diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/UriTemplate.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/UriTemplate.java
index 5fd93037..0ce8951b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/UriTemplate.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/hateoas/UriTemplate.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2014 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2014-2015 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -183,10 +183,11 @@ public class UriTemplate implements Iterable<TemplateVariable>, Serializable {
 			return URI.create(baseUri);
 		}
 
-		UriComponentsBuilder builder = UriComponentsBuilder.fromUriString(baseUri);
+		org.springframework.web.util.UriTemplate baseTemplate = new org.springframework.web.util.UriTemplate(baseUri);
+		UriComponentsBuilder builder = UriComponentsBuilder.fromUri(baseTemplate.expand(parameters));
 		Iterator<Object> iterator = Arrays.asList(parameters).iterator();
 
-		for (TemplateVariable variable : variables) {
+		for (TemplateVariable variable : getOptionalVariables()) {
 
 			Object value = iterator.hasNext() ? iterator.next() : null;
 			appendToBuilder(builder, variable, value);
@@ -208,9 +209,11 @@ public class UriTemplate implements Iterable<TemplateVariable>, Serializable {
 		}
 
 		Assert.notNull(parameters, "Parameters must not be null!");
-		UriComponentsBuilder builder = UriComponentsBuilder.fromUriString(baseUri);
 
-		for (TemplateVariable variable : variables) {
+		org.springframework.web.util.UriTemplate baseTemplate = new org.springframework.web.util.UriTemplate(baseUri);
+		UriComponentsBuilder builder = UriComponentsBuilder.fromUri(baseTemplate.expand(parameters));
+
+		for (TemplateVariable variable : getOptionalVariables()) {
 			appendToBuilder(builder, variable, parameters.get(variable.getName()));
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/UriTemplateUnitTest.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/UriTemplateUnitTest.java
index 4d3d809a..3de32feb 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/UriTemplateUnitTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/hateoas/UriTemplateUnitTest.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2014 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2014-2015 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -232,6 +232,16 @@ public class UriTemplateUnitTest {
 		assertThat(result.getVariableNames(), is(empty()));
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @see #271
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void expandASimplePathVariable() {
+
+		UriTemplate template = new UriTemplate("/foo/{id}");
+		assertThat(template.expand(2).toString(), is("/foo/2"));
+	}
+
 	private static void assertVariables(UriTemplate template, TemplateVariable... variables) {
 		assertVariables(template, Arrays.asList(variables));
 	}