I've been commuting for quite a while, and am in the position to upgrade.

What type of fork is shown here, why bother with a system like this?

Screen shot 2011-01-22 at 11.01.23 AM.jpg

Also, with a 1980's 27in Bianchi road bike frame, is it better to powder coat and build from the ground up? Or will the 700c wheel dilemma always haunt me with braking systems?

are there smaller/thinner rear pannier options out there? any with pack straps and not just slings?

Im in need of help people, throw me some suggestions!

Looks like a wheel building/trueing stand, not a fork

Can't help with the 700c/27" question, though.

Cheers

Yup, that's a truing stand.

You'll need to use a slightly longer reach brake caliper when converting a 27" bike to 700c. Not necessarily a "haunting dilemma", in my opinion.

Or you could just Run 27" rims, you can find good ones. Frames are Cheap too. Is the bianchi frame worth painting? does it have all it's fittings?

Oh wow.. thanks guys.

ALSO, I am replacing the bottom bracket, but my cylinder looks a bit smaller than other fixed conversions. my rough estimates give me about 3in or 74mm wide and 2 5/8in or 67mm diameter. Which type of BB will I need to purchase? any suggestions on preforming brands?

It's a wheel truing stand. As the name suggests (and the bloke's hands show), you use it when truing wheels though for the amateur, you can also just leave the wheels in your bike and use the brake pads to highlight where the wobbles are.

The 27 to 700c problem isn't a biggie. Tektro make some very long reach, dual pivot brakes - the R365. I've got them on the Europa and they work really well. Tektro also make some shorter reach brakes if you're lucky enough to need a shorter reach. Don't be fooled by the name, Tektro dual pivot brakes (unlike some of their V brakes) are very good and the equal of Shimano.

Richard

Hmm, three replies while I'm typing mine - sorry boys, I unintentially duplicated some info there.

Richard

On the point of the bianchi; is the current paint on it in really bad condition? It'll be a shame to see especially a original celeste green bianchi be painted over...