Back in the 1950s when I rode with a club in the UK as a teenager, I had never heard of a "700C" size rim. Lightweight bikes had 27" high pressure tires, and tubs were called 28" I think. I'm not sure, because I couldn't afford them. All I could hope for was to one day replace my 27" chrome wheels with Conloys or the like.
-- John Betmanis Woodstock, Ontario Canada
barrie carter wrote:
> If youve been following, Norris is from Scotland and I was referring to his comments. You must be young, when I was racing we only knew 27" wheels, hence my question.
> Barrie Roundham, Somerset UK
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: "billydavid13@comcast.net" <billydavid13@comcast.net>
> To: barrie carter <barriemgracer@yahoo.co.uk>
> Sent: Sun, 7 March, 2010 18:34:26
> Subject: Re: [CR] Short Reach Front, Long Reach Rear
>
>
> Hi again. No idea when, but it seems like tubulars have always been 700C [622mm bead seat]. The 27" rims have a 630mm bead seat so the difference is 8mm difference in rim diameter or 4mm in radius. I have never heard the term "Norris." Can you elaborate? Sincerely. Billy [seeking enlightenment] Ketchum; Chicago, IL; USA.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "barrie carter" <barriemgracer@yahoo.co.uk>
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Sent: Sunday, March 7, 2010 12:22:42 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
> Subject: Re: [CR] Short Reach Front, Long Reach Rear
>
> So when did the 700c wheel replace the 27" Norris, and how much is the difference.!
> Barrie Carter Roundham Crewkerne Uk
>
> ________________________________
> From: Norris Lockley <nlockley73@googlemail.com>
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Sent: Sat, 6 March, 2010 21:54:04
> Subject: [CR] Short Reach Front, Long Reach Rear
>
> Somewhere up in the lowlands of Southern Scotland is a 24" Bespoke of Settle
> Baines Gate-design frame. I made it in the mid-80s to the custom design of a
> close friend who never had much money, having been made redundant from his
> jobs as an engineering draaughtsman thirteen times in his working life.
> nevertheless he still wanted fancy lugs on his frames.
>
> Because he had to make-do-and-mend with his cycle parts his frames were
> always built to accommodate a variety of parts that he transferred from bike
> to bike. For this bike he specified that the frant and rear brake clearances
> would be different, and that he would a combination of Weinmann side-pull
> brakes. The dimensions he supplied on the drawing supplied were very precise
> with little or no room for manoeuvre.
>
> He explained that he required these odd clearances so that he could
> accommodate a choice of 27inch or 700 C wheels, with mudguards and alsohave
> the freedom of using gears or a fixed wheel - hence it was a polyvalent
> design.
>
> Having oredred the frame and I had built it, he lost his job once more and
> could not afford to buy it. Feeeling bad about the fix he had landed me in
> he said he would find a buyer..which he did quite quickly. Some months later
> I was called to the phone to answer a call from an irate customer who turned
> out to be the owner of this frame.
>
> The chap was very complimentary about my ability to copy Baines' famous
> design and even congratulated me on the finely fretted lugwork. However he
> went on to satate that none of this was any good if he could not find a set
> of brakes that would enable him to set the bike up correctly so that it
> could be ridden. He also recommended a certain brand of tape-measure to me.
> Fortunately I was able to send him a copy of the draughtman's drawing to
> guide him on his way. I still have that drawing on file just in case some
> fine evening I receive a phone call....
>
> I do not recall that it was common-place for builders in the UK in the 70s
> to build frames with the intention of using different lengths of brakes for
> front and rear, but I do remember that often when setting the rear brake
> bridge, the brake block might set slightly lower down the slot in the
> caliper just to make it slightly easier to accommodate a mudguard. And, of
> course, many Club-type riders did tend to ride both 27inch and 700C wheels.
>
> Norris Lockley
> Settle UK