19" front wheel on SM?

[ablock]

I'm wondering about kind of the inverse of this question: What would be involved with fitting a 19" front wheel on the SM?

I haven't purchased the bike yet but my plan is to use it as an exploration vehicle on a hitch rack behind our RV. As such, I want to fit it with 50/50 tires and make some adjustments to the plastics (see other thread). Ideally I would end up with something that resembles an electric Desert Sled in both looks and performance. I'm starting with the SM as a base platform in order to get the onboard charger and more highway-friendly gearing.

So is my best bet to contact Warp 9? Or do you experts have other suggestions?

Many thanks!

/afb

 

[Kurlon]

Same issues as going to SM wheels, the rims don't matter, the hub is the critical detail.

 

[rayivers]

What would be involved with fitting a 19" front wheel on the SM?

I put a 19 x 2.50" Warp 9 rim on my Zero (KTM-pattern) rear hub, I imagine it would be a similar process on your SM. I sent Buchanan's Spoke & Rim 18"-rim OEM sample spokes and they made me thicker stainless ones .50" longer as requested, the wheel came out great. Truing / offset / rim-lock drilling / etc. took a while (more info here).



Perhaps Warp 9 has changed their policy, but when I contacted them last year they told me they didn't do custom wheels. Buchanan's does, though.

 

[ablock]

I put a 19 x 2.50" Warp 9 rim on my Zero (KTM-pattern) rear hub, I imagine it would be a similar process on your SM. I sent Buchanan's Spoke & Rim 18"-rim OEM sample spokes and they made me thicker stainless ones .50" longer as requested, the wheel came out great. Truing / offset / rim-lock drilling / etc. took a while (more info here).
Perhaps Warp 9 has changed their policy, but when I contacted them last year they told me they didn't do custom wheels. Buchanan's does, though.

Great info, thanks. I have neither the time nor the patience to build my own wheel, however; would Buchanan's be able to know what questions / measurements to ask to get a full wheel assembled to which I could just bolt the brake disc?

 

[rayivers]

would Buchanan's be able to know what questions / measurements to ask to get a full wheel assembled to which I could just bolt the brake disc?

Absolutely - you can just send them the SM wheel and they'll return it with the new rim trued and properly offset, plus all the original spokes / rim / etc. They'll probably ask you for preferences regarding rim color / width / brand, and the spoke & nipple material / color / gauge. They can likely get any rim you want, but widths above 2.50" may need spoke holes drilled (they can also drill for rim locks if you want). Buchanan's has an excellent rep and I found them extremely easy to work with, even when I screwed up on the length of some extra spare Zero 21"-wheel spokes (I sent them back and they shortened them for free). They can also mount & balance tires.