Bicicletta89

I have a 1970s Fuji Gran Tourer. It came with Specialized All Condition blackwalls at 27 x 1 1/4", which are fairly chunky. I prefer the look of skinwall tires and want to get some. I'd also like to get narrower tires for aesthetics, greater fender clearance (which is currently very narrow), and speed. I use the bike for commuting, general transport, and exercise, riding exclusively on paved roads so I'm guessing comfort won't be too much of a problem with narrower tires. I see a lot of other vintage bikes around sporting skinwalls with a significantly narrower profile.

My wheels can take 27 x 1", but is that too narrow? On the other hand, is 27 x 1 1/8" enough of a difference to get more clearance? I weigh 160 pounds if that matters.

This is my first road bike and I'm just learning all this stuff. Any thoughts or recommendations appreciated. Thanks for your help.

ryansu

Panaracer Pasales are available in both 27 x 1 and 27 x 1 1/8 I personally like a wider tire on my touring bike and go with the Sand Canyon 27 1 3/8 but to each their own. Try the 27 1 1/8 and see who you like it.

Cougrrcj

I've been running 27x1-1/8 tires on my S-10S since 1976. In the years since, my weight has gone from 135 pounds to - um - close to 100kg (nice save, eh? ) depending on the beer intake... The old Fuji has been relegated to second-tier status as of late, but still rides on 27x1-1/8 as does the Univega Viva Sport but my Univega Gran Tourismo rides on 27x1-1/4. All of those 27"-tire bikes have Panaracer Pacela TG tan walls in their various widths....

My primary bike these days rides on 700c wheels and 25mm Front / 28mm Rear tires. 28mm is roughly equivalent to 1-1/8". But you might ask why a narrower front tire? Not enough fork bridge clearance for that mid-80s bike! A 28 had < maybe > 1mm clearance. so close that grass clippings blown into the street would bunch up at the fork crown and act like a brake!!

zukahn1 

If you want to go thinner I would agree the Paseles are likely you best choice right now Walmart has about the best price with fast free shipping.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Panaracer...Tire/148372181

top506

I run the 27x1 1/8th" Pasalas on 4 different bikes in the fleet. Love 'em.

Top

branko_76 

Keep in mind that manufacturers claimed widths are not always consistent with reality. You'll need a forum member who actaully has a pair of 27" tires inflated on their bike to measure them for you.

If you have a local bike shop, ask them to order the tires for you. You'll pay a little more but we all need to do our part supporting them. If you don't have a LBS nearby, then buy them from an online BIKE SHOP.

branko_76 

Bicicletta89 , do you have a pair of calipers to measure the width tires you currently have?

Here are some 27" tires from an online BIKE SHOP that I have ordered from in the past....

https://www.benscycle.com/wheel-good...8-25914/search

Bicicletta89

Will a 27x1 be significantly less comfortable than 27x1 1/4?

The Golden Boy 

There's a point to where you support a local shop- there's another point where ordering from a shop is fully DOUBLE what your online price would be.

T-Mar

These days, the trend among C&V members is to fit the widest possible tyre. It certainly makes sense for commuting, when the wider tyres can be run with slightly slight pressure, making them more comfortable over rough city pavement and also making them less susceptible to flats.

A lot of comfort has to do with the tyre construction. It's possible to have a thinner more comfortable than a wider tyre. but generally narrower tyres aren't as supple. It's impossible to say to how much you would notice the difference going to a different width, even with the same brand and model, as everyone has a different degree of sensitivity. Some would not notice a difference, while some would find it significant..

Your tyres may look fat now but they were probably narrower when new. Tyres tend to grow in girth as they age, due to relaxation of the cords in the casing. The amount will vary with the tyre, with lower cord count tyres typically growing more.

Tyre preference is very personal and a matter of experience. Many members will go through dozens of different tyres before they find one that they really like. A tyre that is like a fine wine to one cyclist, can be like vinegar to another cyclist..

