RoadBlock

Many of you recognize the fact that my Fuji Touring bike was built for 27" wheels.  Of course, I wish to convert it to 700c.  I've done this with dozens, maybe hundreds, of old road bikes throughout the years.  Some have been a straight swap of the wheels, adjustment of the brake pads and ride away-type conversions.

Others have involved various levels of modification to the brakes, or frames.  Most have not involved cantilever brakes.

The last touring bikes I got ahold of and converted to 700c were a couple of Panasonics.  Luckily, the cantilevers were mounted in a spot on the frame and fork which allowed the smaller wheels to be run with a minimum of adjustment.

You probably have figured out, by this point, that this is not the case with the Fuji.

Here is a close-up shot of the new brakes and new wheels on the bike:

At the lowest setting of the pad, it hits the tire.  So, it would seem that the pad needs to be lower.

With that in mind, I clamped the brake arm into the drill-press, and punched a lower hole to mount the pad.  (So much for any warranty...)

Unfortunately, even with the lower position, the pad still hits the tire.  The cantilever mount on the fork (and the frame, on the rear) is too close for the brake to swing through a decent arc, with these rims.

Since I can't move the pivot outward, I decided to try a narrower rim.  These rims are 25.4mm wide; a full inch.  I really wanted to use them, since the burly cross-section makes me feel more comfortable on mixed-terrain rides.

I have a set of wheels with 19mm Wolber rims on them, and they seem to work, though just barely.

As much as I love the look of these brakes, I may have to try something else.  Even with the narrower rims, they are barely useable, and the fit certainly doesn't leave much room for knocking a rim out of true, or out of round, on a rough ride.

Stay tuned.

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