Macdian

Ha! So in my haste to get my Olmo finished and ready to go, I bought some of the Conti vintage tires from Amazon which seemed great. As a total noob to vintage bikes, had no idea that my rims could possibly 27", not 700c.

Realized it pretty quickly when I couldn't get the tires on no matter how hard I tried!!

Guess I'll just have to repaint one of the new bikes into a cool vintage colour!

USAZorro

No worries. Truth be told, many of us have had "learning curve" issues on occasion.

Maybe someone would be willing to trade something you could use for your tires. At any rate, tires are a lot less expensive than a quality repaint.

Macdian

Good point on the trade idea. Will see about posting them.

Unca_Sam

FYI, If you have a co op nearby, they likely have a surfeit of 27" tires from donated 10 speeds. My local co op sells all used tires for $5 a piece (we have many) I bought a pair of 27" continental's for my father in law there which were sadly blackwall. Use your google to see if there's one near you, and see if you can pick up a pair of older 27" folding bead tires for cheap. Just make sure the rubber isn't cracking and you'll be set!

sloar 

Wait till you try to put a 26" tire on a 26" Schwinn wheel. Before the internet and I had no idea why it wouldn't fit. Finally an old timer filled me in on the ridiculous Schwinn wheel size.

SurferRosa

Wait till you try to mount a 700c folder on an Ambrosio Extra Elite 700c rim! Talk about impossible!

Salamandrine 

You're not an idiot. I can't imagine why an Olmo would have 27" wheels on it, unless it was a flipped bike and the seller had some. Generally speaking, Olmos were an 80s thing. I don't think I ever saw one from the bike boom era (70s) when 27" was king. Most if not all Olmos sold in the states were mid to upper level race bikes - more mid/junior level really. They would have been equipped with sew ups, or maybe 700c if clinchers.

clubman 

Maybe that's the case here?

SurferRosa

Yeah, I don't think those Ambrosio labels show rim size. I remember a friend of mine with a ton of c&v experience also thought they might be 27" rims after having such a difficult time with them. Even with a tire bead jack, the job can make you question your existence.

​​​​​​​I came across some of those rims recently on a bike I was going to flip. They had good tires on them, but the tire labels weren't centered over the valve stems. It really bothered me, but I knew if I tried to fix the error, I might be in for it. I finally gave in to my OCD and fixed them using two or three tire levers. It wasn't too horrible. Fortunately, the tires were steel beaded...

clubman 

You know something's awry when you need tire levers to get your rubber both off and on the rims.
Gotta say, the coated Elite Extra's make bomb proof wheels.
Hey OP, what rims do you have? As mentioned, 27's wouldn't likely be original so maybe you should treat yourself to some 700's. Baby needs new shoes!

Miele Man

Even better; wait until you try to get a Michelin Hi-Lite Pro Slick folding tire OFF one of those Ambrosio Extra Elite 700C rims when you've punctured in the rain and can't get a ride. Oh, I remeber those days all too well.

Cheers

Brad L 

It could be worse. A friend built up his Raleigh International and laced up some 27" rims on his Record hubs. He swore he remembered Internationals had 27" rims, despite my comments to the contrary. Now he finds he can't remove the rear wheel without letting the air out as the tire hits the chainstay bridge.

KenNC

Just went through some major agony mounting new folding 700c tires on older rims. Only afterwards came across the KOOL STOP TIRE JACK which I promptly ordered in and am looking forward to using......

Hudson308 

Hmmmm.... haven't seen those before.

drpaddle

Lots of Olmos came to San Diego in the late '50s and early '60s, along with Ideors, Legnanos, and other Italian machines. They were nice frames with Campy tips, Gran Sport derailleurs, Universal brakes, Magistroni cranks. Predated the bike boom of the '70s. Most had sew-ups, but 27" versions were made for the American market.

Miele Man

Uh, what do you plan to do if you get a flat on the road and nee to remove that tire? I broke tire levers trying to get a too tight tire off the rim when I had punctured on a ride. Fortunately I was able to finally get enough of the tube out to repair it and ride home but it was a chore and I had to buy new tire levers the next day. One of the broken tire levers was on my VAR set with the tire jack. Bummer that. I still use the tire jack portion on some tire/tube combinations I fis for other people.

Cheers

Road Fan

If the rear wheel is too big to remove easily, I'd say get some 700c rims on those hubs.

Salamandrine 

Thanks for the information. That's an interesting factoid. It seems like a lot of importation BITD was sort of local, and a brand might be common in one area but rare in another.

I guess the takeaway is that there were in fact Olmos made for the American market with 27" wheels.

randyjawa 

Truly!

jdawginsc 

A few small design flaws, but very effective overall.

Jeff Wills

I managed to do that with with a big motorcycle tire iron. It didn't seat, of course, and taught me that lesson. The non-Schwinn tire had to be cut off the wheel. I guess I impressed the mechanic- he offered me a job when I was old enough.

When I was working at that shop a couple years later I learned about 27" and 700C. That was during the transitional period where we had identical tires in both 27" and 700C. I put a new tire on a bike, inflated it, and it blew off the rim within seconds. My ears were ringing for the rest of the day.

Some lessons have to be re-learned every once in a while.