[wanderingfool]

I have an old Nishiki road bike with 27 inch wheels. I want to make it into a townie. The wheels are too warbled to true up. Will a modern 700c wheel work in there? If not what would I have to do? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[CurbDestroyer]

I have an old Nishiki road bike with 27 inch wheels. I want to make it into a townie. The wheels are too warbled to true up. Will a modern 700c wheel work in there? If not what would I have to do? Thanks in advance for any help.

Not enough to really feel, but enough to count. The problem you will have is that 700c is smaller than 27", most likely your brakes won't reach. Shimano make long reach calipers, and Dia Compe make long reach center pulls that reach . The Dia Compe's leave more fender room than the Shimanos.

 

[curlybike]

If you cannot move your brake shoes down 4MM or 5/32 or .160" they will be into the rubber. You can buy the long reach brakes or build new 27" wheels. Rims and wheels are available. Your cogs may not work with what is now avilable.

 

[Mr. Versatile]

I had the same problem with my commuter - went from 27s to 700s. The brakes wouldn't work. I bought long reach dual pivot brakes from Nashbar. They look nice, work very well, and were laughingly inexpensive.

 

[onespeedbiker]

If you're looking to buy

I have an old Nishiki road bike with 27 inch wheels. I want to make it into a townie. The wheels are too warbled to true up. Will a modern 700c wheel work in there? If not what would I have to do? Thanks in advance for any help.

If you're looking to buy, check out Harris Cyclery. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels/630.html

about $150 for a wheelset.

 

[ARP]

Your options are.......

If you cannot move your brake shoes down 4MM or 5/32 or .160" they will be into the rubber. You can buy the long reach brakes or build new 27" wheels. Rims and wheels are available. Your cogs may not work with what is now avilable.

first to decide how much you want to spend. Stick a 700 wheel in the front and rear to see where the brakes are going to hit. Your current brakeset might work for a 700 set. If not then you could cut out the old rims and have new rims (Sun CR18, polished alu)laced in, either 27" or 700 to your old hubs, thus eliminating any further gearing problem. Or buy new wheels all together, but then you might start to get more expensive with gearing problems. I think lacing new rims will be the most cost effective move, unless the hubs are shot real bad or are complete junk.

 

[wanderingfool]

Thanks for all your help. Do you think 27 inch tires will always be available or will they be phased out?

 

[Mr. Versatile]

Dunno. I think they'll be around for a little while yet, but as far as I know nobody's making bikes with 27s anymore, nor have they for some time now. If it were my bike, I'd change to 700s. Not only will that size be around for a very long time, but the selection of tires is much broader than with 27s.

 

[ARP]

Are you talking 3 years or 30?

Thanks for all your help. Do you think 27 inch tires will always be available or will they be phased out?

There seems to be a good selection right now, mind you they are not high quality tires. Continental 1000s are nice I have heard Panaracer Strada? are nice too. Just have to shop around.

 

[curlybike]

27" tires vary in availability. Michelin did a big batch a couple of years ago, and I think Schwalbe keeps them in their line all the time.
http://www.schwalbetires.com/marathon_368

 

[centurionomega]

I run 27" wheels on my '82 Trek 610 and have found that Continental Ultra Gatorskin are really very nice. They roll well, are very durable and puncture resistant. They feel somewhat heavier than other 27" tires that I've used, and they are a little more expensive than the $9.99 jobbers you can get at Performance and Nashbar. Overall though, I give them high marks.

 

[innergel]

I had the same problem with my commuter - went from 27s to 700s. The brakes wouldn't work. I bought long reach dual pivot brakes from Nashbar. They look nice, work very well, and were laughingly inexpensive.

+1

I've got those same brakes on my fixie and they work perfectly and look pretty damn good. I think I paid $15 for the pair. I should get another pair and upgrade the crappy single pivots on my single speed.

edit: Another thing to think about is that new brakes have recessed mounting nuts and older brakes just have nuts. You may have do some creative parts mods to get them to mount to the frame properly. There are a few different options.

 

[tarwheel2]

You can buy Open Pro/Ultegra wheels for about $200/pair if you shop around, and they are nearly bombproof and reasonably light. You can get long-reach brakes for prices ranging from about $30/pair to $150. That's what I would do. Your options for quality 700c tires are virtually unlimited, but high-quality 27s are much harder to find. I recently bought some Shimano long-reach brakes for $100, and they are as nice as it gets. They retail for abour $140-150, but Rivendell has some nice Tektros that sell for about half the price.