Originally Posted by
alex2074
SW84, no repairs are needed as such, its just that you cant get good tires for a 27" wheel, and getting parts for 27" bikes isnt easy any longer. And as I said, too much friction in the wheels is causing me grief keeping up with my buddies on modern bikes. I figured I'd jump in and see what happens. little did I know.
I faced just this situation with one of my old Witcomb bikes from 1970 something. I was able to got back to the original frame builder and get it adjusted to take 700c wheels. It was a question of shortening the forks and moving the bridge for the rear brakes; in actual fact, they fitted a new bridge and drilled out the rear of the front fork crown slightly so that I could also put modern dual-pivot brakes on, which would solve your other problem. Any competent frame builder should be able to do the same for you.
Having said all that, I think it's largely about adaptation. You've been riding the same bike for years and geometry has changed over that time. Give it time and I imagine you'll adjust.