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

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]

Originally Posted by 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

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]

Originally Posted by Duende

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).