wheels trying to straighten out a wobble and fix a speed wobble, and the nipples always turned easily without that Clang/Clunk when a seized nipple lets go.

Show Us a Tool

I would try getting a hold of Schwalbe tech support. If this is truly a defective tire they may be willing to replace it. I would sure do that before I warped my rim to compensate for a bad tire. It wasn't that bad and I could ride no-hands comfortably until I added the spare battery to the...

forums.electricbikereview.com

I finally got my wheel straight but my ebike was pulling to one side.
Then I noticed that I managed to dish my wheel over ¼" off center.


So my rim and spokes weren't neglected, but I abused the hell outta them, and they stood up to all of it.

Whether 12 or 14 ga I would bet either to work as long as everything is kept in good shape, the heavier gauge might allow for negligence.

I think the 12 guage is the best bet.
14 gauge has enough elasticity that they will wobble at both ends of the spoke because both ends are so far out of alignment.
I think that the movement will cause a fatigue fracture and the heads will pop off !!! Lol

The Schwalbe pick up is what I was aiming for. If I can't find a decent 29 tire I will prob slide down to the 27.5 just for that.

Well, I hope you build a wheel and let me know all about it, especially if you end up with the 27.5" rim.
That would be the exact same build that I wanna do.

 

[Marcela]

Thing would be to find someone who already has the package together. This is close but not quite there. Mine uses the Hentach motors.

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[Marcela]

Useful spoke info

Wheel Building - Getting Advanced - Resources

There are many good print and online references for lacing bicycle wheels. Many will defer to Sheldon Brown, Brandt's Bicycle Wheel Book, and others. However, a lot of the points and details with a conventional bicycle hubs don't necessarily apply to hub motors with their much larger flange...

ebikes.ca

 

[PCeBiker]

Thing would be to find someone who already has the package together. This is close but not quite there.

Yeah, there's lots of motor kits, but the problem is that if it's got a Fat motor, then it's got a Fat rim as well.

A fat rim has the spokes offset/staggered around the rim so the spokes are pulling straighter.

Connecting a Fat motor to a "normal" rim of any size is something that is almost never done.

My Voltbike is kind of a unicorn with a "regular" rim connected up to a Fat motor.

Useful spoke info

Wheel Building - Getting Advanced - Resources

There are many good print and online references for lacing bicycle wheels. Many will defer to Sheldon Brown, Brandt's Bicycle Wheel Book, and others. However, a lot of the points and details with a conventional bicycle hubs don't necessarily apply to hub motors with their much larger flange...

ebikes.ca

I've known about Grins spoke calculator for a couple years, but never tried to figure it out.

Maybe, if you know how to work it, you could enter the parameters of your motor and the U633 rim

I bet a red flag goes off and it says it's not doable.

Perhaps asking the wheel builder about it?
He might know of a more appropriate rim with at least angled spoke holes (like on a motorcycle rim) or even staggered/offset spokeholes as well??


From what I understand, the Grin wheel builder really knows his stuff, and has been building Big Fat wheels for a long time.
Grin was kind of an innovator of Fat Bikes back in the day.

Perhaps if you buy from Grin, the wheel builder can send you everything that you need to build the wheels that you want using the motors you have?

 

[PCeBiker]

One good thing about having a "skinny" wheel in a Fat frame is that you've got Tons of room to fix a flat without removing the wheel.

I've got Lots of room to install a 29" x 2.8" version of my, (if there is such a tire?) and I would still have lots of room to the side to remove a tube.


You "could" install one of those 2000 Watt motor kits on your ebikes, but you'd need a longer axle with spacers, and that starts getting ridiculous.

You'd be better off starting over with a new ebike with regular or boost dropout spacing.

 

[Marcela]

I had asked Grin about a replacement 26" rim and they sent a good recommendation. I just sent them another asking about a 29 as I don't see anything wider than 24mm width id on their website. I wonder how good a $40 chinese rim is going to be. The Velocity Blunt 35 is $150 and the DT Swiss U663 is somewhere up there also.

Looking at either the Hurricane or Hookworm as tires. Bikeparts has a good selection of spokes and nipples.

 

[PCeBiker]

My front wheel has a Chinese rim, but it has 14 gauge spokes and no motor.

It seems fine to me but I'm not sure how it would cope with the power you've got or for going 50 mph?

I'd personally never take my RST Guide front forks up to that kind of speed, but I'd probably do it with my current setup?

I wish I lived on a mountain so I could do it legally.


My rear hub motor has the 27.5" wheel and 12 gauge spokes and the rim has no label on it, so it must be Chinese?

It seems fine too.

 

[PCeBiker]

Have you considered just swapping out your 26 x 4 tires to a street tread?

It's A Lot cheaper and easier to do.

A street tread is much more stable on the road, especially at 50 mph.

 

[Marcela]

The Como wheel has a nice profile so I took it apart. The rim id width is 30mm, the tire is 2.3. Don’t think I would want to go much wider on the 30mm.