Running MTB wheels on gravel bike

[electrolux]

I'm after a set of wheels for bikepacking and off roading to save my 50mm Elitewheel Edge rims from getting too beat up.

Options for wide internal gravel rims seem limited so I am looking at 29er MTB wheels and I like the peace of mind knowing they are tougher as I like to ride down stairs and thrash the bike a bit.

I understand I will need to adapt 15mm front axle down to 12mm and ensure they are 14x100F/12x142R. Is there anything else to look out for regarding compatibility?

Finally; do you have any recommendations for chiner MTB rims?

I am open to carbon but would lean to alloy for cost as I already have a nice pair of wheels. Not too fussed on weight.

[Tijoe]

This is where I began. Looking at a recommended ID rim width versus tire width chart.

https://www.wtb.com/pages/tire-rim-fit-chart

Depending on the generation of gravel bike frame you have, you may only be able to install up to 40mm wide tires.  New generation gravel bike frames can be purchased that will fit up to 2" tires / 50mm tires.    (Remember that the wider the rim, the less side wall bulge you might have.  This can lead to rim damage if you run too narrow a tire on a wider rim.)

I started out thinking I could use my gravel bike for gravel road bicycle touring and discovered that my gravel bike was limited in how I could configure it and that it beat the heck out of my upper body descending.   If you want to participate in "bikepacking rides / events" where you carry a minimum amount of gear and are riding for fast "best known times" then you will want to ride on as narrow tires as you think you can get away with. You will want 700c rims with an ID between 22 and 24mm.

It you want to bike pack on rough terrain where there is a lot of chunky, washouts, washboard, and overall crappy riding conditions, then you might think about a 29er hardtail with rigid fork that will fit 2 to 2.2 low rolling resistance tires.   

I built up a 29er hardtail that I run either a rigid carbon fork or a suspension fork, and use drop bars on this bike.   It served me well for over 1000 miles of camping this summer.

Take a look at what the 2023 Continental Divide riders were riding to get a feel for what will meet your needs.   

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/2023-rigs-of-the-tour-divide-breakdown/

[Tijoe]

Forgot, here are 2 Aliexpress stores where I have purchased carbon rims from.  (Happy so far with the wheels I built using these rims.)

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802372131445.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.615.6f7d1802HFG0Z2&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800282655021.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.105.6f7d1802HFG0Z2&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

[electrolux]

Thank you so much. Didn't realise 28mm internal wouldn't be the best combo with 45c so I should aim for 24-25mm internal. 45c is the max on my gravel bike.

I think 25mm internal would be a sweet spot for me as I would be able to run 45c and use them for a future hardtail build and hopefully being MTB I won't have to worry about beating them up.

Which hubs and spokes did you build these rims up with?

[Crash217]

When I built up my gravel bike I decided to go with a WTB ST I30 29er MTB Bike Wheelset.  30mm Inner Width, 35mm outer width.   I mounted up some 42mm Pathfinder tires.  They measure 45mm once mounted up.

They've been pretty dang solid for 10 months with a few thousand miles of beating them up on gravel, pavement and even singletrack. etc.

https://velomine.com/products/wtb-st-i30-29er-mtb-bike-wheels-tubeless-15x-100-12x-142mm-axles