Can we have a real discussion about multiple wheel sets for one bike?

[Duende]

As some folks may know, my main bike these days is a GT-1. Super happy with it. Just took some time to dial in because I’ve been out of the country most of this year. But what I’m really liking is the 47mm rake and fit. It may be a bit stiff or rigid for some folks, but I really like how it hugs the roads on pavement and floats over rocky gravel when it comes up unexpectedly.

Anyways, I’m currently using Enve 3.4 discs with 38mm Hutchinson Override tires. Which has worked out great. However I left my road bike back in Tucson, so sometimes I’m super curious to try some 25mm on the 3.4’s and cruise the city

Anyways... getting to the point here. I’m thinking about getting another set of wheels. Like 650B dedicated gravel wheels...

Anyone else rocking two wheelsets on the same bike? If so, please share some advice. I know I need to use the same hub on both builds etc.. but did it work out well for you?

[martl]

Having two wheelsets of the same size to extend the field of application for a given bike is not a bad idea if one doesn't want to go through the hassle of changing tires.
Having tow different sized wheelsets for the same bike under the precondition that both the brake system and the frame size allow for it, may or may not work. It *will* affect geometry and handling, some frames may deal with that better than others.

[jrsbike]

Extra Wheel Sets:
Why not? A common application. Many people make seasonal changes, like winter tires for a car.

[Black Dog]

Two wheel sets is all pluses and no minuses. Easy to change for different conditions thus you will be more likely ride. If one set has an issue then you are still good to go on the other.

[merlinmurph]

When I got my Seven Evergreen two years ago, I got two sets of wheels for exactly that purpose. I had ergott build up a set of road wheels and dirt wheels for me and it has worked out great, especially when we drove around the country for 6 months. During that trip, I think I used the dirt wheels more than the road wheels.

The road wheels currently have Vittoria Rubino 28mm tires and the dirt wheels have Clement MSO 40mm tires.

Enjoy your ride,
Murph

[yakstone]

I have two wheel sets for each road bike.

Different cassettes as well as different tires depending on what I need for that days ride.

Works well for me, and there is always a set ready to go in case I have another party visiting that wants to ride.

[redir]

I have 4 wheel sets for my cross bike and two or three for each of my road bikes :D

In various sets of tubular and clincher and tread patterns for cross.

It's perfectly normal.

[djg]

Two words: Cyclo cross.

Ok, that's one word. Still, we can think of the utility of a set of back-up wheels without thinking of pit wheels for cross racing or spares for a wheel van racing on the road (or training and racing, etc.). More than that, a very different set of wheels, along with different tires, can change your ride -- maybe to suit conditions or plans for a day -- in a way that might be pretty significant and welcome. And an extra set of wheels takes up less space than an extra bike, which is not to say how many bikes anybody wants or needs.

[GregL]

When vacationing, I often take my cross/gravel/all-road bike (LeMond Poprad) and two sets of wheels. One wheelset has road tires/cassette (700x28, 11-28) and the other has a gravel setup (700x35, 11-34). This allows me to enjoy all the terrain and roads available. Short of technical singletrack, I can ride nearly any road/trail with one bike.

Greg

[weisan]

Duende pal, it's great to do our research before hand and have a discussion, but I think at the end of the day, it boils down to trying it out for yourself to see if you like it or not.

I did that personally and discovered that as much as I like interoperability of different wheel sizes, there's an optimal or preferred combination that I like for certain bikes that I have.

[type2sam]

When vacationing, I often take my cross/gravel/all-road bike (LeMond Poprad) and two sets of wheels. One wheelset has road tires/cassette (700x28, 11-28) and the other has a gravel setup (700x35, 11-34). This allows me to enjoy all the terrain and roads available. Short of technical singletrack, I can ride nearly any road/trail with one bike.

Greg

This. I have several bikes, but all I seem to ride these days is a Honey Cross I picked up in 2017. 700x32 slicks/11-28 for road rides and 700x40 knobbies/11-40 for mixed terrain.

[sparky33]

As some folks may know, my main bike these days is a GT-1. Super happy with it.

I’m thinking about getting another set of wheels. Like 650B dedicated gravel wheels...

I wonder what the tire width capacity of a GT-1 is at the 650b radius... maybe 42?

Anyway, an extra wheelset wearing different tires/cassette is very useful. Go for it.

[Lewis Moon]

Extra wheelsets? I just have three bikes, all with Campy 10+ rim brake wheels. Swap the wheels around when I need to.

[R3awak3n]

Im going to do this on my open. I 650b wheelset for big tires and 1 700c set for roadish tires (somehing like a 32-35mm).

