27" Wheels on MTB Frame - Best Braking Solution?

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fido

Veteran
Location
Reading, Berks.
I would like to buy a new bike but can't really justify the expense so instead I'm 'reconfiguring' some of my existing bikes and will try a bit of self-hypnosis to convince myself that these are, in fact, spanking new bikes.
To this end I've now got a mtb frame with 27" wheels and have encountered a brakes problem that would have been obvious to everyone else I'm sure. My existing cantis won't adjust far enough to reach the rims - what is my best solution? Assuming there is one of course.

Do Super-adjustable cantis exist to combat this? Can I fit road bike calipers instead and expect them to work with my current LX STI levers?
 
you would be better with a pair of 700c wheels, not 27". More chance of the cantis working with them and wider choice of tyres. 650c wheels would be even better from a reach point of view. Unlikely that you will be able to use calipers on an MTB frame. I doubt if it's worth spending the money on it, tbh..
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
Sturmey Archer hub brakes? Fixed gear? Coaster btake?

I would have thought it should be possible to drill the fork crown to fit a sidepull caliper.

If you really want larger wheels on your MTB, I would try 26 x 1 3/8 which are now available in alloy and in my experience, this size rolls far better than the 559 MTB tyres. I think 26 x 1 3/8 is the most under-rated of all tyre sizes and (despite what people say) there are a lot of decent tyres out there in that size, although they will fall into the commuter/touring department rather than lightweight racing tyres.
 
OP
OP
fido

fido

Veteran
Location
Reading, Berks.
The only reason for them being 27" is the fact that I found them gathering dust at the back of the garage.

I think the forks already have the hole for side-pull calipers, as does the bridge on the seat stays so I might give it a whirl and see if it works.
 
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