Originally Posted by
formula bike
I have a 1988 Trek 520 that is an awesome bike, but recently it has been raining a fair bit and the brakes are downright useless in the rain (I have fairly new Koolstop Dual Compound pads). I have long been considering a swap to mini-v brakes, but have recently wondered if I should go ahead and swap to 700c wheels too. It is my understanding that the old steel rims also contribute to the poor rain performance of the brakes. Furthermore, I will be moving from the Bay Area to Denver soon, and wonder if switching to 700c would allow me to put slightly wider knobby tires on for the winter. Any thoughts or advice you have would be excellent!
I would certainly consider switching to alloy wheels for better stopping and better overall ride quality. However switching to 700c wheels may not be practical. You might get lucky and find some brake that works but I believe in general swapping 27" to 700c wheels on a bike with cantilever brakes isn't always practical.
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