If I could I would add a 3rd 650b wheelset so I could have a mtb on that and a slick tire on the other 650b. Tubeless is great but a pain in the ass to change tires

[Ruimteaapje]

I've got several tubular and clincher wheelsets which I frequently exchange between bikes depending on the type of tires but more commonly on the type of cassette I want to use (12-25 or 13-29).

[kppolich]

For road: Maybe a racing deep set and a training set that is tubeless and wider tires for comfort. HED 6+ for me and Belgium+ with 28c Pro1's for training. Nic and wide, plus, same width brake surfaces so no adjustment needed.

Cross: That is a whole different beast with conditions, tire choices, etc.

[shoota]

I'm going to assume you have discs so one thing you may run into is getting the rotors to sit in exactly the same place so they don't rub on the brake pads. I think you may already know this because you mentioned using the same hub (will also keep the cassette lined up too) but I hear shimming the rotors isn't too difficult.

[Epicus07]

What are all of you doing with your chain lengths for those that are swapping wheels with notably different cassette sizes ?

[sandyrs]

What are all of you doing with your chain lengths for those that are swapping wheels with notably different cassette sizes ?

Nothing. Unless swapping between a 12-28 and an 11-40 or something (which I never do on a given bike) it isn't a big enough concern for me to address.

I have multiple wheelsets for my cx bike and find it really makes it more appealing to ride in a variety of circumstances from all-pavement road rides to borderline mtb trails.

[hokoman]

Alex, my problem with potential wheel changes on the same bike is that my bikes have different set ups.. my road has the most drop, my touring and cross bikes are slightly higher up front. Maybe not an issue for you, but an easier thing is to get a new bike. The Baum is calling your name. :)

[Duende]

Ha! A Baum sure would be nice.... if I had the cash flow! 😜

Thanks for all the input guys. My GT-1 barely has clearance for 38c at 700c.

Sparky33, yeah.. that’s the question, can I get up to 42s on 640B. Also I’m hearing mixed reviews on 650B too.

I have considered just buying another road bike. Missed out on $1500 Peg Duende on eBay the other day...

My original plan was to always get two wheelsets.. just need to decide if 650B is worth trying out.

[stien]

What are all of you doing with your chain lengths for those that are swapping wheels with notably different cassette sizes ?

This isn’t a problem if you size your chain to be as long as possible (which is the correct way IMO).

[colker]

Ha! just need to decide if 650B is worth trying out.

Build a pair, ride it and decide it.

[Gummee]

I have 4 wheel sets for my cross bike and two or three for each of my road bikes :D

In various sets of tubular and clincher and tread patterns for cross.

It's perfectly normal.

This.

I'm not exactly sure how many wheelsets I have (and don't want to know) but they all do different things: light, aero, training, etc

M

[AngryScientist]

i think it's fairly common to have multiple wheelsets for a single bike, with various tires for different situations.

i'm a bad example because i have more bikes than brains, but if i were to have a single bike, i would ideally want:

-gravel wheels - handbuilt wheels with 28+spokes to handle big gravel days shod with 38c tires
-light gravel wheels - 24/28 spoke wheels with 35c bon jon tires for groomed trails and mixed terrain riding
-foul weather/bad road/touring wheels - 24/28 spoke with 28c all condition tires
-road daily wheels - 20/24 spoke with 25c tires
-road fast wheels - carbon aero fast wheels, boras.

[madsciencenow]

i think it's fairly common to have multiple wheelsets for a single bike, with various tires for different situations.



i'm a bad example because i have more bikes than brains, but if i were to have a single bike, i would ideally want:



-gravel wheels - handbuilt wheels with 28+spokes to handle big gravel days shod with 38c tires

-light gravel wheels - 24/28 spoke wheels with 35c bon jon tires for groomed trails and mixed terrain riding

-foul weather/bad road/touring wheels - 24/28 spoke with 28c all condition tires

-road daily wheels - 20/24 spoke with 25c tires

-road fast wheels - carbon aero fast wheels, boras.



Well said, Angry. Pretty similar to what I’d want if I could only have one bike.

I’m in the no brains camp so no matter how hard I try to only have one bike it ends up being three or four.


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[RobJ]

Ha! A Baum sure would be nice.... if I had the cash flow! 😜

Thanks for all the input guys. My GT-1 barely has clearance for 38c at 700c.

Sparky33, yeah.. that’s the question, can I get up to 42s on 640B. Also I’m hearing mixed reviews on 650B too.

I have considered just buying another road bike. Missed out on $1500 Peg Duende on eBay the other day...

My original plan was to always get two wheelsets.. just need to decide if 650B is worth trying out.

Yes to the two or multiple wheelsets for the reasons mentioned.

