burtd

Hello,

I've had my Trek 1100 in storage for years and the front tire is pretty shredded. The back tire is a Continental Ultra 3000. I don't see any label on the front tire. I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to ordering new tires. (I'm used to going to a store and somebody tells me what I need, which I cannot do with coronavirus closures.) I'd like road tires and I'm thinking I might as well replace both front and back tires.

How do I make sure I'm getting the right tires for my bicycle?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Burt

Bill Kapaun

You likely have 622x ??mm tires. Likely around 25mm? 622-23, 622-25, 622-28.....
Just pick a brand/model with the same size.

Andrew R Stewart 

I suspect you have 700x23c or 25c sized tires. Usually there's a size "label" molded into the tire's side or bear area. With my aging eyes I need a flashlight sometimes.to discern this. But know that this size is not always the actually mounted and sired up measured width. Years ago many tire brands would label a tire wider then it really was, this way they could say their 25c tire was lighter then the competition. .

Before you buy tires, and match the same size, you might want to find out how big a tire will fit. It's finally common knowledge why and fashion to run wider tires then 20 years ago. If you can inflate the old tires, not fully but between soft and firm, you can check out the clearances between the tire and the frame/brakes. (It's opinion how much gap you want in real life but 4-6mm is pretty common minimum suggested). How much do you have? Now measure how wide the tires are.

It's hard to get bad tires these days. I like Conti, Bontrager (yes I tasted that KoolAid, but I never swallowed), Michelin, Panaracer and others. I also like the more flat protected models but stop at really stiff sidewalls. I suggest you get both tubes and rim strips as both are as old as the tires are.

A note about the rest of the bike. Besides the usual bike clean up and lube stuff spray/dribble oil into the shift levers. The Shimano STI levers your bike has are well known for the old lube becoming gummy and causing the ratchet pawls to not work. There's likely dozens of on line vids about this and this forum has spent way too much time on this too. Andy

burtd

Hi Bill and Andy,

Thank you both for your responses. And sorry, I should have mentioned that there's a label on the back tire that says "Continental Ultra 3000 25-622 (700 x 25C)". Can I assume front and back are both 700 x 25C then? Or Andy is your point that the way they label sizes has changed?

(BTW, I tried to attach a photo with the label to my original post, but for some reason kept getting a message saying I'm not allowed to include a URL until I do 10 posts -- like this website doesn't know the difference between a photo and a URL -- and when I removed the photo I forgot to add the info from the label. Anyway, my apologies.)

Thanks,
Burt

Bagel Bob

I rode a 1989 Trek 1100 for several years. Nice frame made with the tubes bonded together rather than welded, as done in the aircraft industry. It was one of the first 3-chain-ring bikes with road racer geometry. The 1989 model came with egg shaped "bio-pace" chain rings and pretty much everyone swapped those out for round rings. You can run 700x25 tires for sure, that's what I ran on that bike. You could very probably fit 700x28's for a little more cushion and weight capacity at lower PSI. I'm 30 pounds heavier now than the last time I rode that bike, (almost 30 years ago), so I know I'd be trying the bigger 700x28's. Have fun with it, I loved mine.

Bill Kapaun

Front & back are typically the same size.
622mm is the BSD (bead seat diameter) and 25mm is the height. (most call it width)
So, 622 +25 +25= 672, which should be the "nominal" outside diameter of the tire.
622 is what to look for.
Older 27" tires were a 630mm BSD, so they would blow off your rims if used. Inner tubes may be marked for both though. (close enough)

Bagel Bob

Just noticed Andrew's post mentioning STI shifters. Unless your bike has been modified, you don't have those. I'm pretty sure all the 1100's came with good old down tube shifters, indexed for the rear and friction for the front.

MarcusT

Mine has STI. Its about year 2000. Did not see a model year on the OP, but still has the triple

burtd

Thanks everyone for the additional info. I think I got the bike in the early 90s.

So what's the downside (if any) to getting a couple extra mm to be on the safe side?

02Giant 

The downside is the potential the tire(s) could rub. If the current tires hold air, how much clearance is there in the front at the fork and the rear at the stays?
This link will help to identify the year of your Trek. The 1100 was made between 89-93
https://www.vintage-trek.com/model_numbers1.htm

grizzly59

700c x 25mm should work for both. Even better, you may be able to fit 700c x 28mm. I would want the fattest tire I could fit with proper clearance. Tire has to clear the frame/fork and inside the brakes. From some 1100 pics I just saw, you may have a real nice steel square crown fork with lots of beautiful clearance for something like 28mm's. I would say you don't want 23mm's. I have a 2200, sloping crown carbon fork, 25mm is the best I can do on the front.

burtd

Thanks everyone for the helpful info!

Cheers,
Burt

PureFix

The definition of an abortion. Shrader and Presta valve adapter