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Bad idea for wheels for 28 in bike on the cheap?

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cbustapeck

Wore out three sets of tires already!
Fair warning: I'm always trying to find thrifty ways to do interesting things. Often this leads to weird ideas, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

So, I'm kind of new to this - as in, I don't think I've ever physically laid my hands on a 28 in. wheel bike - but I have definitely played around a good bit with 1940s and newer bikes.

It seems like some decent 28 in. project bikes are available at very reasonable prices, but that buying wheels and tires would more than double the cost of the whole project. I just cannot justify spending that much.

So, a bad idea came to mind. Note: I'm not asking if this is a good idea, and I know that the wheels won't fill out the space, so they will look a bit weird. I'm only asking if there is any reason why it would not work.

The idea: Find a cheap pair of 27" road bike wheels with a coaster brake. Take an angle grinder and remove every other sprocket, and file down as needed. Use resulting wheels.

I'm just asking if there is some reason why this won't physically work.

Thanks,
Christopher
 
A few differences, but it can work.
The 28, 622mm (700) versus 27, 630mm; the 28’s can be found in greater widths such as 1.6” or 42mm; (27’s are usually 1+1/4”). The overall diameter difference of 1/2” on each side is cosmetic.
Skip tooth rear sprockets are available in 9 and 11 tooth, that are compatible for many more-modern hubs; (saving the laborious effort).
Also, why not just ride that other 27” bike as-is.
 
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Fair warning: I'm always trying to find thrifty ways to do interesting things. Often this leads to weird ideas, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

So, I'm kind of new to this - as in, I don't think I've ever physically laid my hands on a 28 in. wheel bike - but I have definitely played around a good bit with 1940s and newer bikes.

It seems like some decent 28 in. project bikes are available at very reasonable prices, but that buying wheels and tires would more than double the cost of the whole project. I just cannot justify spending that much.

So, a bad idea came to mind. Note: I'm not asking if this is a good idea, and I know that the wheels won't fill out the space, so they will look a bit weird. I'm only asking if there is any reason why it would not work.

The idea: Find a cheap pair of 27" road bike wheels with a coaster brake. Take an angle grinder and remove every other sprocket, and file down as needed. Use resulting wheels.

I'm just asking if there is some reason why this won't physically work.

Thanks,
Christopher
Hi Chris - grinding down every other tooth might work but...... It would kill the skiptooth chain because the teeth on the cog are not wide enough for the chain. There's a cog from ichibike that can be swapped out on most modern coaster brake hubs but they need filed down before using. They can be an economical solution..... If you can find a larger coaster brake wheel. I couldn't so I laced and had a buddy build a old hub to a modern 36 spoke wheel.
 
A few differences, but it can work.
The 28, 622mm (700) versus 27, 630mm; the 28’s can be found in greater widths such as 1.6” or 42mm; (27’s are usually 1+1/4”). The overall diameter difference of 1/2” on each side is cosmetic.
Skip tooth rear sprockets are available in 9 and 11 tooth, that are compatible for many more-modern hubs; (saving the laborious effort).
Also, why not just ride that other 27” bike as-is.

Thank you so much. As for your last question, 27" bikes from the 1970s and 80s are available for (almost) a dime a dozen, and the prospect of getting an early bike back on the road is exciting. Point taken.
 
Hi Chris - grinding down every other tooth might work but...... It would kill the skiptooth chain because the teeth on the cog are not wide enough for the chain. There's a cog from ichibike that can be swapped out on most modern coaster brake hubs but they need filed down before using. They can be an economical solution..... If you can find a larger coaster brake wheel. I couldn't so I laced and had a buddy build a old hub to a modern 36 spoke wheel.
So there is a good reason. Thank you!
 
What I do:
Buy a pr of old Raleigh 28's (28 x 1.5") lace up a skip hub and yer done. If you are interested, I have a set of 6-7 condition chrome and true skip Raleighs I'd sell.....
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What I do:
Buy a pr of old Raleigh 28's (28 x 1.5") lace up a skip hub and yer done. If you are interested, I have a set of 6-7 condition chrome and true skip Raleighs I'd sell.....
Thank you for that offer. I'm not looking right at the moment. I saw the bike that @tech549 just listed for $125 and it made me start thinking about what it would take to make it happen. It's definitely something I want to do, just not right at the moment.

Again, thanks.
 
28" wheels are great. I'm sure some folks have given up balloon bikes altogether after riding them. If you do end up building one i suggest building a higher gear bike (big chain ring and 9 tooth rear cog) for flying down the road on flat rides.
 
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