700 for 27 Wheels?
Alan has 27 inch wheels, but one is very badly damaged and he is thinking of replacing them with a set of 700′s. A much better proposition for buying tires etc. His problem will be if the wheels fit and if he can use the old gears; these are our thoughts and the possible problems and solutions
Question:
I have a bike with 27″ wheels but the rear one is beyond repair; it has a five speed cassette. If I replace them with 700c wheels with say a seven speed cassette will I need to replace my front derailleur? I’ve checked and tested with a friends set of 700c wheels and they fit fine and seemed to be stable enough hobby horsing down the road. Is this the right way to go or shall I try to find some more 27″ wheels?
Many thanks for your time!
Hi Alan,
Well, there are a few ways of sorting this problem: First the 700 wheels are a little bit smaller that 27 inch wheels, so your brakes might not reach the rims, try to adjust the brake blocks down, if they don’t reach then you need to buy a deeper drop brake set.
If you are fitting a 7 speed cassette then you may have trouble with the gear change as you have 5 speed gear levers, it may work, and that is a try-it-and-see. As to the front derailleur, it should be OK as the movement from the smallest sprocket to the largest is not that much and the front mech should handle it. Your problem might be that you need to change the rear mech and gear lever.
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As you suggested it might be better to find some 27 inch wheels to replace your old ones. If you do this then the gears will be the same if you use the old freewheel. Your problems with staying with the 27 inch wheels will be finding tyres and freewheels, they are becoming more and more difficult to find as I’m sure you have found out for yourself. If you are going to the lengths of having to change the wheels, gears and gear levers then maybe you should think of a new bike with 700 wheels and more gears with modern gear levers etc. On the other hand if you feel very attached to the old bike then go for the 27 inch wheels and keep it all original.