I can tell you that 650x47 won't fit the GT-1. That was a pricey experiment. Just picked up a GT-1 and test fit a set of Gravel Kings last nite in that size and not close. The Barlow Passes are looking to be a close fit as well. Have a set of Schwalbe Allround 38s coming in to try. Maybe 650x42.

[R3awak3n]

Yes to the two or multiple wheelsets for the reasons mentioned.

I can tell you that 650x47 won't fit the GT-1. That was a pricey experiment. Just picked up a GT-1 and test fit a set of Gravel Kings last nite in that size and not close. The Barlow Passes are looking to be a close fit as well. Have a set of Schwalbe Allround 38s coming in to try. Maybe 650x42.

that sucks but I actually thing 650x42 is a better size for an all rounder bike. Great on pavement decent on gravel. 47/48 mm is better on gravel of course but not as good on pavement. I think you will like the 42s...

[Wayne77]

I LOVE having 2 wheelsets for my gravel bike. Both thru-axle disc which makes it easy to swap.

- 650B Enve M60 with a 2.1” Thunder Burt up front / 40mm G-one in the back. I can rip some pretty rough trails on this setup. 10-42 cassette.

- 700c DT Swiss Spline with 32 Challenge tires for cx. For winter road bike duties I’ll put some 28mm all weather tires on. 11-32 cassette

For my road bike I have two sets of wheels as well, but not so much for multiple purposes...more so I have a back up set of race wheels. Both tubular cf non disc

- 50mm Campy Bora Ultra tubular with 25mm Victoria Corsa Elite tires. Used for flattish races. 11-26 cassette

- 38 mm Bontrager Aeolus 3 tubular with 28mm Corsa Elite. Climbing wheels since they are shallower and super light. Also used for windy rides & races due to the shallower, wider, U-shaped profile compared to the deep V of the Boras. 11-28 cassette

[Duende]

Yes to the two or multiple wheelsets for the reasons mentioned.

I can tell you that 650x47 won't fit the GT-1. That was a pricey experiment. Just picked up a GT-1 and test fit a set of Gravel Kings last nite in that size and not close. The Barlow Passes are looking to be a close fit as well. Have a set of Schwalbe Allround 38s coming in to try. Maybe 650x42.

This is great info!! Thank you very much. I'd be happy with the 42's.

Also in terms of exterior diameter, wouldn't the 650x42 be more or less equal to a 700x25??

I'm a little concerned with BB drop, but I think I'll be ok based on this math.

[Duende]

I LOVE having 2 wheelsets for my gravel bike. Both thru-axle disc which makes it easy to swap.

- 650B Enve M60 with a 2.1” Thunder Burt up front / 40mm G-one in the back. I can rip some pretty rough trails on this setup. 10-42 cassette.

- 700c DT Swiss Spline with 32 Challenge tires for cx. For winter road bike duties I’ll put some 28mm all weather tires on. 11-32 cassette

For my road bike I have two sets of wheels as well, but not so much for multiple purposes...more so I have a back up set of race wheels. Both tubular cf non disc

- 50mm Campy Bora Ultra tubular with 25mm Victoria Corsa Elite tires. Used for flattish races. 11-26 cassette

- 38 mm Bontrager Aeolus 3 tubular with 28mm Corsa Elite. Climbing wheels since they are shallower and super light. Also used for windy rides & races due to the shallower, wider, U-shaped profile compared to the deep V of the Boras. 11-28 cassette

You using the same hubs on all your wheels? Or shims??

[unterhausen]

seems like you would have to swap wheels fairly often if you have a cassette on both sets of wheels. I have two sets of wheels for my gravel bike, but I swap so seldom that I move the cassette.

[Wayne77]

seems like you would have to swap wheels fairly often if you have a cassette on both sets of wheels. I have two sets of wheels for my gravel bike, but I swap so seldom that I move the cassette.

For me it’s not just gearing but significantly different tire selection as well depending on terrain / intended use. Just personal preference...I certainly understand that in many cases one set of gravel tires can span many different use cases. For me, a 2.1”/650B mtb tire sets me up nicely for snow covered single track or loose rocky conditions, and a much narrower 700c tire for cx or classic fire road gravel with lots of asphalt.

You using the same hubs on all your wheels? Or shims??

Yeah...DT 240!and DT 350, both centerlock & rear XD freehub.

[AJosiahK]

For sure, makes sense in alot of applications.

[wallymann]

yeah, i dont get this.

i dont have "bikes" and it's been +25 years since i bought a "bike" -- i have frames and wheelsets, and freely swap wheelsets between frames (where they are compatible, of course).


Anyways... getting to the point here. I’m thinking about getting another set of wheels. Like 650B dedicated gravel wheels...

Anyone else rocking two wheelsets on the same bike? If so, please share some advice. I know I need to use the same hub on both builds etc.. but did it work out well for you?