Bike Project Help

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jamie1234

New Member
Hi, Sorry if i have done this wrong but I am a bit new to this, so bear with me!

I have recently bought a old reynolds racing frame about 20-30 years old.. I am trying to upgrade parts etc but have been told that it will be impossible to change the wheels due to new racing wheels being to wide to fit on the bike? Is there any way i can put a new set of wheels on the bike? Also is it possible for me to put other new components on the bike such as brakes etc.. will they fit?

Sorry if this is basic stuff..

Thanks
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Never heard that one before,If anything modern 700c wheels are a bit narrower than the old 27"

The diameter of the new wheels are slightly smaller.but only by a few mm

You just need a deeper drop brake

I use old frames and new wheels,brakes etc with no problems

Oh, and welcome to the forum :hello:
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
I would assume they're talking about the hubs, rather than the wheel rims themselves. There is a small difference, things can be bent to suit. Some older bikes had narrow diameter front axles which may require filing out to fit a modern hub, but again this is not a major problem.

My advice is to either learn to do it yourself, Sheldon Brown and forums like this one can answer your questions or else find another bike shop who want to help you keep and old bike on the road rather than try and sell a new one.
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
What a load of old pony, who gave you that piece of advice. Most things are possible on steel bikes and their are ways of making things fit.

Old frame user here with no problems
 
OP
OP
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jamie1234

New Member
Wow thankyou all very much in replying.. I think it was actually as TYRED said something to do with the hubs. at the moment there is a 5 speed freewheel on the back.. therefore would it be possible to stick this on a new wheel..

Thanks again

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Amanda P

Legendary Member
A 5-speed freewheel on a bike of that age will be one that screws on to the hub, and the hub will probably be 125mm wide (measuring between the outer faces of the locknuts). A modern hub will be 130 or 135mm, and will have a cassette of sprockets that slide onto a freehub (the freewheel is part of the hub), secured by a lockring - a quite different system. Such cassettes have 7, 8, 9, 10 or even 11 sprockets on them.

There's no reason you can't "spring" the chainstays and seatstays of a steel frame apart by 10mm to take a wider modern hub - although you may need three or four hands to re-fit a wheel after a puncture. You may prefer to "cold set" the stays so that the springing isn't necessary - Sheldon explains how to do this, or any competent bike shop will do it for you (probably when you're not looking - it's a rather brutal-looking process!)

Coming back to the hub, yes, you can still get wheels to take screw-on freewheels - but it's much easier to get cassette hubs, and there's no reason not to do this (unless you want to keep the bike 'authentic'). A shiny new cassette will also give you more gears for your money.

The next problem you may encounter is that your bike may well have been built for 27" wheels. This size is fast becoming obsolete, replaced by the fractionally smaller 700C size. You may be able to fit 700C wheels, but it depends whether the brakes have enough drop for the pads to reach the rims You really need to borrow a pair of 700C wheels and try it to see.

Again, you can still get 27" rims, wheels and tyres, but it's not getting any easier with time and if you can change to modern cassette hubs and 700C rims, I would do so. (I've been through all this with my old 1980s Galaxy).
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
There is more stuff available in the 27" size than many would have you believe. You just have to look online, especially SJS. The average LBS won't want to know.
 

accountantpete

Brexiteer
Before doing anything you might consider keeping the bike as it is - retro bikes are very fashionable at the moment.

What make is it and what tubing does it have?
 

RecordAceFromNew

Swinging Member
Location
West London
Wow thankyou all very much in replying.. I think it was actually as TYRED said something to do with the hubs. at the moment there is a 5 speed freewheel on the back.. therefore would it be possible to stick this on a new wheel..

Thanks again

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:welcome: and a 5 speed block will most likely mean 120mm distance between the rear dropouts. Modern "road" bikes have a corresponding distance of 130mm generally.

As others have said if the frame is steel and not more exotic than Reynolds 531 then there are various upgrading possibilities if you so wish. You might want to read the couple of links I put in here previously.
 
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