Help the idiot with wheel/crankset questions.
 

"The idiot" is of course refering to me. I needed to get a commuter bike for grad school and figured that if I was getting a used bike and already have two geared bikes I'd convert it to a fixed gear. Unfortunatly I didn't do as much research as I should have. All I looked for was a bike with somewhat horizontal dropouts. I'm now looking at the bike and it has 27inch rims. Do I need to buy a 27inch wheelset or could 700cc wheels fit? The other thing I failed to look for was a bike with chainrings that are detachable from the crankset, so I guess I need a whole new crankset. First place I look is harris cyclery and they have cranksets, but do I need to know anything about which one to buy? Will they all fit on my bike or is there something I should pay attention to in terms of some spec? Finally I just finished reading sheldon browns article on conversions and was just wondering if I'm understanding it correctly. Including the wheelset and crankset I will need a sprocket, a lockring, and spacers. Is this it?
Thanks in advance for any assistance. I know I asked alot, I'm just hoping someone is really bored at work
Peace

700c wheels will fit just fine. you may need to get long-reach brake calipers, though.

lots of used cranksets can be found on ebay. anything with 165mm length and a semi-standard bcd is good. if you're looking to buy a new set, sugino RDs are a pretty nice standard. you won't dislike them.

700's will fit fine, and you don't necessarily have to get a new set of cranks; if you can get a decent chainline with the cranks that came on the bike and don't mind rockin' the double rings you're good to go.

for more tips check this site if you haven't already http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html

have fun!

so the issue with wheel size isn't the frame but the brakes? So with bigger wheels instead on touching the rim they would end up touching the tire instead? I looked at those cranks at harris and thought I'd go with them but I don't know about compatibilty with my BB. People are always talking about english and italian and I don't know what that means. How do I check what kind of BB I have?

The current rings are 52 and 40. Could I use either of those, it seems like I always see people with 48 tooth rings?

its pretty doubtful that you have an italian BB. that refers to the type of threading on the BB shell.

what kind of frame is it?

Its a schwinn world I believe. Has a sticker that says made in taiwan if that helps.

hmm, it might have that weird schwinn bb shell, in which case you'll need a bb-shell adapter if you're going to replace the cranks. you'll need a new bb too.

any chance of pics?

More important--what type of cranks are on it now---Cottered,tapered,splined?Might need a new spindle too.Maybe just drill out the brads holding the second ring.---sam

Just took these in a cramped dark garage. If they don't show what you need to see let me know and I'll try to get a better shot.

ok, cool. it looks like it's a new-enough bike that it's got a normal-sized bb shell (almost certainly english) and 3-piece cranks.

so you're good; if you can get a decent chainline w/ what's on there, go for it. if not, at a best guess, a $25 shimano cartridge bb and an inexpensive set of cranks and you'll be all set.

great. Thanks for the assistance. I'm sure its been said before but nice avitar. I walked from the field museum to landmark cinema theatre on clark in a brand new pair of shoes to see that movie, long walk. Ended up with a blister with a 2 inch diameter on my foot, but it was well worth it.

you're welcome, thanks, and we'll wanna see pics of your new ride when it's done ;)

the pics indicate you already have wheels. why do you ~need~ to by more?

regardless, yes, the issue is simply whether the current brakes have enough reach to contact the 700c rim. Odds are, they do. Then again, they may not.

The wheels are really old, the spokes and hubs have rust on them so I figured it would make more sense to get new prebuilt wheels instead of rebuilding the rear wheel, because I really don't trust it.