Classic & Vintage - Do I need to ditch the 27-inch wheels?

I am plotting a series of upgrades/changes to a Univega I bought today with 27 inch wheels. I have researched the options of converting from 27 inch to 700c, but am wondering -- is there any compelling reason to make the switch?

If I'm happy with the gearing -- the hubs -- the rims -- and my tire choices (I need new tires), is there any real reason I need to change?

If you ask me the question is what type of riding you foresee doing on the bike.

Commuting, beater type of bike, riding over questionable road surfaces Id probably keep the original wheelset.. If ya wanna go fast, well 700sX23 no doubt.

Commuting,

Summer commuting -- and I need bigger tires because of lousy road surfaces. This will not be my "go fast" bike.*


* Please note -- I have a "go fast" bike but currently lack a *go fast* engine.

If you want some nice big comfy tires for your 27 inch rims, try the Michelin World Tours. They are close to a 3-speed tire. Perfect, with some Tuffies, for any commute. Cheap, too.

If you are happy with everything, then there is absolutely no reason to change anything.

27 x 1 1/4" Serfas Seca tires ride pretty nice, I ride them all the time on a couple of my older bikes. Never had a flat with them yet, even on the MS150 when people were getting flats all around me. With that said.... There's no real need to change to 700's, unless you just want new wheels, or damage one beyond help. I ride mostly urban area's with pretty bad roads. 1 1/4 on 27's, and 25's on 700's keep the tooth rattling to a minimum. Given your brake size, you might could run 28's.,,,,BD

If you want some nice big comfy tires for your 27 inch rims, try the Michelin World Tours. They are close to a 3-speed tire. Perfect, with some Tuffies, for any commute. Cheap, too.

Thanks for recommendation -- I like the looks, too, for a retro bike...The Serfas Seca tires look like good ones as well.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/630.html

I've been riding Wal Mart Bell Streetster tires for a couple of years on two of my 27" wheel bikes. So far they are showing very little wear and give a comfy ride with good traction. A plus is I don't have to mail order them. IIRC they are around $14 each.

Panaracer Pasela tour guard in 27 1/4 will give a nice ride. I know it does on my Varsity and the Continental with the allow wheels although those tires are 27 1/8

I've been riding Wal Mart Bell Streetster tires for a couple of years on two of my 27" wheel bikes. So far they are showing very little wear and give a comfy ride with good traction. A plus is I don't have to mail order them. IIRC they are around $14 each.

I've used them. Not much to speak of, IMHO, unless you're running straight-wall rims and can't mount tires for 80+ PSI use on them. Rode spongy, and although they feel as if they have good traction due to their low pressure, I've found them quite easy to slip over gravel surfaces or slick turns.

$14 is far too much for them too - they used to charge $8 or so before W/M got the smart idea of getting them with kevlar beads to roll them up and save on shelf space. Ten dollar tire, max, IMHO.

-Kurt

As much as I like Harris, they can be really expensive for the perishables. I've spent a ton of money there, but not on tires. The World Tours are nice, but not that nice. They are a $14 tire.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=7598

27 x 1 1/4" Serfas Seca tires ride pretty nice

+1 I also like IRC Road Duro II (the II indicates kevlar belted), but they're a bit harder to find.

If you are happy with everything, then there is absolutely no reason to change anything.


Right on. Nothing wrong with 27", I have no trouble finding good tires.

As much as I like Harris, they can be really expensive for the perishables. I've spent a ton of money there, but not on tires. The World Tours are nice, but not that nice. They are a $14 tire.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=7598

Yep, I noticed that after I found the Harris link. I usually get my tires at biketiresdirect; they're in Oregon and usually get them shipped up to Seattle in a day.

I am plotting a series of upgrades/changes to a Univega I bought today with 27 inch wheels. I have researched the options of converting from 27 inch to 700c, but am wondering -- is there any compelling reason to make the switch?

If I'm happy with the gearing -- the hubs -- the rims -- and my tire choices (I need new tires), is there any real reason I need to change?

Keep the 27" and one day they will be back in fashion again. Wheels started out 28' (700 cm) back when the safety bicycle first took on (after the penny-farthing). Then, it went to 26" tires, then to 27" tires. Now, we are back to 28" (700 cm).

It's the circle of life, Baby. If you live long enough, you will see it all twice at least.

If you are happy with everything, then there is absolutely no reason to change anything.
+1

As other posts attest to: there's currently more tire selection with 700C than with 27", but it's not hard to find good tires for 27" if you shop around, unless you need state-of-the-art racing-type clinchers. For touring and general cycling, I think there's little to be gained by getting new rims/wheels, unless there's something wrong with the ones you have, and one or both needs to be replaced anyway.

Brakes are another thing to consider: if your current brake shoes can be dropped 4-5 mm, then 700C will not be a problem; otherwise, you're into getting new brake calipers too, to switch sizes.

