Wheels For A R531 Frame

Amx said:

I am trying to get my old bike back on the road. It's a Roy Thame Reynolds 531 Frame - not sure of the size but it always suited me and I am just over 6'2", it's probably 59/60 ish. The wheels are the type that have stick on tubeless, but I would like to replace them with the tyre/innertube type wheels.
I don't know the size of my existing wheels and tried yesterday taking them to a bike shop, but they couldn't tell me! I think they maybe 27" dia. Can anyone tell me what size wheels I should be looking for?

The short answer is 700c == 99% of the glue-on tubular tyres.

Depending on the brake "reach" and frame clearance, you may be able to use 27" wheels/tyres ... or, not.

If the frame dates to before 1984, then there is a 50-50 chance that you can also use 27" wheels.

There IS an advantage to 27" wheels for taller riders:
[INDENT]Bigger rider ... bigger bike ... bigger wheels
[/INDENT]At this point in time, however, there are very few tyre choices for 27" wheels compared with 700c wheels. You can get tyre sizes from 700-19 to 700-58.

A 700-32 is equivalent to a 27"-1.25"

Pre-1980 tubulars were equivalent to about 700-25.

Subsequently, narrower tubulars became the norm, close to 700-20 ... now, I think most tubulars are about 700-22 equivalent.

Depending on what you are planning to do with your frame, you may or may not want to have the rear triangle respaced to 130mm from what is presumably 126mm. 130mm is the current standard width of a contemporary 700c wheel which you would buy off-the-peg ...

Respacing the frame to 130mm can be a DIY endeavor if you are moderately handy ... it's more a matter of patience + a minimum amount of instruction (ask me how when the time comes) than anything as long as you do NOT try to use anything other than your own upper body strength.

Hi Alfeng,

Just wanted to say thanks for your advice. I think I will see if I can get a set of 27 x 1.25 wheels, preferably for clinchers, and take it from there. Thanks again,
Amx.

alfeng said:

The short answer is 700c == 99% of the glue-on tubular tyres.

Depending on the brake "reach" and frame clearance, you may be able to use 27" wheels/tyres ... or, not.

If the frame dates to before 1984, then there is a 50-50 chance that you can also use 27" wheels.

There IS an advantage to 27" wheels for taller riders:
[INDENT]Bigger rider ... bigger bike ... bigger wheels
[/INDENT]At this point in time, however, there are very few tyre choices for 27" wheels compared with 700c wheels. You can get tyre sizes from 700-19 to 700-58.

A 700-32 is equivalent to a 27"-1.25"

Pre-1980 tubulars were equivalent to about 700-25.

Subsequently, narrower tubulars became the norm, close to 700-20 ... now, I think most tubulars are about 700-22 equivalent.

Depending on what you are planning to do with your frame, you may or may not want to have the rear triangle respaced to 130mm from what is presumably 126mm. 130mm is the current standard width of a contemporary 700c wheel which you would buy off-the-peg ...

Respacing the frame to 130mm can be a DIY endeavor if you are moderately handy ... it's more a matter of patience + a minimum amount of instruction (ask me how when the time comes) than anything as long as you do NOT try to use anything other than your own upper body strength.

Rather than attempt to swim out against the rising tide of 700c wheels and use 27", however, I suggest talking to your local shop about getting an appropriate set of 700c clinchers. They can advise you about the pros and cons of keeping your 126 or 120 mm spacing or bending the stays and realigning the dropouts to accommodate 130 mm. I recommend this be done by a shop because they have the tools and expertise for realigning dropouts. Improperly aligned dropouts can damage the hubs.

Major manufacturers stopped equipping road bikes about with 27" wheels about 20 years ago, so the disadvantages for using this size are limited availability of high quality rims and limited availability and selection of tires. Shops that carry 27" tires do so mainly so riders of older bikes can continue to use them.

Functionally, there is nothing wrong with 27" for many recreational riders, it's just a standard that has fallen out of fashion. Your bike was made for 700c wheels, 700c is the modern standard for road bikes (for adult riders of all but the shortest sizes), and 700c gives you plenty of reasonably priced options for various performance requirements.

Many experienced riders enjoy tinkering with their equipment, trying to find optimum performance for their specific, often individualistic needs. For example, many riders tout 650b wheels, a size that's somewhere between 700c and at least three sizes that are all called 26". Their reasons for 650b are perfectly reasonable, but the fact remains that hardly anybody manufactures 650b equipment, even fewer shops stock it, and there's nothing really wrong with the standards that are widely available.

If you enjoy hanging around parts counters at bike shops discussing esoterica and waiting for your order to come in, go 27". If you want to ride your bike, stick with 700c.

oldbobcat said:

Rather than attempt to swim out against the rising tide of 700c wheels and use 27", however, I suggest talking to your local shop about getting an appropriate set of 700c clinchers. They can advise you about the pros and cons of keeping your 126 or 120 mm spacing or bending the stays and realigning the dropouts to accommodate 130 mm. I recommend this be done by a shop because they have the tools and expertise for realigning dropouts. Improperly aligned dropouts can damage the hubs.

Major manufacturers stopped equipping road bikes about with 27" wheels about 20 years ago, so the disadvantages for using this size are limited availability of high quality rims and limited availability and selection of tires. Shops that carry 27" tires do so mainly so riders of older bikes can continue to use them.

Functionally, there is nothing wrong with 27" for many recreational riders, it's just a standard that has fallen out of fashion. Your bike was made for 700c wheels, 700c is the modern standard for road bikes (for adult riders of all but the shortest sizes), and 700c gives you plenty of reasonably priced options for various performance requirements.

Many experienced riders enjoy tinkering with their equipment, trying to find optimum performance for their specific, often individualistic needs. For example, many riders tout 650b wheels, a size that's somewhere between 700c and at least three sizes that are all called 26". Their reasons for 650b are perfectly reasonable, but the fact remains that hardly anybody manufactures 650b equipment, even fewer shops stock it, and there's nothing really wrong with the standards that are widely available.

If you enjoy hanging around parts counters at bike shops discussing esoterica and waiting for your order to come in, go 27". If you want to ride your bike, stick with 700c.

Thanks,Amx.