Originally Posted by
Sluggo
In 1983 in the US, 27" was the standard wheel size. My interpretation of "DESIGNED TO PERMIT CONVERSION TO TUBULARS FOR RACING" is that the bike came with 700c wheels rather than the standard 27" so you could stick your sew-up racing wheels on without adjusting brakes.
I agree with Sluggo, that is how I remember it from back then. I don't recall any wheels that you could mount either tubular or clincher tires. There were some clincher wheels that were advertised as "tubular" because of the hollow cross section.