27" wheel conversion?

General Fixed Street
1

Hello all, I am currently in the process of take apart an old ten speed frame, re-painting it fluorescent green, and making it into a fixie.

My question is, I do not want to spend a lot of money on this bike, as I will be using it mainly for tricks, so I don’t care if it breaks. I have extra 27" wheels that I want to turn into fixed gear wheels. My thought was to find a lower end track hub, that has 36 holes, and then put it on the 27" wheel. Is this possible, and will the tire fit on my frame once it is done?

Any help is greatly appreciated, and if there is thread that already asked this please direct me to it. Thanks everyone.

2

If the frame was built for 27" wheels, this will be no problem at all, if it was built for 700c wheels, this will be a problem (although you may be able to get 1" tyres to fit on the 27"s wheels and fit them on the frame). Properly sized wheels to a frame look much nicer.

As for re-lacing the rear wheel to a track hub, this can easily be done. My friend had a old 27" rims laced to some nice old track hubs for his old Bullock frame. You may need to watch your rear spacing though, but it’s not a huge issue.

3

Thanks for replying, I am currently looking for a track Hub but knowing that this should work is a load off my mind. I will post some pics of my fixie once It is complete. Thanks again.

4

Hey Bcw

I’m going to guess that buying a 2nd hand 27" will be cheaper than getting one built. There have been a couple on eBay which have gone for ~$20.

5

Also, Wheel and Sprocket (on ebay) do pre-built 27" wheels laced to flip/flop hubs. Search Wheelandsprocket in ebay stores. They’re prices aren’t too bad, and they’re getting better now our dollar is getting stronger.

6

and whilst we’re at 27" …

Conti make 27" (or 630mm) Gatorskins. Your LBS might have to order them. They run fat (28mm) but it’s good as it makes 'em ride a bit more comfy.

if you’re measuering: the difference between 700c and 27 inch is just 4mm in radius (700c = 62mm diameter and 27" - 630mm diameter). it’s not a lot. shouldn’t be an issue on most old bikes.

you can use most 700c tubes for 27"

7

My conversion had 27" wheels but I just put a whole new wheelset on of normal wheels,
about the rear spacing, my frame is made of steel so I just tightened it and it moved the rear a little bit inwards.

8

Be careful with this. Cheap track components and trick riding don’t mix. Replacing broken parts could get frustrating and expensive.

Check out prolly’s blog and count the number of times he uses the term “beefy” to describe his riding setup if you want to know what I mean…

Good luck with the build though, look forward to seeing some pics.