I have a set of 700c wheels and am looking to buy a used frame.
I want a frame that fits the 700c tires so I don't have to file down the front dropouts or use long reach brakes.
What are the frames called that fit 700c tires?
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1I don't know of a generic term for "bike that fits 700c tires". Most common road bikes (including racing, touring and cyclocross) fit a 700c tire. "29er" mountain bikes also take that size rim. That rim size is also known as "622" after the bead-seat-diameter of the rim and tire. You could always measure the frame. It should be 311mm (12.24in) from center of axle to (roughly) top of brake pad, and should have room from axle to top of fork (and other clearance points) for 350mm (13.78in) of tire radius. – freiheit♦ Jan 12 '14 at 23:13
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Usually, this is implicit in the style of the bike (and listed as part of the frame specifications) as pointed out by freiheit. A lot of 29er mountain bikes are disc only frames. One thing to note is that some frames only come in 26" for smaller frames, and offer both for larger frames (example: Surly LHT is 26" only for under 56cm sizes, and 700c only for 64cm size but both for all other sizes). – Batman Jan 13 '14 at 1:57
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Yes, measuring the frame from dropout to brake pad would be the way to tell for sure. Or simply measure the radius of the wheels that are on the bike. Do note that there are likely some old (prior to about 1985) 27" bikes out there that are very close, only the brakes won't line up very well. (Kinda seems like this is the tail wagging the dog, though.) – Daniel R Hicks Jan 13 '14 at 12:00
There's no 'official' standard, as mentioned in the comments. However, in a crude sense, I'd call them 'road frames.'
- BMX Frame - Accepts 20" Wheels
- Cruiser Frame - Accepts 24" Wheels
- Mountain Bike / MTB Frame - Generally accepts 26" mountain bike wheels, unless specified otherwise
- '29er' Frame - 29" Mountain bike wheels
- Road Frame - Generally accepts 700c wheels
I'm sure there's exceptions to every one of these.
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Mountain bikes normally are sold with the wheel size somewhere in the name. Theres also 650b in the MTB space now which is gaining traction (allegedly, its a good tradeoff between a 26" and a 29" bike). In any case, when you buy a frame, the wheel size is part of its specification. – Batman Jan 13 '14 at 5:49
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Agreed, but if the size is omitted, or not specified otherwise, it's likely 26". I rarely see the
26spelled out explicitly, or included in the name. – Ehryk Jan 13 '14 at 7:18 -
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While the "29er" uses the same diameter wheels as 700c, doesn't the
crefer to the width? I thought "29er" rims were wider and accepted much wider tires. – Ehryk Jan 13 '14 at 15:19 -
I also wouldn't try to fit 700c/622mm 'road' rims/wheels into a 29er MTB, nor the other way around (likely impossible to fit in the frame or fork), hence the naming difference despite sharing the 622mm ISO BSD. – Ehryk Jan 13 '14 at 17:14
