Ghaywood

I have a schwinn continental, and I am curious as to what would be a good upgrade from the original steel wheels.

Bianchigirll 

Hello Ghaywood, welcome to the forums. Most any aluminum wheelset will be a good upgrade. Unfortunately with 27" your a bit limited in selection, but any decent LBS should have a pair of 'off the shelf' prebuilt alloy 27" wheels ready to go.

Since you still have that great electroforged frame the weight savings won't be super noticeable but the ride will be better and if you add some new brake pads the stopping power of the brakes will be greatly increased.

Any pics of the Continental? Some of the guys here really swoon over old schwinns.

randyjawa 

Alloy rims are lighter and, generally, offer much better stopping performance.

I know little about the Schwinn models but would assume the bike is fitted with 27" x 1 1/4" steel rims. Were you planning on using the original hubs, I would opt for a set of stainless steel spokes, butted if you are extra concerned about weight, and have them laced to a set of alloy rims.

Most bike shops will be able to supply the components and service, if that is any help. If able to do the work yourself, then you just have to source the components and that, too, is easy if you use the Bike Forums Market Place option. It does cost a small fee to do so but it is worth it, in my opinion.

oddjob2

If you have a friend with 700c wheels, you might want to see if those would fit and if the brake pads can be adjusted to strike the rim. Then you can buy a new set like Alex for about $80.

Otherwise, Niagara Cycle has a wide selection of 27" wheels. Just make sure you get a rear for a freewheel and not a cassette. Otherwise you'll need to spend $30 for a new cassette as well.

https://www.niagaracycle.com/index.ph...er_id=&sort=3a

fietsbob

I expect you can ride it to the LBS and they will make it ready to ride home with
new Alloy rim wheels in a few days even If the parts are not in stock at the moment.

Bianchigirll 

I usually get yelled at when I suggest the LBS actually do the work.

Amesja

don't say that!

Velognome 

That can be nice too. I think the LBS owners would agree. Truth is, I like riding more that wrenching, so some jobs I'd rather pay to have done and spend the time riding. Your LBS might have a used set of alloy 27's kicking around, who knows, might even be the less expensive way to go in the end?

Roll-Monroe-Co

SHUT YOUR MO... oh, you were just talking about saying that. Sorry, BG.

Roll-Monroe-Co

Lots of options. Cheapie 27" aluminum rim wheels from the internet or maybe from your LBS. If you have a bike coop in your town, you might be able to get a mis-matched set for super cheap, but expect to do some truing and spoke replacement (a good chance to learn!).

Two things...

Make sure the wheels you get have the same Over-Locknut Dimensions (OLDs) as the originals, and you will save some headaches.

As somebody said above, make sure the new rear wheel has a freewheel hub, not a freehub.

If you want to use your original freewheel, you will need either to have your own or get access to the correct freewheel tool for removing the freewheel from the original rear wheel. This can usually be done for you cheaply or freely at your LBS or coop. Putting the freewheel back on is just a matter of screwing it on by hand (and it will tighten all the way down the first couple of times you turn the cranks).

eschlwc

around here, enough people do the 700c conversion, making craigslist the place to find a 27" aluminum wheelset for $40-$50. with a little wd-40 and steel wool, crumpled aluminum foil, wet sanding and/or truing, they might look brand new.

Ghaywood

You guys have been very helpful. Thanks!

bigwooly

My dad just got his LBS to swap out the wheels on his 1974 continental for him and the new set of "machine built" alloy 27 x 1 1/4 wheels was $85. They moved over his freewheel for no additional charge when he came to pick up the new wheels after they had come in.

Most good LBS love the kind of business they get from us C&Vers. Bike shops don't really make profit on selling bikes they're counting on you to come back for all that other stuff you don't know you need yet and they'll make their money on you there. And on labor of course but I just don't trust more than 1 bike mechanic I know to go anywhere near my bike with a wrench.

rekmeyata

Plus 1

wrk101

Craigs List: post a WTB 27 inch aluminum wheels in the bikes for sale section. Should be able to find a set for under $40.

Or pick up a donor bike, and swap parts. Note, you may well find that the donor bike is nicer than the Continental, so you may just step up at that point.