new(ish) project with townie

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scored a townie locally on the cheap to use as a beer bomber to friends' houses, putz around the neighborhood with the kids. want to change it up a bit. since i bought it, i always wanted to try a big/little wheel setup on it, just not sure what will fit/work. so i took a 700-38 off one of my other bikes to see if it would clear (tire has about 3/16" or so clearance to the bottom of the steerer tube.) and now i'm pretty much set on this look, so now i need some advice from more experienced guys.

kinda going for a chopper/rat/lowrider mashup. want to keep a pretty clean look, minimum cables, no derailleur, etc. prefer white walls in front and rear, but hard to find (not matching, but similar) tires. i want to do 700 with disc brake in the front, maybe a little wider than the 38 in the pic. i know some townie path bikes have 27.5 & disc brakes, so will probably use one of those forks. would like to try a 24x3 on the rear, but unsure if it will clear the frame. (i found this thread, but no real solid answer: https://ratrodbikes.com/threads/3-inch-wide-tires-fit-on-electra-townies.114647/ ). if 24x3 doesn't work, will go with the fattest 26" that fits. the 26" on the rear has a 3sp hub with coaster brake. would love an 8sp w/ coaster, but fine with 3.

other considerations:
- banana seat? (HA!)
- or a low-profile sprung seat?
- 72 spoke front wheel?

thoughts? opinions? would like to get the functional/mechanical stuff done prior to any paint, etc.
image_50771713.JPG
 
Last edited by a moderator:
so one question i'm having a hard time answering:
if my current rear hub is a shimano 3-sp, is a shimano 7-sp internal a direct drop-in?
 
Measure the distance from outside nut to outside nut on your 3 speed. That is called OLD (Over Locknut Dimension) the dimension you will want to match when acquiring your hub.
images (2).jpeg
 
ok so it seems my townie has 120mm dropouts. smallest 7sp hub would be a 127mm. is that too much of a difference? i've seen both sides of the argument & don't know who to believe
 

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