27 inch box rim.......can I fit a 700 tire?

Triathlon Forum
1

Just bought an old Nishiki Prestige Road bike at a garage sale

for $15!!! Anyways, I don’t know much about old road bikes,

so perhaps someone can explain a few things:

  1. Box rims are not clinchers right?..so I can’t inflate much above

100 psi???

  1. The wheels say 27 inch…will a 700 tire fit?

  2. The rear wheel has a Suntour 6 speed freewheel…what kind

of chain should I buy.

As you may surmise, this bike needs work. Had some rust and lots

of spiderwebs. Probably hasn’t been ridden in over 10 years. I have

had it out though just for some close local riding (will give it an over-

haul before I ride a century on it) and it rides and handles great.

thanks

2

You cannot use 700c on 27" box rims. That is a clincher, as tubulars have always been 700c for that size.

You may be in a world of hurt trying to rehab that bike, in my blunt opinion. There will be many, many parts that will nickel and dime you to death.

Bike Nashbar has stuff for 27" rims, tyres, and the like. You can also find stuff for 6-speed systems.

Good luck.

3

No you can’t fit a 700 c tire on a 27 inch rim although they are close to the same size. It just won’t fit, period.

I bet the box rims you have on that bike are clincher. They don’t make 27 inch sew ups that I know of.

Just about any any decent chain will work this 6 speed freewheel.

4

Will a 700 tire fit?

No, but you might be able to change wheels and run 700’s. If you do that you will probably have to change the brakes.
Sometimes www.biketiresdirect.com has some 27’s

Box rims just say what the cross section of the rim is. There are box rims for tubular but not in 27 inch.

Take it to the bike shop and get a chain.

$15 sounds like a good buy for an extra beater bike or maybe one a significant other could use

jaretj

5

Thanks everyone for the input. Will keep it as it is; 27s and a 6 speed.

Will just bring it back to “like new.” Just bought some 27 inch

cyclecross tires for it so I can use it on the dirt roads in the mountains

this summer for altitude training. This is actually the only road bike

I have ever owned. I started in the sport in '99 with a QR Kilo which

is all I have ever had (have put lots of miles on it; 7 IMs plus many

halfs and Olys). It was I guess meant to be for me to find this

old road bike. I was finishing a 9 mile easy long run when I found

this bike at a garage sale. Did some research on the Nishiki and

found that in it’s day, it was a very good bike. In fact, Kenny Souza

used to race on one, 6 speed and all.

good luck training and racing

6

didn’t get a chance to respond over the weekend

now I know what my beater is worth - $15!!! I have the guts of an old Nishiki on an old Trek frame. It, too is a six speed, triple front, with 27 inch wheels. Continental makes Gatorskins for 27 inch wheels if you want road tires. The gearing still works well, went for a long ride yesterday.

7

For my $15 an old beater is begging to become a single speed, especially if the drop-outs are horizontal. That 6-speed is likely worn, you can slap on a BMX free-wheel and chain, use the small chainring and away you go.

8

Probably could have bought it for $10. The people were just clearing

out their junk (bike excluded). Like I said, it was meant to be. I

happened to run by early on a Friday morning, two weeks ago, right

after they had set the stuff up on the driveway. Four houses down

from mine. I finished the 9 miler then walked down to cool off and

see what old books, etc., they had. In the grass was the Nishiki.

I straddled it and it was a perfect fit. The tires were rotted but

I was able to get some air into the tires with the frame pump that

was on the bike. They let me ride it so I went back to my

house and called the bike shop where I go and asked about 6 speed

parts availability. No problem. Then took the old busted pedals off

(with clips) and put on some Ritchey clipless pedals I had to make

sure they fitted also. No problem. I paid what they asked; no

haggling.

It was better that I got this bike than someone else. In all likelyhood,

they would not have done much at all with it. I can really appreciate

it. Plus it will be cool to drop roadies riding all the new stuff with

this old 23 lb. bike. Will replace all cables, clean and lube and adjust

the head and cranksets, replace the chain and the freewheel (if

it needs it; might also buy one of those Shimano 6 speeds with

the mega granny gear, 34 tooth for the mountain stuff). Will have

to bring the wheels in because I can’t get them true. I can get the

lateral ok but not the out-of round out.

Other than Schwin Collegiate and Varsity bikes that I had as a kid,

this is the only steel road bike that I have. My race bike is an

aluminum QR Kilo so that is what I have ridden since 1999 (about

20000 miles). Now I know what they say when they talk about

the ride qualities of a steel frame. Especially with those big 27

inch wheels.

good luck training and racing

9

cool

Bought mine about 15 years ago, crashed it about ten years ago when the bootom bracket broke and I went head over (helmets work). LBS rebuilt it on a steel trek frame. gave it to a friend last year, e never rode it, this spring we dug it out of his shed, cleaned it up, bought used Shimano look style pedals on ebay. Yesterday was the first real ride. I just went out to see how it felt and ended up going about 25 miles. Funny thing is, I just got an Arione saddle and my tri bike had a flat, so I changed the saddle and went out to see how the saddle felt. Like I said before, everything works fine. so now I have a Titanium Saber and a an old Trek/Nishiki/suntour beater - hey, the thing still works, why not?