Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - 27" to 700c

So i have a Raleigh Conversion with 27" wheels.

I want to go to a flip flop hub, I was thinking of going down to 700c wheels. Is this worth it, or should i just find a 27" flip flop wheel somewhere?

there are some good setups of 27"wheels with track hubs-

i wouldnt go down to 700c, it will look kinda dumb on a 27" wheel frame, the wheels are smaller so there would be bigger gaps

as long as you dont care about trendy colors and stuff like that- and just want nice wheels-

go with 27"

go to your lbs and see what they have-

i got a set of sunrims with track hubs in philly 27" for like 150-

that way- they will look proportional

you also could just pick the hubs of your choice- and the 27" rims of your choice and get them laced up and a bike shop-

make sure they have the same amount of holes-

people use 700c on conversions all the time. In fact, I would say 99% of the time a former road bike has been converted to fixed or singlespeed, it now has 700c wheels.

more selection of rims, hubs, and tires with 700c.

well I saw the ebay company wheelandsprocket has a 27" shipped for $109

http://cgi.ebay.com/27-ROAD-BIKE-TRACK-FIXED-GEAR-BICYCLE-REAR-BACK-WHEEL_W0QQitemZ370101505654QQihZ024QQcategoryZ58099QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l126 2

Does this seem like a good option?

I tried going down the LBS build my own path and that was coming out to be $40 plus a dollar a spoke plus the cost of the hub. Unless i can find a decent hub under 40 bucks shipped the ebay deal seems cheaper.

What do you all think?

get 700c. less of a pain in the ass when you purchase tires and tubes.

i think that ebay auction is a good buy

and yes, what the other people have said- alot of people do put 700c on there conversions..

but this is just my opinion: they look too small- and running a brake and sometimes be a pain since they are smaller-

it will look more classic with 27" wheels

tires wise- yes there is more selection w/700c but its not like you cant get good tires for 27" wheels


I say get them- 27", its a good idea

quality tires are not hard to find and tubes are the same as 700c
http://www.biketiresdirect.com/27zz/27in_road_tires/products.htm go here for tires

sweet, I bought the ebay wheel. Thanks for the help.

Either way is good. One thing you have to factor is if you're going to install a brake: putting 700c wheels on a frame originally built for 27" means finding some long arm brakes. Not impossible by any means, they're just not common anymore.

Either way is good. One thing you have to factor is if you're going to install a brake: putting 700c wheels on a frame originally built for 27" means finding some long arm brakes. Not impossible by any means, they're just not common anymore.

This is completely untrue. Do people even post anything that's not worthless on this forum anymore? Tektro long(er) reach brakes are available from pretty much every mail order bike shop on the face of the planet.

sweet, I bought the ebay wheel. Thanks for the help.

And it was the wrong decision. When you're converting a bike, unless you *really* don't want to change the brakes out (sometimes you can get away with using the originals even), keeping 27" wheels is ALWAYS the wrong choice.

i
but this is just my opinion: they look too small- and running a brake and sometimes be a pain since they are smaller-


Wrong. It's not a pain



it will look more classic with 27" wheels


Yes because everyone can see that the diameter of your wheels is 8mm smaller. Right.




tires wise- yes there is more selection w/700c but its not like you cant get good tires for 27" wheels


Tyre selection wise, you got nothing on 700c's. Especially if you like different colours



I say get them- 27", its a good idea

It's not, good job leading people astray. Do us a favour and stop posting.

^
in actuality- its not really RIGHT or WRONG... but a matter of preference.

but the point you say about not being able to tell the difference of a conversion with 700c wheel vs. 27".... I sure can see a difference in relation to the frame-

here is a 27" conversion with 700c wheels:

http://g.virbcdn.com/cdnImages/resize_510x1500/Image-13229-971962-fixie07.jpg

and a conversion with 27" wheels with track hubs:

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh66/spray2020/IMG_0662.jpg


some cases might be more drastic than others- where it might not be as noticable

but there is no way I am wrong for telling the op to stick with 27"wheels on his 27" frame, might be my preference- but it's deff. not a BAD idea.