Continental Ultra Gatorskin - I just bought a set in 27-1/4. I have not ridden on them yet, but they look really nice!

http://online.qbp.com/6SPsvm45/prodl/TR9231.jpg

One for the IRC Roadwinner Duro II's (provided you have a sharp bead seat - they'll give trouble on anything else):

http://www.cyclepath.ca/products/usrimage/irc-road-winner-duro-2.jpg

-Kurt

I've been running around on 27" wheels for years now and see no reason I would switch to 700c. In fact, consider that converting your wheel size may make you have to switch over your brake calipers as well - there is a slight extra reach required to grab the rim.

I commute, haul groceries and ride everywhere on a set of Continental Ultrasport 27 x 1 1/8 - I even took them off-road on a muddy dirt trail (not at high speed naturally) and they worked just fine other than some wheel spinning due to the slicks.

The point is - 27" wheels are what everyone was using to do everything before 26" mountain bikes came along. They work quite well for most purposes. If weight is a concern you can get 27" aluminum rims.

One for the IRC Roadwinner Duro II's (provided you have a sharp bead seat - they'll give trouble on anything else):

[IMG]

-Kurt

I just put a new set of them on a bike. The old ones still had some miles left in them so I put them on a SS errand bike with an old no-hook front rim. No trouble in the first 25 miles or so; I have them inflated to maybe 65-70 psi. Have you had them blow off the rim?

I just put a new set of them on a bike. The old ones still had some miles left in them so I put them on a SS errand bike with an old no-hook front rim. No trouble in the first 25 miles or so; I have them inflated to maybe 65-70 psi. Have you had them blow off the rim?

70 PSI should be fine. I had one of them (a 28x700c example) blow off from a bulged-bead rim (while parked), and also once had it come off the bead without an explosion on the first ride. Works fine on hooked bead Mavic GP-4's though. Jon (Cuda2k) has had a similar set of problems with his 27" set.

-Kurt

I ran some 27 inch wheels with 630:25 Panaracer tri-sports for 4000 km (fixed) and loved them... they got replaced with some more period correct wheels and tyres (700:25;s) on high flange hubs.

I just gave the old wheels and tyres to a friend who was building up a fixed gear on an old Apollo frame that needs 27's, the Suzue hubs are to die for and the Ukai hubs make for a really strong and fast rolling wheel and his initial report was that he loves these wheels.

The only issue with 27 inch / 630 wheels is the availability of rubber.

Gatorskin or Panaracer would be a sound upgrade. Have fun. What rims are you using? The Rigida and Araya made some pretty nice rims in the 27 format. Mavic Modules are the best if you can find them.

Continental Ultra Gatorskin - I just bought a set in 27-1/4. I have not ridden on them yet, but they look really nice!

http://online.qbp.com/6SPsvm45/prodl/TR9231.jpg

+1, I run them on my Atala. Pricey, though.
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70 PSI should be fine. I had one of them (a 28x700c example) blow off from a bulged-bead rim (while parked), and also once had it come off the bead without an explosion on the first ride. Works fine on hooked bead Mavic GP-4's though. Jon (Cuda2k) has had a similar set of problems with his 27" set.

-Kurt

Yup, I've had the same troubles with higher PSI. Had them blow off sitting, and rolling, much to my annoyance. Performance's GT2 tires were an even bigger head ache though.

I've got 27x1-1/4 Specialized Armadillos on my Trek 620. I use the bike for commuting and for long outings w/my wife and kid - today we did about 50 miles on the trails here in DC (I was pulling a trailer with my kid in it). The Armadillos are bombproof and it is pretty cool that they come in 27 size. They never get flats, except when you are trying to get them on the rim the first time - I managed two pinch flats mounting them, something I never do anymore, but since then, zilch, nada in the flat department.

The other downside is that they are pretty stiff - until I got used to them, I was always looking at my rear tire because I thought I had a flat, the ride is pretty rough. But the peace of mind is worth it for me.

I actually built up a new 27 wheelset for the 620 about 8 years ago because the canti stud placement made a switch to 700c problematic.

I've used them. Not much to speak of, IMHO, unless you're running straight-wall rims and can't mount tires for 80+ PSI use on them. Rode spongy, and although they feel as if they have good traction due to their low pressure, I've found them quite easy to slip over gravel surfaces or slick turns.

$14 is far too much for them too - they used to charge $8 or so before W/M got the smart idea of getting them with kevlar beads to roll them up and save on shelf space. Ten dollar tire, max, IMHO.

-Kurt

I have Super Champion rims on one bike and Mavics on the other. Not too bad rims in my opinion. I do only pump my Wally World tires up to around 80 psi because I ride half of the time on rural dirt roads and I like the comfort of fairly squishy tires when riding with the wife and relatives on bike paths. My go faster bike is a light weight 531 frame with a single chainring on the front and 5 speed close ratio freewheel on the back. It's mounted with 27" X 3/4" high pressure tires. Very fast and fun to ride but quite harsh.

What rims are you using? The Rigida and Araya made some pretty nice rims in the 27 format. Mavic Modules are the best if you can find them.

Araya rims. I haven't checked to see if they're hooked yet.