Possible wheel swap? 650-16 to 850-17

[orangechicken007]

Wondering if it's possible to swap the rear wheel of a 82 650gl (16) to a (17) 80 850l. After looking at it the 16 is a little wider than the 17. Would it be safe to make up the different with spacers?

[Steve]

Yes, it's possible, but why? Adding spacers would be safe, just make sure the disk is centered in the caliper.

I will be doing the same thing on my next tire change. My reason for doing it is for tire choice. I will need a LONG-lasting tire for an upcoming trip.
There is a decent choice in tires in the 17" size, but none of them offer the mileage I will be needing to avoid a tire change mid-trip.

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[orangechicken007]

Well I have an 850 parts bike that happened to have a brand new back tire. Thought I might check and see honestly out of curiosity. I'm waiting for a tire to come in the mail and thought it might be worth keeping the rear wheel around as a back up. Is there really a better selection of 17 inch tires comepared to 16 tires? How long will your trip be? I'm hoping to take some longer trips in the next few months and if theres more options on the 17 I might need to go ahead and make the switch.

[Steve]

No, there are probably more tires available in the 16 inch size, but my son's 1000G and my 850G both have 17s. Some of the more-expensive tires that are available for them might last the trip, but they are more performance oriented, meaning they will work better (and last longer) if you are leaned over, scrubbing some rubber off the sides of the tires occasionally. Our trip will be 6-7000 miles, and I don't want to have to plan a tire change en route. We are currently running Shinko 230 Tour Masters on all three bikes. Reports of longevity on these tires range from about 6-9000 miles, depending on how hard you ride. We won't be riding all that hard, and will be pretty much vertical most of the time, so I am looking at a touring tire that has a dual compound. Unfortunately, it is only available in a 16 inch rear, so I have new wheels for our bikes. I am getting ready to change my rear tire to finish out this season and get me through most of next season, then will put the touring tires on all three bikes for the trip.

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[orangechicken007]

The shinko 230 is what I just put on as my back tire. Glad to hear you like it. Thanks for all your answers and have fun on your trip!

[B.C.G.S.]

*darkside*