My contribution to this discussion follows Tom's last submission.
This happened in 1982 - I had gone to the UK following a summer's dig in Italy and was to take possession of my new Ilkeston frameset which had been shipped to relatives in Wales. In preparation for this I had taken with me my old Raleigh - complete with a mixture of upgraded parts (included NR and DA bits and pieces). The idea would be that I would shift the parts on to the new frame and leave the old one behind. When I arrived in Wales the boxed frame was waiting for me - over the next day or so I shifted the parts wheelset etc. from one to the other and decided to give it a spin on some very hilly roads. As I got out of town I wondered why the beast was so hard to pedal - even in lowest gears. I checked to make sure that brakepads weren't rubbing - they weren't but the bike was still amazingly sluggish. It was only after I had gone another half mile or so I began to hear a rubbing sound. I got off the bike and spun the back wheel to find that the tire was catching on the rear brake arch! Stupid burk - in my excitement I had not accounted for a frameset built for 700c wheels and had put my old 27" wheelset on a frame with limited clearance at the best of times. It was a peculiar old ride back to my digs! Never made that mistake again. Went out and had a new 700c wheelset put together for me using NR hubs purchased a month before in Milano. Still have both bike and wheelset.
Paul Williams, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Paul B. Williams, MPhil (Wales), PhD (Queen's) 70 Viscount Ave., Ottawa, On, K1Z 7M9 ph: 613-761-3867 e-mail: castell5@sympatico.ca