Bicycle Mechanics - Do they still make good quality 27" rims?

Is it possible to find good 27" rims or are they fazed out?

They're still available, I believe Harris Cyclery carries a wheelset in 27", for example.

Ebay is a very good source, with some patience you should be able to find some New Old Stock 27" rims at reasonable prices.

With all that said, you might want to look into what it would take to convert to 700c, the tire selection is much better-

I am afraid that putting 700c on a frame designed for 27" wheel would lower the BB.
Or am I just paranoid?

I am afraid that putting 700c on a frame designed for 27" wheel would lower the BB.
Or am I just paranoid?

Assuming the sidewall height of the tires is the same, it would lower the bottom bracket height by 4mm. I can tell you it's a pretty common thing to do, I've made the conversion on an old tourer and even put crankarms on the bike that are a little longer than the originals. I've never struck a pedal with that bike. But to each their own, of course-:)

Cool.
Thank you.

I am afraid that putting 700c on a frame designed for 27" wheel would lower the BB.
Or am I just paranoid?

The biggest limiting factor is usually rim brake reach, i.e. will your brakes adjust low enough to hit the rim. Depending on the type of brakes you are using, braking could feel a little mushier. Other than that, it definitely makes maintaining the bike easier to do.

Yeah, the brake reach is another problem :(

There are obstacles, but they can be overcome. In my opinion, well worth it in most cases.

Nashbar has Sun AT18 rims in 27" for $10 ea right now. Ordered myself a pair Saturday.

Another common 27" rim is the Alex X404 model. Cheap (~$10/rim), rugged, and they do the job. But, I'd go for the Sun's if you can find them.

i built up a set of sun cr-18's for my single speed two years ago and they are bomb-proof.

How do you build up a rim like that? Is all you need the rim and spokes? It doesn't look easy..

How do you build up a rim like that? Is all you need the rim and spokes? It doesn't look easy..
Well, you need a hub also. :)

Building up a 27" wheelset is no different from building a 700c wheelset, you just need the rim and hub to have the same number of holes and have spokes of the correct length.

I agree with converting to 700c if the brakes can be adjusted the required 4mm lower. I did it on an '83 Trek I use as my bad weather bike and the replacement "long reach" 105 dp brakes work fine. The 700c wheels also gave better fork and fender clearance and the tire choice is much better.

The biggest limiting factor is usually rim brake reach, i.e. will your brakes adjust low enough to hit the rim. Depending on the type of brakes you are using, braking could feel a little mushier. Other than that, it definitely makes maintaining the bike easier to do.

Not even a factor nowadays with good quality long reach tektro dual pivots. Yeah you spend a litlte money on new brake calipers but then it's done. Unless you're doing a restoration, building a new wheelset that is 27" just doesn't make sense to me.

Another common 27" rim is the Alex X404 model. Cheap (~$10/rim), rugged, and they do the job.

He asked about =good= rims. I've used the x404 once, but I'm not likely to do so again.

about good rims: 27" was never the home of tons of quality rims, as the 700c standard was the standard for racing. most rims made in the 27" diameter were single-wall construction, but good rims were made in that diameter, just not a majority of 27" rims out there.
This is even more true today - I know of only two double-wall rims currently made in the 27" standard: Sun CR18 and M13II. Both are eyeletted presta-valve rims (though the CR18 comes in lots of variants, some without eyelets and for schraeder valves). The M13II is a normal-narrow road rim, while the CR18 is slightly wider, better for 25-32mm width tires.

I have found some nice single-wall (twin hollow construction) rims, NOS Araya rims that weigh 480g, a bit less than the aforementioned Sun rims.

I have 27 x 1 1/4 Super Champion rims on my touring bike and 27 x 1 1/4 Mavic rims on my smoothie I ride on park trails. Both are excellent rims. I also have a set of wheels with Wienmann rims that don't have a hook profile like the Super Champions or Mavics and won't allow tires pressures of more than 80 psi without blowing tires off of rim but they're fine for low pressure touring tires.

Athough, I've never ridden them, Velocity makes a 27" rim too: http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=592.

I ride 27" wheels on my older Raleigh and I don't plan to upgrade due to the cost, however my only complaint with the older wheel size are the fewer tire options available.

Not even a factor nowadays with good quality long reach tektro dual pivots. Yeah you spend a litlte money on new brake calipers but then it's done. Unless you're doing a restoration, building a new wheelset that is 27" just doesn't make sense to me.

I wouldn't say it isn't a factor but you are correct that in many cases it can be overcome. OP did not indicate if there is a budget, desired aesthetics or even what type of brakes are in use that might limit the choices acceptable to the OP. OP might already have long reaches near maxed out. OP might have canti bosses and no way to mount a pivot brake. You can't just say this is not a factor, there are any number of reasons that this could be a factor.