Originally Posted by
garage sale GT
They always do. They were designed when people trained on clinchers and raced on tubulars and a 27" tubular is the same as a 700 tubular.
They don't always fit. I've seen cases where the brake pads wouldn't lower enough to align properly so it's not a universal conclusion. Sometimes filing the adjusting slots a bit longer worked and sometimes it wasn't enough either.
Cheaper old bikes with 27" wheels weren't expected to use both size wheels and the brake mounting holes weren't positioned with 700c rims in mind.