Spare slick tyre wheel set..?

[andyoxon]

I'm about to get my first MTB, and was wondering since I'll have one (MTB) bike, how easy is it to have a spare set of wheels with slick tyres and change them as and when necessary?  I was thinking about managing to remove the wheels with the disk brakes in place.  No experience with disks yet either.

Andy

[andygates]

Easy so long as they're the same number of gears.

If you're changing them often, wheels are best.  If it's just occasionally, a spare set of tyres and tubes is more cost-effective.

[mattc]

... and for the same money you could buy an old road-bike that is quicker ...

</obligatory unsolicited counterview>

[andyoxon]

Thanks Andy.

... and for the same money you could buy an old road-bike that is quicker ...

</obligatory unsolicited counterview>

Fair enough, and I have a touring bike/commuter, but thought if I did go with the MTB-oxon-pot-hole-busting route, then slicks would be better than commuting on knobblies.

[oncemore]

A spare set of wheels/different tyres is IME/O an excellent idea. With such a set up, an mtb is THE bike to have if circumstances dictate only one (decent quality) bike. With slicks, a good hard tail or rigid will do exactly what a road or even race bike will do - albeit a little slower! A race bike, whatever the tyres, will NOT do what an mtb will do.

[PaulF]

I was thinking about managing to remove the wheels with the disk brakes in place.  No experience with disks yet either.

Andy

Removing wheels with disk brakes is no harder that rim brakes. Replacing them is a little harder but probably only takes a second longer to make sure that the disk goes between the calipers. Just need to make sure you don't apply the brakes with the disk out!

[Zoidburg]

If it's occasional I would just keep tyres.

You may get drive train issues if you try plugging a new wheelset and cassette into a more worn drive train, if the two are being swapped out more frequently then it should not be such a problem.

[Torslanda]

My vote is for wheels.

Slicks as spares is all very laudable and cost effective but you just know that every time you want the knobblies it will be on slicks and every time you want the slicks it will be on knobblies. It's Sod's Law.

A gentle tip, it doesn't matter about rims but it is vital that you get the same hubs, discs and cassette arrangement in your replacement wheels. That way you will have no issues with compatibility.

luv'n'stuff

J

[andygates]

A race bike, whatever the tyres, will NOT do what an mtb will do.

You're just skeered a' breakin' 'er.   

[mattc]

A race* bike, whatever the tyres, will NOT do what an mtb will do.

You're just skeered a' breakin' 'er.   

... which is why an old cheap road-bike  can be fastest of all !


*(please define "race" bike? Downhill MTB Race bike?!?)