Ever try squeezing a 26x2.125 wheel on a road bike?

[stepper]

Anyone ever try squeezing a 26x2.125 wheel on a road bike?
I have this Falcon frame that I would like to strip, primer and paint metalflake green with cream headtube. I then plan on putting a coaster brake on her and some cream tires. I'm thinking that the easy way to do this (if it will all fit) is to get a set of 26x2.125 wheels with Cream Felt Quick Bricks.

My concerns are that the tires might be a bit wide for the frame and fork and the rear wheel may need to be redished. I tried to squeeze the wheels and tires from my Space Bike Build Off bike to see if things will fit but the tires are definately too wide. But I think Quick Bricks might fit since when I bought my current tires I got the widest ones that made the most economical sense.

Does anybody know if Quick Bricks might fit into the frame or if they are a relatively narrow cruiser tire? I know it might be impossible to tell just from pics and my vague descriptions but I would like to hear your opinions anyway.

Thanks,
Jason

The frame:

The wheels I tried to squeeze into the frame(I will try to get a brand name for these when I get home):

 

[skoda]

I have done it. Hooch did it to a Varsity. You have to spread the frame. It helps to cut out any brackets that are holding the chain/seat stays together, but then you of course are losing quite a bit of extra bracing.

You can also shave the stays down where the tire wants to rub. Use some washers on the rear axle to hold everything apart a little wider.

 

[stepper]

Thanks Skoda. Would you happen to remember if this required redishing of the rear wheel to get the chainline straight?

 

[socal_jack]

The profile on your spaceliner bike tires look like the Kenda Kraze or Cheng Shin version, I have the 24X3 Kenda Krazes and 24X3 Thick Bricks, and the profile on the Thick Bricks is alot narrower I can fit those on almost any frame without spreading whereas the Krazes will not. You might be able to just get the Quick Bricks on without spreading or at least as much.

 

[skoda]

Thanks Skoda. Would you happen to remember if this required redishing of the rear wheel to get the chainline straight?

It's going to depend on the bike and the wheel. Couldn't say.

 

[Old Putz]

Back around 1977 I worked at a bike shop in Fremont, CA. This was in the very early years of the emerging mountain bike craze. We had some old 26" wheels and fat tires laying around, but all we had in the way of junker frames were from 10 speeds. I remember clamping up a Schwinn Varsity frame (figured we couldn't break it, the stinking thing weighed a ton) in a vise and heating the chain stays with a propane torch and hammering a thrashed Sturmey-Archer AW hub down into the crotch of the stays with a big ball peen hammer in order to spread the frame. This actually worked. Got a set of hubs off of a mo-ped (the rear had a drum brake on it and was threaded to accept a 5 speed gear cluster) and laced up a pair of wheels. The resulting bike must've weighed 50 pounds, but it was pretty much bulletproof. We called it the Bash-o-matic (after the Saturday Night Live skit). It eventually got stolen, but if was fun while it lasted.

 

[Markm]

I did this Varsity with no probs. 2.125 tires. Had to use MTB brakes though...

 

[OUTLAW]

don't have to cut any braces. take a 4x4 wedge it in then start tapping ,easy does it untill you get it a little wider then you want so it will spring back to where ya want it. i do this to all my bikes that need to be wide, same with front fork. never had a problem. look at my superbee when i had the wide red tires on it.

Outlaw