I am converting 27" frame to 700c. Why not I said

^there isnt anything wrong with it- its preference

but then again there is nothing wrong with keeping 27" wheels as well.

Yeah I am going to agree with spray2020 on this one.

Operator I do appreciate the look out, and I do agree with you that it isn't that big of a deal to go down to 700c.

But i do like the way my frame looks with the 27" wheels

100% wrong.

I don't know how to put this in any other way, really.

I would take preference of the wider availability and selection of wheel goods than looks, personally. That seems to be only argument in favor of 27" wheels over 700c.

get 700c. less of a pain in the ass when you purchase tires and tubes.

agreed. unless you are trying to keep the bike more authentic.

yes, definitely.

mhmm

If you went with the 700c wheels you'd have a little extra room for fatter tires which is always a nice thing.

hmmm, ok all good points. I will reevaluate

People that say its hard to find 27" tires and tubes have never visited Dick's, gone onto performancebike.com, or traveled any further into the internet than Bikeforums. Personally, 27" tires and tubes are still widely available (they may not come in fancy colors, but who cares). While the market is currently swamped with 700c tires and tubes you'll certainly still be able to find 27" quality tire and tubes, and since the selection is "limited" you'll have no problem differentiating good from bad.

question: from experience, how much weight loss from switching out steel 27" for aluminum 700c? i feel like in the past I've been able to shed almost 5 lbs -- is that possible?

in my opinion-

looks are a big thing when it comes to bikes- especially fixed gears

and since everyone is talking about availability of colors of rims/tires etc:

(taken from the ssfg poser post)

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/AirFob/P1050742.jpg

that is true and good, but colored 700 c wheels n tires on a 27" frame... that starts to look tarckish to me.

although the aerospoke looks clearly out of place- 700c wheels on a 27" frame-

I think it looks out of place- especially since its trying o simulate a track bike that have tight geometry (although i know even when it looks tight it doesnt always mean its tight)

and appearance wize, 27" wheels on a 27" frame done in a clean way would look much sleaker than this thing (my opinion)

to be honest, I have 27" wheels on my older conversion and it rides great- sunrims with track hubs-

it cant compare to a track frame- but it works well for a road conversion.

you realize that 700c is not limited to track bicycles, right? road bicycles (nearly all new models) use 700c. And the reason for manufactures and enthusiasts prefer 700c is not for colors, it is for massive size of the selection of makes and models and sizes. The selection for 27" is vastly smaller - 700c is practically the new standard for road and track.

And cherry-picking a goofy bike picture does not shore up your argument. Anyone can click over to velospace and find many attractive conversions with 700c wheels. Try it yourself.

i got my 27" wheel refunded from ebay, I went ahead and purchased a entire new 700c wheelset. I guess when it came down to it, I liked the idea that my ride had a common wheelset making easier to maintain and upgrade. ALSO if i ever did decide to change up frames or upgrade wheels again i have a pair that can be used with any new conversion. Thanks everyone for the help.

but the point you say about not being able to tell the difference of a conversion with 700c wheel vs. 27".... I sure can see a difference in relation to the frame-


Quick

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2198/2468510219_46e0631b8f.jpg?v=0

Yes or no

^

with that picture I agree its hard to tell-

either way-

riding on modern 27" wheels with track hubs is fine for the street- and finding good tires for them at a bike shop is easy- you might not have as much of a selection- but they are perfectly good for a conversion.

I was never referring to old 27" rims with new hubs

but something like these

http://www.broadwayvintage.net/ebayauctions/IMG_0805.JPG

http://www.broadwayvintage.net/ebayauctions/IMG_0807.JPG

http://www.broadwayvintage.net/ebayauctions/IMG_0812.JPG

I see no reason to use 27" other than for minor aesthetic reasons -- and even though is not a substantial reason since many conversions with 700c wheels look just fine. And I predict the selection of 27" wheel goods will diminish while other standards take its place. Why even bother?