SurferRosa

I prefer a 25mm tire for road use. To me, it's "more comfortable" than going wider.

Edit: saw your wide rims in one of the other threads you started. I wouldn't go more narrow than 1 1/8" on those.

dddd

branko 76 makes a good point about actual (mounted) tire width. Do you have a caliper to measure your existing mounted tires?

I use the Pasela 1" tires on my Pro-Tour for all riding, even rough off-roading. I finally replaced my rear tire after 8 months of abuse.

The 1" Paselas measure 26.4mm wide on my fairly wide old Araya 27" rims. Their comfort depends on the inflation pressure but I run 75psi for my 145# weight.
A 1" Pasela seems to measure about as wide as most other brands of 1-1/8" tires, and the 1-1/4" Pasela is huge, easily bigger than most 1-3/8" tires.

These tires give the bike a sporting feel, not mushy or draggy feeling. The Pasela rubber doesn't feel nearly as sticky as the Continental tires I've used, but these tires were bought in bulk almost ten years ago on clearance.
Pasela tires with the puncture protection are very effective at reducing puncture, the belt is fairly thick and wide. and sits below the two overlapping outer plies. As such, it displaces some of the rubber thickness since it's coming out of the same mold as the standard Pasela tires.

branko_76 

Yes, there are many variables that contribute to the comfort of a bike's ride. I prefer narrower tires and a frame with a tighter geometry. I also mostly ride in the city where the pavement is not always smooth and most side streets have speed bumps. If you combine all of those aspects, you would think that my bike under those conditions would be a miserable ride but it's not. For me the most important factor in a bike's "comfort" is the frame and positioning of the handlebars and saddle. The second most important would be the tires, not the size but the design and material. I've been using Continental Ultra-Sport 1" and 1-1/8" for about 15 years or so. They are reasonably priced, as well as look and feel good on my road bikes. For commuting, I have a pair of Continental Super-Sport which have a thicker tread than the Ultra-Sports for flat prevention and as such, gives a slightly bumpier ride, but my commuter has a longer wheelbase and I don't ride it long distances.

I buy maybe, at the most, 2 sets of tires a year. Spending an extra $20-$30 for a set of tires at a BIKE SHOP (online or local) per year does not seem like a big deal.



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Bicicletta89

How do you all feel about Kenda K35?

branko_76 

If you have to have a "gum-wall" type tire, go with the Panaracer Pasela

https://www.biketiresdirect.com/prod...d-tire-27-inch

My guess is that the Kenda's will be slightly bigger than what is specified.




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Bicicletta89

Thanks for the helpful rundown. I'm guessing the 27x1" standard Paselas are a little more supple than their protite or folding counterparts? And cheaper too! The wire bead ones seem to be significantly cheaper than the folding tires...I'm guessing for commuting/exercise, transportation, and pleasure riding usually under 20 miles on a trip wire vs folding won't make a huge difference?

Phil_gretz

Awful tire. I had to match an existing rear wheel on a Motobecane Grand Jubile (with Vitus 192 tubeset). I hand built the front wheel and found a Kenda K35 (whitewall) to match the existing tire. What a mistake. The ride was dead feeling and utterly uninspiring. Ugh. I sold the bike as a result. So, for want of a decent road tire, a bike was lost.

Your initial premise may be wrong. A narrower tire will be not be faster. But a more supple tire will ride better. If you can "barely" fit your 1 1/4" tire, but they do fit, then run those. Get decent tires, Pasela or better.

Bicicletta89

I see. Thank you. That makes a lot of sense. I’m currently running Specialized All Condition tires which, while great for puncture resistance, have the charm and suppleness of tank treads. I ride entirely on paved roads that are in decent shape. Even when I do encounter potholes I’m never going so fast that I can’t dodge them in time. I’m going to pick up some regular Paselas, probably 27x1 or 1 1/8

tricky 

Post pics! Before and after if you've got 'em. 2 reasons, 1. we are gluttons for pictures and would like to see some drive-side whole bike shots of your vintage ride and 2. pics of clearance you have with fenders will give future users with the same bike an idea on the clearance with both sizes of tires.

