Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - i swear this is my last "heellpp" thread

i think i really am f*cked this time. i have a 72 schwinn collegiate, and recently i got a set of 700x25 wheels at the 1 hr away LBS. when my nashbar tires came in today, i tried putting the whole thing together. tires on, tubes on, and wheels on to the frame.

THEY DON'T FIT. waht i'm thinking is take my bike + the wheels i bought there and see if i can exchange them for some that will fit, and if they don't have any, get a refund all together because i have all receipts / money exchange paper work and if that dones't work then i have no idea waht im going to do.

edit: oh and what should i do about the 700x25 tires i bought? can those be used on another set of wheels that AREN't 700x25?? can i get a refund through nashbar if not?

:( :( :( :(

wow nothing??

Where don't they fit? Are the tires too big? Is the wheel too big? Is the hub too wide? Too narrow?

Dude, you've posted like 5 questions in the last few hours, this is getting exhausting.

+1. i have no idea what you are asking.

i think he is asking bout the tire size. it may seem that the tire doesnt fit because it has a tight bead- tires can be a ***** to get on, just try doing it a bit at a time

I think the dude needs some meds

this is ptretty obvious, i think. its an old bike which used 27 inch wheels and when you try and out larger wheels and larger tires on thats probably why it wont fit. thats my guess. ive converted a few 27 inch frames to 700 c and sometimes they work well and sometimes not. but you can use those tires on almost any 700c wheel, if thats any consolation.

If you haven't damaged anything trying to get them on, the shop will likely take them back.

According to the Schwinn LIghtweight Data book for 1970-74, the 72 Schwinn Collegiates had 26" wheels
http://www.geocities.com/sldatabook/detail7074.html#1972

If your bike is a Nottingham build, the old Raleighs built there (like my Raleigh Record) have slotted fork ends that you'll need to file out to use a standard axle. Similar with the dropouts although, for some reason, I haven't had a problem with the dropouts so much. Perhaps the guy who tossed the frame in the garbage where I got it already had done that.

For reference http://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh26.html

A 1972 Schwinn will have 27 inch tires, not 700c tires. Are you sure the LBS sold you a 700c wheelset? That might be the problem here.

Is the hub spacing the problem ? I'm not sure why they wouldn't fit seeing as 27inch rims( what originally were on the bike) are larger than 700c. , maybe if the won't mount up try deflating them to get them on the bike.

I call BS on this thread.

A 1972 Schwinn will have 27 inch tires, not 700c tires. Are you sure the LBS sold you a 700c wheelset? That might be the problem here.

According to the link cavit8 provided, a 1972 Collegiate would have 26" tires.

^^^ well that's that , looks like you need a new frame, not a new wheelset.....

yeah the bike shop told me the frame would fit 700c wheels and the back wheel / axel / hub is too wide and won't fit on the frame.

well one of two things. A: re space the hub accordingly if possible B: strech your frame while inserting the wheel (Note: Not the safest thing to due adding more stress to an aged frame, but sometime you gotta do what you gotta do)

dude calm down, you got your panties in a bunch

well one of two things. A: re space the hub accordingly if possible B: strech your frame while inserting the wheel (Note: Not the safest thing to due adding more stress to an aged frame, but sometime you gotta do what you gotta do)

No. Bad.

Dude just buy a new axle & skewer and remove a nut.

No. Bad.

Meh, if were talkin 1 or 2mm , ive never seen an steel frame buckle from the that little of added pressure. Like I said not the safest thing to do, but If you can't get a new frame for some ( financial, spiritual, sexual) reasons , try at your own risk.

Meh, if were talkin 1 or 2mm , ive never seen an steel frame buckle from the that little of added pressure. Like I said not the safest thing to do, but If you can't get a new frame for some ( financial, spiritual, sexual) reasons , try at your own risk.

I guess it depends on the amount it needs to be spread. Probably not the end of the world.

To the OP, if you're gonna do it, do it right:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

I think you really need to sit back for a second. Your frame uses 26" wheels and old Raleighs, in general, need some finagling to update components - filing fork ends and dropouts, wide bottom bracket shell can make spindle replacement a challenge, and bottom bracket replacement requires a lot of creativity due to Raleighs proprietary threading. Here's something you can try. Set your front wheel next to the fork and try to fit the axle into the fork end with the wheel outside the fork. This will tell you if the axle is to big for the fork end. Do the same for the rear wheel. I suspect you'll need to file both out regardless if you get another set of wheels or not as modern axles are generally too thick for stock Raleighs of that era.

A conversion for a 27" wheeled frame (pretty much any other Raleigh of that era) and some judicious filing would make a serviceable fixed gear if you stick with the original cottered cranks or find a spindle long enough to work with a crankset that uses a square taper spindle. But that's it. Upgrading beyond that would not be much of an option. My suggestion would be to find another older frame. If you stick with the one you have, you'll likely need to get wheels custom built as I suspect few shops carry 26" rims on hubs other than 135mm. Going from what is likely a sub 120mm dropout spacing to 135 will take some finesse. When I had it done for another build, I had a good shop do it.

Speaking of good shops, if you have options, you may want to look around for others in your vicinity. While I can forgive your shop for not realizing the Collegiate is the oddball with 26" wheels, anyone who has done service on older Raleighs would know that often Raliegh axles are keyed and that modern axles don't fit without mods. If that's not an option, read Sheldon's pages, search the forum (C&V is a good source) and google what you intend to do. It'll help that you're informed before you buy, particularly if your shop isn't used to older bikes.