spindlehead

Hello- I have a mid-80's Fuji Sagres that I converted into a single speed some years ago. The frame feels really great and the the geometry very comfortable. The only problem is that the wheels have seen better days. They are both out of true and the front has an abnormally high amount of lateral play.

I was wondering if it is easy to change to 700C wheels from the 27" original size? Then I would have a wider variety of tire options including the heavily armored ones I prefer. The brakes are strong. Would they still work on a 700C rim?

RiddleOfSteel

The short answer is: if you still have the ability to lower your brake pads in their slots (on the caliper) 4mm, then you should be fine with regard to not having to change anything else on your bike apart from the aforementioned wheelset. If you don't, you'd have to change out calipers. Since you're at 10 posts, you can upload pictures of your Sagres or Sagres' brakes from your computer and that will help all of us get you rolling in the right direction.

spindlehead

Awesome! Looks like I should have plenty of room in the caliper slots to adjust the pads heights.

DiegoFrogs

Adjusting those down won't be a problem.

First, though, I'd repack/adjust the hubs and true the wheels (and adjust the brake pads). It's probably not necessary to replace the wheels.

ramzilla

Get new wheels. Nothing breathes new life into an old bike better than a new set of wheels & tires. And, it's not that expensive. You can probably find a great set of brand new wheels for under $150 delivered to your door. 700c should work fine. Just make sure to measure your rear dropout axle length or the outside locknut distance OLD. A mid 80's Fuji will have an OLD somewhere between 126 and 130mm. You also probably have a threaded 6 speed or 7 speed freewheel on the original wheel. You will probably have to convert to a 7 speed freehub & cassette on the new 700c wheel too. Go to someplace like Harbor freight and get a cheap 6" long caliper measuring tool for $5. Pull your old rear wheel off. Pull off the freewheel. Make some measurements. Buy a new of wheels that fit perfectly. Be good. Have fun.

spindlehead

Ah.. @ramzilla I did not even think of the threaded old freewheel vs modern freehub. I don't remember what I did when I converted the bike to single speed, but the chainline is super straight. Maybe best left alone.

ThermionicScott 

I would just true up the wheels unless I had plans for an upgrade (wider and/or lighter rims, better spokes, better hubs). Buying cheap new wheels can easily be a lateral move.

ryansu

A couple items, you can get 700c wheels with a FW hub -amazon sells them just looked at a pair last week, there are many more 27" tire options then they get credit for on this forum just look in the sticky thread section for the 27" tire thread. and +2 to truing and repacking the originals before whipping out the plastic, lateral play sounds like a hub that is adjust too loosely. There are a number of videos out there about rebuilding cup and cone hubs, RJ the bike guy, GCN (uk) Park tools etc, A a couple of cone wrenches some loose bearings (see videos for sizing and number different between front and rear hubs) , a tube of fresh grease and some patience and time and Bobs your uncle. for a fraction the cost of a new wheel-set. YMMV.