Clearance/chain length issues

About 95% there on the Grubb/Holdsworth track bike...
Problem I have now is that the new 27" inch wheels I've had made up are hitting the brake bridge when I attempt to get the chain onto the chainring... The logical thing to do is get a few more links on the chain so the wheel sits further back in the track ends then, voila! Enough clearance... Does that sound right?
It's 48:17 so the gearing is taking up a lot of chain... It had 700c wheels (tho' it's built to take 27" wheels) and a 15t sprocket when I bought it so there wasn't a clearance issue to begin with...
Once I've sorted this out and stuck on the long reach caliper I'm getting from Kiwi Cycles Paul I'll be ready to roll... Wanna try and get it all sorted today!

try a half link if you want to keep your clearance tight.

Sounds obvious - but does deflating the tyres help?

Otherwise a link / halflink would definately sort you out - ( Condor for halflinks supply in London )

'Todays the day' - I know that feeling!

how comes you're installing a rear brake, though?

I deflated the tyres to get the wheel on in the first place but you wouldn't able to pump the tyres up cuz the wheel gets jammed into the brake bridge and seat post... Someone's cut the track ends down at some point (imagine this happened when they started using 700c wheels) so I'm almost gonna be fallling out of the track ends... Should be OK but it's gonna be bloody tight... Clearance on the brake bridge is a coupla mill...
Think an extra link (or two) is the only solution...
BTW Brake's for the front... ;)

How about slimmer tyres? Or do <1" tyres not exist for 27" wheels?

it seems you will have to go for an extra link or half-link or change the gearing. putting an 18T on the back will mean the wheel will sit about 3mm further back in the dropout. as Tommy said the half-link will probably work nicely if you still want to keep the clearance nice and tight.

diki's bike need a chain tool to get the rear wheel on and off so your not hte only one with alkward dropouts!

Smallest I could find were 27 x 1 1/4 Gatorskins... They look like Moon boots, bit mad but I like 'em...
Next problem's gonna be finding a chain tug that'll fit onto the cut down track ends... Just tried my MKS fat tug, it fits the track end but sits too far into the dropout even at its tightest, my flatmates spare cheapo plastic one sits far enough out but won't sit on the track end... Ho-hum, I'm sure I'll find something that'll work...

Why not just use 700c? then you'll have no problems. Ride Brakeless, or change the front fork for a cheap chrome fork, or get a longer brake caliper for the front

jon, you'll be convinced once you've seen the frame that 27" is the way to go. it is really rather quite a strange one!