Hey folks! I've been thinking about, and decided that I think I want to convert my Miyata to 700c rims. the stock 27s have some deeply rusty spokes and are pretty untrue at the moment... to the point where I don't fully trust the wheels underneath what I like to call my "Largesse"(actually not a very good pun, I know).

As of right now, I've thrown the 700c's from the peugeot that I posted about a while back, I was surprised that they fit, and certainly happy about it. I finally decided that the Pug was too small for me. The brakes reach so I know the conversion won't need any fiddling in that area. I'm wondering if there's any advice from the crowd for a switch like this. It doesn't seem like too major of a project, aside from getting acceptable at lacing and truing wheels (and then getting good )

Is there a type of rim that's newbie friendly? I like a vintage look, but I'm not a stickler for "period appropriate"
I'm not a small man, think 230 to 240 pounds. I don't count ounces, and I'm not paid to ride anything, so a heavier rim doesn't put me off if it's going to hold me up!
I commute with this bike, I don't push my heart rate or put up with any sort of "Pain" that may or may not lead to "Gain"

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get some fenders up in there a lot easier post-conversion, my measurements using the VO advice tell me that 40mm would be my max fender size considering the brakes as they are. But maybe with wider callipers I could go larger, and then larger tires. I think the 28mm right now are about as narrow as I'm willing to go on these Winnipeg roads.

Here's the miyata as it stands with the Pug's 700c's:
Miyata 110SP at work by Nelson Milum, on Flickr

And I think with a bit of practice, I'll be able to true a wheel:
https://instagram.com/p/3NagEFnX_Z/ <- Instagram video of my first attempt at a wheel building workshop a few days ago.

And yes, I think the reflector on the rear looks silly and not very effective with the rack in the way like that... It's on the todo list to move.

Thanks for reading!

With the 700c rims being further from the caliper pivot, leverage will decrease by 8% or so after you adjust the pads lower.

I don't think the leverage change is that big, dddd. The radius of a 27 is 315 mm, and for a 700 it's 311. The percentage change is 100((315-311)/315) = 1.27%. He just needs hands that are 1.27% stronger, and then he's even.

I think you will find the exercise both fun and educational. My only advice - get new spokes and nipples (you will have to going from 27 to 700C anyway) as it makes truing so much easier. I have done 5 or 6 wheels now, and the ones where I reused spokes and nipples were the hardest.

One other tip: check, double check, and recheck your starting spoke positions to avoid having the spokes cross over the valve stem.... (don't ask me how I know).

I've used Alex DM18s in all of the builds I did, but I have a pair of CR18s in the wings for the next build. Alex is inexpensive and easily available locally.

Nice bike BTW - that's a lot of lock though....trouble with theft in the Peg?

I did the conversion on my 610 this winter. I used Sunringle CR19 rims with a polished finish. They look great!

The easiest and cheapest route is to find a nice set of USED 700c wheels, endless supply out there, and cheaper than just a set of spokes. Second cheapest option here is to head to the co-op, they sell new wheels at a very affordable price.

If you are set on building a set of wheels, be sure to use stainless spokes and brass nipples. Follow the Sheldon Brown wheel building instructions, step by step. They are excellent.

Hard to beat prices at velomine.com

Mavic CXP-22 rims with Shimano105 hubs for about $149 US.

Mavic Velomine.com : Worldwide Bicycle Shop, fixed gear track bike wheelsets campagnolo super record vintage bike

Besides the calipers, you should check between the stays for tire clearance. Often it is the chain stay's that limit the width. Here is an example. This is a Pinarello Tre Crime that I picked up for my daughter. The tires are what was on it and they are 25c. I was surprised to find such small clearance. Compare with the fork too.
[IMG]P1020919 on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]P1020918 on Flickr[/IMG]

It's not the change in wheel radius that matters. It's the change in lever arm length between the brake shoe and brake pivot. The shoe has to be 4mm further down the arm, and depending on the bike the length of the arm is only 40-50mm more or less (from memory and not guaranteed to be entirely accurate). So the percentage reduction in brake force is in fact about what dddd says. Still, it may not matter much.

Thanks! The wheel building workshop I went to is was convinced me. There was something relaxing about the whole process that I really liked. I have Sheldon's website bookmarked, and have a copy of Jobst Brandt's book as well.

As far as the lock is concerned... I don't have much trouble with theft, but that rack isn't monitored by security at the place where I work very well.

+1 on sun cr-18 rims, but if you want tires less than 28mm you might try sun m-13's. i have been using sapim racer spokes & nipples from thorusa.

Seeing that bike parked at the bike rack, I though I'd toss out my method for preventing partial bike rack tip-overs, which can damage a bike in many ways.

I secure some part of the bike to the rack with a tight toe-strap before locking my bike up, keeps it from getting moved around if someone bumps into it.

I also then use the toe strap to more securely hold any big lock to my bike's rack when I'm ready to ride off.

I usually use one of those rope-style locks, about two feet long, thick cable with a stack of vinyl-encased tubular steel sheaths which are too big for most bolt cutters to grip onto.
The lock when closed is only about 9-1/2" diameter, and can alternately be secured to the top and seat tubes of the frame using sturdy Velcro straps. In this way, I can ride the bike like it has no lock at all on it, I can't tell it's there! No rattles and the weight is flexibly mounted, nearly centered between the front and rear axles. It's how I get to the casino 20 miles away, more for the buffet dinner than for the gambling that sometimes pays for it.

It appears that you have Campagnolo hubs.
Keep the hubs.
Rebuild them with grade 5 bearings.
Buy Mavic Open Sport Road Rims.
Buy DT Swiss Competition DB spokes.
Rebuild wheels.

[MENTION=396717]nelsonmilum[/MENTION] - I just did this with my 2 Miyata Mixtes ('83 & '87). I unlaced the 27" wheels so I could use the original hubs. Used stainless straight gauge spokes, brass (silver coated) nipples and Velocity Dyad rims. They're a "V" shape, so they look more modern, but I like them. They're a matte, brushed silver. They were around $69/ea., and easy to work with (I've only built about 12 wheels).

[MENTION=355580]Velocivixen[/MENTION], [MENTION=387087]davebarnes[/MENTION] I definitely want to re-use the hubs... mostly as a cost saver, they're not campy, I'm not that classy
The Hubs on the 27s are Sunshine, or something like that, once I de-spoke and clean I'll know better.

I like the look of the VO rims but with the Canadian exchange rate right now ~$80 each before shipping is a bit steep The Mavic Open Sports are available at Chain Reaction Cycles in the UK for less than $40 CND each, and shipping is sadly usually cheaper than anything from the USA.

Try Urban Cycle in Toronto. Prices are in Canadian $$'s and shipping over $200 is free.

Rims - Urbane Cyclist Bicycle Store | Toronto M5T 1X5