27" / 630 frameset ideas sought
 

I am looking to identify quality Chro-Mo 1980's era framesets designed for the - don't ask - 27' (ERTRO 630mm) wheelset. Naturally, this is pointing me in the direction of Japan built bikes intended for the US market.

I have identified the Miyata 710 pre circa 1985 as one example of a bike to meet those criteria. Any other ideas for late bike boom era 630/27" quality frames?

The Miyata 710 had 27" wheels in 1985? I thought the 710 was an upper lever bike and thus would have had 700c wheels. Weird.

'83 was the last year for 27" wheels on a Miyata 710. Miyata Bicycle Catalogs

My '84 Miyata-built Univega Viva Sport is spec'ed somewhere between a 310 and 710 in that year but uses 27x1s

Fuji catalogs here

Just about anybody's touring bikes used 27" wheels throughout the '80s...


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I was surprised when I was tandem shopping that the Scwinn Duo Sport still had 27in wheels around 1990

I'd focus on finding the right bike rather than identifying and buying a vintage frame that works a wheel set that I own. Just sayin.

...and I made an important omission on my original post: I am looking for a "road", an not a "touring", bike.

Emphasis on pre and circa.

Why? 27" is rare today.

700C is universal and comes in a wide variety of tire choices.

Schwinn had a range of quality 27" frames

Austro-Daimler made some nice stuff designed for 27" wheels (Ultima, Vent Noir). I just posted this relatively humble Inter 10 in another thread as one of my favorite bikes:

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Grotefoto-TTQ3IRLO.jpg

From Japanese and French, probably most anything early 1980's. Seems those imports were catering to the 27". Italian's did not. Also look at the many Trek's.

To the O.P.

You say 'road' but is that sport-casual, or more race geometry???

How 'high end' or lightweight do you want to go?

As a case in point, my relatively low-end '84 Univega 57cm/23" Viva Sport (double-butted CrMo frame, Mangalite fork) started out at 25 pounds but is now under 23 pounds with careful component choice (1st gen Cyclone derailleurs, VO road pedals, Araya Model 20 27x1" wheels, lighter seatpost and saddle, and lightweight 27x1-1/8 tires and latex tubes.) That is getting down to Pro Miyata territory -- their lightest bike with clinchers in '84!

My 'touring' Univega is the same frame size and f/f materials, but weighs about three pounds more, bare.

Not looking for a "race bike" (in which case I'd most likely be limited to ERTRO 622, anyways) or anything too precious - "sport casual" may describe it well: The intended use will be mostly commuting and weekend training rides, so it really just needs to be solid and somewhat peppy. In this role. it will be replacing a Bridgestone 600 (circa 1983), FWIW.

Modern fat tire road bikes will take 35c and above tires. They're what used to be called sports touring bikes or sportive or audax bikes in the UK. Not all 700c road bikes are skinny tire bikes. Expand your horizons.

I just went through the catalogs for fun... Schwinns in the mid-late 80's had pretty nice frames compared to their 70's models of the same name. Some of the middle ones had Tenax along with 27's (85 Super Le Tour, 86 Prelude). Even the lower frames had pretty good specs, with DB main triangles.

Nobody has said anything about tire width - at any rate, it is a non-issue for me.

TLDR: Looking for an ERTRO 630 frame.

I wasn't originally intending to explain in a lot of detail about why I was looking for an ERTRO 630 frame because I deemed it largely irrelevant, but in the interest of guiding the discussion in the right direction and avoiding tangentials, I will provide some background information, anyways.

The bike I am replacing (a Bridgestone 600 -- not that it matters) has a full Superbe group on it. More importantly, it has a very recently built wheelset on it (you guessed it - ERTRO 630), handbuilt by a local master builder, using quality components. Even more importantly, the wheelset was a (pleasant surprise!) Christmas present from my wife.

Alas, the bike is now no longer rideable or economically repairable due to tube fractures and extensive, wide-spread frame corrosion. But the parts have plenty of life left in them -- and most importantly, I like them.

So, for all kinds of practical, economical and most importantly emotional reasons, I would like to transfer all the parts, including the wheelset, to a frameset that can handle them.

This is the background information, my motivation, and hence, my question.

I have a Schwinn Super Le Tour that would fit the bill

A Fuji too.

It's probably easier to find a frame or bike you like and then do this in reverse by asking whether or not someone has fit 27" wheels on the bike. The difference of 4mm between 700C and 27" wheels likely only rules out racy late 1980s and later geometries.

Most sport touring or touring framesets will be able to use both wheelsets. Presumably, you are using those 27" wheels with Paselas or Schwalbes, so you are running a fatter tire.

The 27" wheel standard was introduced by Raleigh; thus (or "thusly," as the OP might say), any number of British companies manufactured bikes that would fit the requirements.

Is the rear spacing 120mm or 126mm?

1970s Schwinn Paramounts can and do run 27" wheels. P-10s and P-15s were designed specifically for 27" clincher wheels, while the P-13 was designed for 700c tubular wheels.

But with that said, I run both on my '71 P-13. Granted, a 27 X 1 & 1/4 tire (Panaracer TG Pasela) has very little clearance, but it will work. The 27 X 1 TG Pasela has plenty of clearance. Paramounts are spaced at 120mm and the Reynolds 531 is very stiff. I'm certain a confident person can spread one to 126mm, but I am not that person. :p P-10s and P-15s have eyelets and P-13s do not, if that is a consideration.

I also have a '75 Schwinn Voyageur II (Panasonic made frame) which easily accepts a 126mm wheel and was designed for 27"wheels. It has eyelets.

Find a frame you like- see if the 27s fit.

My 1986 Trek 400 Elance came with 700c wheels on it. I changed it TO 27" to fit the reach for a specific set of brakes. I was running 700x32, but I had to go to 27 x 1 1/8" because of fork crown clearance issues.

My *guess* is that the Superbe calipers will be able to go UP enough in a position to reach 27s, where most Superbe calipers wouldn't be able to reach low enough to go from 27 to 700c.

Go through old bike catalogs, there are lots of them online.
Most sport touring bikes in the early 80's had 27" wheels.
They will fit many racers too, especially if you use smaller tires.

Just about anything that will fit a 700c x 37mm will fit a 27"x 1 1/4"
look at some of the late 70s early 80s Raleigh Gran Sports or Supercourses

What frame size do you need?

See, that wasn't so hard. We're a curious bunch, and like stories. :)