POS Frames, 27" Tires, and Single Speeds
 

<rant>
POS Frames: I should have listened to some of the folks here that my noname brand frame might be a real piece. It was bent, and not worth fixing. Made out of some crappy steel that you can practically bend by hand. So, a single speed that was all finished is now scrapped because I based it on a POS frame. Lesson? Not all lugged steel frames are the same. Just becuase its lugged steel doesn't mean its any good.

Of course I had built the bike as a 27" wheel bike instead of 700C, because I already had 27" wheels. So now I'm stuck with 27" wheels and tires that I spent money on. I won't mention the stem I bought for it and the 25.8 seatpost that was $10. Won't see that again. Anybody need a seat post?

The good part out of all this is that the mech at the LBS I went to to have the frame checked said he had a 60 or 61cm Centurion frame and fork he'd sell me for $20. So, I have a new frame to pick up tomorrow.

Out of all this my only question is that if the frame was originally built for 700c wheels and tires, will the 27's I have likely fit? I understand its only a 4mm difference so I'd think it would, but...

</rant>

Most likely. Brakes may not reach properly, but a lot of times you can modify by filing the slots or find some other ones for cheap that do work. You also may be limited in tire sizes because of clearance. But, the good news is you should be able to make this work.

Is that the frame that was pulling to the left?

Yes, the same one. I took it to the LBS and they put it up on the stand and found that it was pulling to the left because the frame was bent. Both seat stays were skewed to the right by almost an inch. The metal it was made of was SO cheap that it wasn't worth fixing so I am getting this "new" Centurion frame.

Zoinks. Sorry to hear that. I fear I may be heading for the same dead end. I have an old Tsubaki I am currently going through the trouble to repaint. I should probably have the frame checked out to make sure it is not *completely* junk.

Yeah first thing I do when I bring a bargain home is strip the parts off and do the string frame straightness test. You could maybe have some fun straightening it yourself. At least you can sell the seatpost and give the buyer a somewhat straight frame.

I wouldn't wish that frame on anyone. I was informed that it was an old sears quality frame. Not worth my time or anyone elses. I destroyed the frame by standing on the dropouts with the frame on the ground. I did that so that nobody would pull it from the trash and go through the same crap I did. Not worth it.

But hey its all about learning. I also learned last night that if you don't fully thread a crank extractor, you'll strip the threads on the crank. I won't share my means of getting it off the spindle but it wasn't pretty, and involved partially disassembling the bottom bracket. Fortunately I'll be able to re-use these cranks and BB.

Don't hesitate. Do it now before you put all that work into it. I was just about ready to paint it and all and I decided before I spent MORE money on it that I'd check to see how it rode and make sure it fit me. I wish I had done that BEFORE replacing the seatpost and stem.

Found a centurion a while back with 27" wheels; I've seen others with 700c. Probably depends on the vintage of the bike. Many older frames can accomodate either size; if you're running 700 on a bike built for 27, you'll (sometimes) need a long reach brake. Assuming you're riding with a brake.

Note: when removing older cranks, make sure you are using a proper remover. Most cranks are at the 22mm standard, but older TAs are at 23mm and older stronglights are 23.35 mm

By a stroke of odd I am now running 27" knobbies on my IRO jamie roy (designed for 700c's) It was easy and works just fine.

Milo

Thanks for that info! An update is due: I picked up my new frame yesterday, its a Centurion Accordo, Double Butted Tange tubing, very nice frame for $20. It even came with a headset and brakes. But I decided there's no way I'm swapping the parts from the old bike onto this nice frame so that means new brake levers, bottom bracket, and cranks.

Oh, and I fit my 27" wheels/tires on it and they fit almost perfectly, the rear was a little hard to get in but the brakes will line up just fine and all will be great.

Nashbar sells road brakes that have a lot of play in them that should cover 4mm. Jailbrake. There's 2 models, one has more adjustability. They're cheap and work just fine. I descended several 11,000 foot passes in CO last summer with them no problems.