Bigger wheels on my GT?

[FST4RD]

I have a 91 GT Pantera Al, one with the u brake on the back.
It's my commuter running slicks on the standard 26" wheels.
I was gifted a set of 700c wheels built on mountain bike hubs and quite keen to use them. I want my bike to go faster home lol.
I can see I could use a standard road brake on the front, however on the back it's another story. I think the brake bridge above the u brake is going to be too far even for a long drop road brake to fit.
However the bridge down the bottom by the bb looks a lot closer, but can I use it? It has a slotted hole seemly for this exact purpose perhaps? Am I crazy? Should I just give up? Anyone done this?

 

[FST4RD]

Please ignore how dirty it is, doesn't get cleaned too often...

 

[barry2017]

The problem with caliper brakes is the cable will be off to one side.

How about a brake adaptor plate with a set of Maguras? You could make the plate easily enough.

It will always be a kludge, though. I'd get a hybrid frame myself.

 

[FST4RD]

Re:

I love this bike... I love riding it regularly. If I can't put these wheels on there I'll just stick with the 26" wheels.
It's a real bitsa bike but it's been with me through thick and thin and through many different builds.

 

[Bullpup]

Why not use the gt bolt on disk adapter and run disks?

 

[FST4RD]

Re:

What disc adapters?

 

[Bullpup]

BETD in the uk make them but are out of stock. In any case given your location try this?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Retro-GT-Zask ... 233b110be6

 

[hot chilli]

I cant see that there should be much problem with an calliper brake, they come in so many depths/widths
its just a case of the right one.. you will also find some are both left and right handed for the cable pull.

your going to probably want the cable pull to go to the non drive side.

you can but a bolt on adaptor plate (used on bmx bikes) to mount your u brake to.

a standard bmx calliper brake has a lot more depth than a road bike one so may be another option.

are u-brake bosses the same size as a canti boss? if so with the wheel being bigger dose that drop the boss down enough in relation to the braking surface to use a canti/v-brake (I think not but an idea)

 

[andy.l]

I've just done exactly this. I bought an alloy GT frame that had a U-brake fitted, but it never came with any of the bosses. I'm running P2 forks with an adapter plate on the front to run 700c wheels and have fabricated plates to lower a set of V brakes on the back using the original U- brake threaded bosses on the frame. It's by no means the most pretty of things but it works.

 

[FST4RD]

The u brake bosses are literally at the same height as the sidewalls on the 700c rims. I would think that trying to run a caliper or running an adapter to move the u brakes would mean removing the bosses that are on there.

Anyone have any pics of what they have done?