>>1476406Do you skid on both legs? Should be two, then. Mostly depends on how often you skid.
48-16 is a pretty middling gear, even for a hilly area. So don't be afraid of lo it to get really even tire wear. I ran 46-15 in Appalachia for a few years on 32's, which was about 83 gear inches.
On 25's you're sitting at 79 gear inches, so moving your chainring up to a 49 (81gi) or a 51(84.4gi) wouldn't be the end of the world.
>>1471550This
>>1473020 guy is probably wrong. The difference between a 700c and a 27" fork isn't much at all. Your caliper would reach.
After all the difference between the heights of the two rims is 8mm.
But, putting a 700c rim on it might change the steering feel a bit. Might steepen the head angle by a degree or two and increase the rake some.
