In article <
[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:
> In article <pan.2004.01
[email protected]>, "David L. Johnson"
> <
[email protected]> writes:
> > On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 22:01:26 -0500, S. Anderson wrote:
> >
> >> The conversion can be a bit tricky. The big problem is brake reach. Some frame and brake combos
> >> can accomodate the brake drop, some can't.
> >
> > True. Many older bikes were actually designed for both, since the maker assumed that they'd be
> > used with either tubulars (same size as 700c) or clincher (only 27").
> >
> > There are
> >> drop bolts available for certain brakes that would give you that extra 1" or so of drop but I
> >> don't know if they're still made.
> >
> > They are still made, but we are not talking about 1". It's a 4mm difference.
>
> I've heard several accounts from ppl who've ordered longer reach brakes from sources such as
> Harris Cyclery, in the course of their 27" -> 700C upgrades. I suppose Weinmann doesn't have the
> same cachet as other, more up-market brands. But apparently they work well enough.
>
> Speaking of Weinmann, they seem to still distribute 27" ready-built wheels. I bought a brand new
> one a couple of years ago, anyway. Good enough for a city runabout. I wouldn't do a loaded tour in
> Iceland with it, though.
In late 2002 I bought a ready-built 27" rear from the Bike Doctor. I believe the cost was about $40.
The tires and tubes should still be easilly available: MEC has them as a normal-stock item.
The wheel I got was not a Weinmann, but some odd Taiwanese brand. No matter, it works.
> I've got a sh*t-load of 70's Shimano brakes of various reaches, and they're all actually
> pretty damn good for what they are. Especially the centre-pulls, which are really quite beefy
> and non-flexy.
>
> If one really wants to go nutz about brakes, there are all kinds of disc brake conversion sets
> available. A google search readily reveals many sources.
>
> I'd rather seek out brakes -- any good brakes that fit nicely, and go for the drop bolt kludge as
> a last, desparate resort.
Modern dual-pivot brakes and SLR-type levers make a difference. I was shocked at how much difference
when I upgraded my Bianchi from a crappy Dia-Compe brake to an almost-contemporary RSX dual-pivot
with matching SLR lever (different pivot point, much easier to pull from the hoods, and a return
spring in the lever body). I did an interesting conversion:
To make the 700c wheel go from its old standard-reach brake to the new short-reach brake, we
replaced the fork with a 27" fork designed for short-reach brakes (had to drill the crown for the
recessed brake mounting), and then I added spherical washer hardware from some used-up V-brake pads
to angle the new pads down the few extra mm needed to squarely hit the rim.
> A note in passing: the old, chromed-steel rims aren't as evil as many would have us believe. They
> do have their limitations, but they have some advantages, too. With the right brake pads, their
> slippery-when-wetness can be obviated to an extent -- not as good as aluminum alloy, but not
> totally, flounderingly useless, either.
I'll let you be the judge of that. The easy availability of lighter, better-stopping aluminum rims
obviates any need to use steel rims.
--
Ryan Cousineau,
[email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club