Bicicletta89

Sure thing! All the pics on here have really helped me learn and make better choices so I totally get what you mean.

Salamandrine 

FWIW my 28c Paselas actually measure 26.5mm. That's on an M13II rim. An example of one is hardly enough to make a deduction from, but it might be guessed that Panaracer Paselas run a little small. Therefore, if you're not sure if you should go with 27x1 or 27 x 1 1/8", the 1 1/8" may be a better bet. Also, 1 1/8" tires will generally fit OK on both narrow and wide road rims. If you have wider touring rims, 1" tire fit is going to be less than ideal.

Bicicletta89

Ended up going with 27x1. The folks at VO said the rims should be fine for 1” so we’ll. I’ll post back with results but good to know about your experience.

Bicicletta89

Thanks for the very helpful advice, everyone! I had a bit of a wait to get them due to high demand but I went with the 27x1 1/8 Pasela standard tires. My bike feels exponential faster now...I had no idea it would make such a huge difference. The old Specialized All Condition tires were massively heavy, inflexible, and slow—tank treads by comparison. The narrow nimble skinwall paselas look much better too. Bike is currently in pieces all over my floor while I’m overhauling the drivetrain but will post pics when it’s all in one spiffy piece again.

pcb 

One thing to keep in mind about folks relating their experience with Paselas is that these tires have been in production for a loooong time, and there was a time, not so long ago, when they were notoriously under-sized/over-labeled, meaning tires labeled 28mm were barely 25mm wide, 32s were barely 28mm, etc. Today they seem much more accurate, so if you're buying new the sizing should be pretty reliable. If you're looking at older tires, buying somebody's clean/unused Paselas from 10yrs back, there's a good chance they'll be narrower than labeled. I've got some 28s hiding in a corner of my garage that are stupidly narrow. I know OP already bought his, just putting this out for info purposes.

And rim width matters as well, especially when you're constricted by fender width/height, with tires ending up wider on wider rims.

Lastly, what current science seems to be telling us is that, in general, narrower tires at higher pressures _feel_ faster, but wider tires at lower pressures can actually _be_ faster. The wider tire choice is usually going to feel more comfortable as well. Not everybody finds that to be true in their own lives/use, and it could be a pendulum that's going to swing back towards narrower tires in the future, but it is a fact that even at the pro racing level tire widths are increasing. It's a relative thing that's conditional, based on needs and ride surfaces, and there are diminishing returns in term of ultimate speed. Just another one of those "common sense" things, narrower/higher pressure = faster, that may not be entirely true.

pcb 

Not to get too deep into the weeds here, but in this case Walmart is acting much like Amazon is with a lot of their offerings---Walmart doesn't stock these tires, isn't shipping them from their own warehouse. They are acting as an ordering portal for other vendors, in this case Bell's Bike Shop, says so at the bottom of the listing. Bell's is a genuine brick-n-mortar bicycle retailer. So Bell's is getting most of the money, and is fulfilling the order themselves. Walmart.com "sells" tons of items they never warehouse or touch.

If you want Bell's to get more of that money, you can check whether Bell's is selling these tires for the same/similar price direct themselves.

And just to show how complex our retail world is today, just because Bell's is fulfilling the order doesn't mean they're stocking the tires themselves, either. They could be taking the order but drawing off of Quality Bicycle Products or J&B or some other wholesaler's inventory. Consumers can't buy direct from these wholesalers, so through an LBS is the only way to get the stuff, but just sayin' that just because Bell's is an LBS, no longer means the stuff they sell/ship is sitting in their basement waiting for buyers. Their wholesalers give them a lot of depth/reach, but the LBS also live in fear of their wholesalers deciding to go consumer-direct, cutting the LBS out of the revenue stream.