Classic & Vintage - Where can I get new 27" wheels?

I have 2 early 80's Motobecane mixte bikes with 27" alloy wheels. I would like to get new wheels for both of them.

Does anyone know what make 27" wheels are available and where to buy?

Are the wheels that you have in bad shape? They might be worth a rebuild. If not consider 700c... they will fit and the only thing you would have to do is adjust you brake pads down 4mm. Worth looking into because with 700c you have opened up a door to literally hundreds of options on rums and tires.

Harris Cyclery and BikePartsUSA.com are both good sources for reasonable priced 27" wheelsets.

Local bike shops can get you the Weinman USA 27" wheelsets for ~$75 to save you the cost of shipping.

How hard is it to put the front and rear hub/cassette on a wheel set? I really need to change my girlfriend's and my steel rim on our 80's Schwinn Travelers. It's about to rain and we have to ride it for commute to school. We've tried them in the rain and they are very dangerous.

I have 2 early 80's Motobecane mixte bikes with 27" alloy wheels. I would like to get new wheels for both of them.

Does anyone know what make 27" wheels are available and where to buy?

All Star Bike Shops in Cary, North Carolina is selling Alex P-18's. Nice, aero type rim. I paid $35 or $40 for the rear wheel, I'm not sure what a front is because I did not need one. If you go to the web, be careful there are two All Star Bike's on the web. You can reach them at 919-469-1849. They are a very vintage freindly shop.

How hard is it to put the front and rear hub/cassette on a wheel set? I really need to change my girlfriend's and my steel rim on our 80's Schwinn Travelers. It's about to rain and we have to ride it for commute to school. We've tried them in the rain and they are very dangerous.


You may just need new tires. What do you have on there? There should be some raised lettering on the tire which says the size, like 1 1/4" or 1 1/8" etc.
"Lacing" new wheels is a specialized skill that most amateurs don't need to learn unless they really like do-it-yourself stuff. But probably new tires will do the trick.

I have 2 early 80's Motobecane mixte bikes with 27" alloy wheels. I would like to get new wheels for both of them.

Does anyone know what make 27" wheels are available and where to buy?

Ive been considering an upgrade to 700c on my Schwinn SS, the rear wheel could not be trued :( its not a bad wiggle but a wiggle none the less, I can feel it at higher speeds, please let me know how it works out should you chose the 700 c :)

Not every 27" bike can be adapted to 700c wheels, so check before you buy the wheels.

How hard is it to put the front and rear hub/cassette on a wheel set? I really need to change my girlfriend's and my steel rim on our 80's Schwinn Travelers. It's about to rain and we have to ride it for commute to school. We've tried them in the rain and they are very dangerous.

I've built one wheel and rebuilt three or four other. I only do this as a last resort. Some find it easy, but to me it's tedious work. Why not try some garage sales in your area. It's easy to spot turned down handle bars from your car and the bikes are usually cheap. As an example, attached is a photo of a Huffy I paid $10 dollars for. It has alloy rims, new tires and good tubes (along with alloy brakes, white leather bar tape, and a good seat). I'm going to break it up for parts.

I feel your pain on finding new 27" wheels. I'm currently looking for a set for my touring bike, which has cantilevers so I'd prefer not to switch to 700c. I've had no luck finding a good used set that's wider than 20mm, and the only new ones I can find are Sun CR-18s, which I've heard are really difficult to mount tires on.

Thanks for all the tips on the wheels. The spokes and spoke nipples are oxidized badly but the rims can easily be polished so I am going to go with Dave's suggestion to have the wheels rebuilt.

See attached photos for the 2 suspect Motobecane Super Mirage Mixte's in question.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee68/alvinator99/IMG_1082.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee68/alvinator99/IMG_1091.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee68/alvinator99/IMG_1090-1.jpg

dood, those are sweeeeet.

I bought these and they work for me. Probably cheapo hubs but they are smooth. The rear needed to be trued. $60 for the pair. I bought a new 6 speed freewheel as well and installation is a breeze. Just grease and screw on by hand till its snug.

http://www.niagaracycle.com/index.php?cPath=135_198

Thanks for all the tips on the wheels. The spokes and spoke nipples are oxidized badly but the rims can easily be polished so I am going to go with Dave's suggestion to have the wheels rebuilt.

See attached photos for the 2 suspect Motobecane Super Mirage Mixte's in question.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee68/alvinator99/IMG_1082.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee68/alvinator99/IMG_1091.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee68/alvinator99/IMG_1090-1.jpg


Oh man, you need to add those two beauties to the ongoing mixte thread ( Show us your mixte (mhendricks' new happy place)):

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=227038

We love mixtes :) .

East Hill