Question about rear wheels

Hello,

I am relatively new to riding, like to work on my bike, and would like to spend more time riding outside while I still can. I have a wheel on trainer, and am looking for a spare rear wheel to use as a dedicated trainer wheel. That way I will easily be able to swap and ride outside without having to change my tire.

My bike is a specialized diverge a1, so I am looking for a 700c disc wheel (11 speed).

I, ignorantly, bought a 10 speed clincher wheel (my setup is disc) and it does not fit my bike. I am doing my best to learn from this mistake, so I have a few questions.

1st: does anyone have advice as to what size wheels will fit on my bike i.e. what measurements besides 700c do I have to pay attention to before purchasing the wheel.

2nd: does the wheel have to fit an 11 speed cassette to work on my bike (keep in mind I use erg mode and will never be shifting gears)

3rd: Are cassettes universal? Will Shimano cassettes fit on wheels from a different company?

I know these questions may seem super basic, but I am new to this and doing my best to learn. I know there are many people with mechanic skills on this forum, so any advice or links/references would be very useful!

  • Generally, you can get away with an 11-speed chain run on a 10-speed cassette.
  • No, they aren’t really “universal”. But there is near complete cross-compatibility for Shimano and SRAM. As long as the 11 or 10-speed match, they are effectively interchangeable.
  • The big exception comes with Campangolo stuff. I am a neophyte to that, but some of the older 10-speed stuff worked OK with Shim/SRAM, but I think the newer 11-speed stuff is not as compatible.

Hi Chad,

Thanks for the reply. I have the 2017 diverge a1 sport (non carbon bike with quick release wheels).

That being said, it is a non-SCS bike, and the current tires I run are Axis Sport disc, QR.

Also, pardon my previous mistake, it actually runs an 8 speed cassette.

In looking for a new wheel can I look at the specific specifications for my current wheel? Or, what measurements should I be taking into consideration?

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OK, for a non-SCS, and regular quick release axle, you should be looking for a wheel 700c / 29" and 135mm x 9mm disc hub size. It is the “old” mountain bike wheel standard, that existed before the first thru axles.

There should be a number of wheels that are 10 or 11-speed (that also includes 8 & 9-speed) compatible.

Awesome, thank you so much for all of your help!

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Just one example:

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