So, useful for those full train moments but… I have always found the 16-inch wheels a little scary down hill…
Of course, for £200-plus you can have the 18-inch upgrade, but since my bike only cost £350 in the first place I think its a little pricey…
Anyway… I had a little issue with the rear wheel the other day and upon inspection found it to be damaged…spokes, rim and tyre all write-offs really.
I had an old BMX bike that my son doesn’t use anymore (he has a shiny new mountain bike) and it has 18-inch rims.
So…
I removed the spokes carefully and swapped the Strida hub for the BMX hub then reassembled them…
After a little swearing when spoking, sweat as I trued the wheels and internet to get 18/1.50 tyres, I have successfully upgraded my 16-inch Strida rims to 18-inch BMX…
Total cost? £40…
My next project is … don’t hate me… adding a chain drive…
My idea is to put the big cog on the left and add a drive cog to the rear wheel bolted to those handy holes in the rear hub.
When I can work out how to add a chain tensioner to the fold up frame that won’t get in the way… I will add 6-speed gears too!
I’m really surprised that you did not get problems with the spokes’ lengths at a different spoke/hub/rim combination?
As I am also about to start wheelbuilding, it would be very interesting to see some pics (and to know the rim manufacturer and type)…
Usually, as far as I know, a tyre bigger than 18 x 1,35 does not fit a Strida because it would touch the frame.
Please could you tell us how you did the trick?
