Need replacement 700c bicycle wheels? Advice?

Question

Recently, the front and rear wheels of my hybrid (more like flat-bar wannabe road bike) got stolen. 
To be specific, I have a Schwinn Tourist, a department store bike from Target.
They were stock quick release type wheels (yes, my fault for not chaining them) with v shaped rims, pretty nice looking. I know that any expert would know and say Swift Arrivs are no good even but I haven't had any problems. I remember the tires having 32 700c written on them and it used freewheel gears. 

Anyway, I'm looking to replace them. That, or a new cheap bike that I won't mind losing. I've tried Craigslist, but I don't see any good deals, so I'm going to see if I can buy it on Amazon or something like that because I'm cheap and don't want to spend over $150 on a $250 bike. 
I'd really appreciate it if you could give me some pointers (Eg, what features/specifics/brands to look for) or suggest something (link) for me to buy since the descriptions are horrid and I've no experience in this. 

So...I need 700cX32 wheels and 7 speed gears
Do wheelsets include tires & tubes? 
What does 32 mean? Would other widths fit?
Would it matter if the gears and wheels are freewheel or not? Would they fit if I upgraded to cassette?
Is there anything else I need/need to know?



*Don't lecture me about department store bikes, I use it for commute and people love stealing bikes in NYC. If I got a bike from my LBS, I won't be able to let it out of my sight even if I locked it up with 20 different locks. For me, this bike rides well and it got the job done. It went at 20-30mph (2-3mins per mile) easily even when I carried a huge bag and it was easy to handle on the broken sidewalk and twisty turny streets.

Tim C · Accepted Answer

Just buying two cheap tires and  tubes at Walmart would be $50 plus tax.  Unless you can find a used bike to cannibalize it would probably cost $150 as a do-it-yourself project.

Mtrlpqbiker · Answer

Wheels don't come with tires, tubes, rim tape, or cassette/freewheel. You have to buy all those things as well. 700 x 32 is tire size, wheels will fit a range of tire sizes there is no 700 x 32 wheel. To find out if you can upgrade to a cassette hub, measure the space between your rear dropouts. If it is 130mm you can use a wheel made for cassette. It would cost a bit more than a freewheel hub. All in all, by the time you buy everything you will have spent most of the $250 you paid for your bike in the first place unless you can find some second hand wheel that are in decent shape

Tex T · Answer

It's not likely you will find no-name aftermarket wheels that are as cheap as the ones from the OEM. I would try EBay or just buy the same bike again then you can use the rest of your old bike for spare parts or you can replace the seat post or stem when those get stolen.

OldHippie · Answer

Consult these 5 simple words...  See your local bicycle shop.  

"Do wheelsets include tires & tubes?"  No.
"What does 32 mean? Would other widths fit?"  700X32C - 700 is the wheel height.  32mm is the tire width.  Stick with that size.
"Would it matter if the gears and wheels are freewheel or not? Would they fit if I upgraded to cassette?"  By ALL means - if you can upgrade to a cassette - DO IT!!!  Much stronger hub (axle).  See about double wall rims too. 

Link below from the late Sheldon Brown on Freewheel vs. Cassette.

Anonymous · Answer

For commutting in NYC, I would stick with a department store bike, like you said, people steal way too much to go for like a Trek road bike. The 32 is the size of the tire like width. For example, on my road bike, I ride 700x23. Which means the tire is really tiny, for less friction. The less friction you have, the faster you can go. Wheel sets usually just have the tires, not tubes, but tubes are super cheap and a lot of bike shops will put them in for free. You could try this out for a new cheap bike, 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-ROAD-HYBRID-ALUMINUM-BIKE-CITY-BICYCLE-WINDSOR-ROVER-1-0-22-MENS-/130671565295?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6ca1d9ef#ht_7595wt_1062. 

Just paste it in your address bar, its a link to an Ebay page, buy it now only for around 179 dollars.

Anonymous · Answer

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you don;t know enough to buy something online
sorry
you ask too many questions

wle

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Need replacement 700c bicycle wheels? Advice?

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