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Safe to use 700c wheels on old Peugeot 27 1/4 ?

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Safe to use 700c wheels on old Peugeot 27 1/4 ?

Old 07-16-21, 10:37 AM
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browndude3649
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Safe to use 700c wheels on old Peugeot 27 1/4 ?

Got a red one to single speed for cruisin. Is this common todo in a conversion?
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Old 07-16-21, 10:56 AM
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You can do it, and probably won't require a lot of fussing. You might have to replace the brake calipers with some that have longer reach. It depends on how much adjustment range your calipers have. Replacements are widely available and not very expensive (look at Tektro R559, as one good possibility). As a side benefit, you'll probably end up with brakes that work better than whatever Peugeot was using back in the day. (Center pull Mafacs, perhaps?)

In addition to getting better wheels and access to a vastly wider selection of good tires, you'll free up some space in your frame and fork to fit fenders, if you're so inclined. Win-win!

Last edited by Broctoon; 07-16-21 at 11:01 AM.
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Old 07-16-21, 11:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Broctoon
You can do it, and probably won't require a lot of fussing. You might have to replace the brake calipers with some that have longer reach. It depends on how much adjustment range your calipers have. Replacements are widely available and not very expensive (look at Tektro R559, as one good possibility). As a side benefit, you'll probably end up with brakes that work better than whatever Peugeot was using back in the day. (Center pull Mafacs, perhaps?)

In addition to getting better wheels and access to a vastly wider selection of good tires, you'll free up some space in your frame and fork, so you can fit fenders, if you're so inclined. Win-win!
Thanks for the reply, I had to hunt for long arm brakes, weirdo diam seatpost, but its fun to give a decent frame new life with alotta red!
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Old 07-16-21, 11:04 AM
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If the bike still has the original brakes (centerpulls either Weinmann or Mafac), they should adjust to work with 700c wheels.
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Old 07-17-21, 02:27 AM
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I'd stay with the big wheels. I have an '86 Univega Nuovo Sport sport touring bike with 27 1/4 and I love them. Because they're a larger diameter they roll super smooth, they glide over railroad tracks and chipseal roads like butter without needing massive balloon tires like on 700's. You can compare it to a 26vs 29er MTB. I'm kind of surprised they haven't come back into popularity with the big focus on "comfort" everything now.
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Old 07-17-21, 02:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Lazyass
I'd stay with the big wheels. I have an '86 Univega Nuovo Sport sport touring bike with 27 1/4 and I love them. Because they're a larger diameter they roll super smooth, they glide over railroad tracks and chipseal roads like butter without needing massive balloon tires like on 700's. You can compare it to a 26vs 29er MTB. I'm kind of surprised they haven't come back into popularity with the big focus on "comfort" everything now.
Agree but I inherited my old man's fixed collection. And multiple pairs and mismatched front rears 16 pairs in all. The 80s pug didn't have any parts except the headset, fork , BB.

I almost finished my own single-speed , but my old man's frames are that of medium sized tshirt so I'm torn between selling complete bikes vs hoarding all the parts off them n selling bare frames/forks.
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Old 07-17-21, 03:55 PM
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There is no such thing as a 27 1/4 wheel. There are 27" wheels and 27 x 1-1/4" tires, which are approximately 32mm wide. The difference between a 700c wheel and a 27" wheel is small, only an 8mm difference in diameter. You only need 4mm of adjustment to move the brake blocks down from a 27" rim's braking surface to a 700c rim's braking surface, so more often than not you can use the existing brake caliper. There is no significant difference in ride quality when using the same width tires. The reason that your typical 27" wheel rides smoothly is because it is typically shod with relatively wide 27 x 1-1/4" tires. Put some 27 x 1" tires on it, and it will ride just as harshly as a 700c wheel with 700x25c tires on it.
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Last edited by TejanoTrackie; 07-18-21 at 11:06 AM. Reason: corrected 700x23c to 700x25c
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Old 07-18-21, 02:05 AM
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Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie
Put some 27 x 1" tires on it, and it will ride just as harshly as a 700c wheel with 700x23c tires on it.
From my real world experience it will ride smoother because it's a larger diameter. Very noticeably smoother. And a 1 inch wide tire is 25.4mm.

Last edited by Lazyass; 07-18-21 at 02:08 AM.
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Old 07-18-21, 06:37 AM
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Originally Posted by Lazyass
From my real world experience it will ride smoother because it's a larger diameter. Very noticeably smoother. And a 1 inch wide tire is 25.4mm.
Yes, I should have said 700x25c. However, an 8mm difference in diameter is only a 1% increase and should not have a significant effect on ride quality. It’s the tire width and not the slight difference in wheel diameter that mostly affects ride quality. Again, if your only experience is with 27 x 1-1/4 tires, then you can’t properly assess the impact of wheel diameter on ride quality, especially if the difference is only 1%. I think you maybe are suffering from a placebo effect. For the record, I have both 27x1-1/4 and 27x1-1/8 tires on different wheels, and the difference in ride quality is quite noticeable.
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Old 07-18-21, 07:03 AM
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Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie
I think you maybe are suffering from a placebo effect.
Maybe if I were a newbie but that isn't the case. I mean you can say something based on your personal experience that someone else doesn't have, and if they still won't believe you then there's nothing else to say *shrug*
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Old 07-19-21, 08:07 AM
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I'd say it's common enough to do. I've done it both ways - 27" on a 700c frame (tight!) and 700c on a 27" frame. As long as the brakes can handle about a 4mm change in the brake track position it's bolt-on. You gain maybe a bit more tire clearance and access to about 10,000 times more tire options with 700c...
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