geeyoff

Hi. I've got an old junker road bike whose rims don't have any measurements listed. The old-n-busted tire is labeled as 700x25, but my new 700x25 is a bit too small to fit around the rim (and not as narrow as the old-n-busted tire), so I'm gonna try a 27" tire. I've been calling around looking for a 27x1" tire, and a guy at one LBS told me that the bead width (when it comes to 27" tires) doesn't mean much. Specifically, he said that the 27x1-1/4" tire that he has in stock is about as narrow as what I'd find a 27x1" tire to be.

Is he correct, or is he mistaken/trying to make the sale?

Thanks.

Bill Kapaun

27" tires have a 630MM rim
700C have a 622MM rim.
Learn how to install tires.

geeyoff

I don't understand how I should read your response... Are you being snarky? I mean, I *am* trying to learn. That's why I'm here.

Or am I misreading your attempt to help? (If the latter, my apologies. If the former, why so snarky?) Since my 700c tire was too small to fit around this mystery-sized rim, I figured that maybe a 27" tire would. Anyway, my question still stands -- are 27x1-1/4" tires ever manufactured to be the same width at 27x1" tires?

coweater

27 x [7/8, 1, 1 1/8, 1 1/4] should all work on the same rim size although you shouldn't mount tires that are thinner than your rim width.
I think you may just have a slightly large rim/small tire if you're having trouble mounting it. Take a look at Sheldon's article on measuring rim sizes at https://www.sheldonbrown.com/rim-sizing.html to double check.

svidrod

i think he is trying to say that it should fit, and you just need a little more elbow grease, try this: https://kalecoauto.com/index.php?main...products_id=32

tellyho

+1. For whatever reason, some tire / rim combos are tight. Use a little dish soap and your tire levers. be careful not to pinch the tube. You DON'T want a 27" tire.

Bill Kapaun

Maybe a bit of both? Sorry, I didn't mean to come across like that.
27" & 700C tires can be pretty tough if you don't have experience changing tires.
They are however, TOTALLY different sizes. Enough "different that a 700C wouldn't fit on a 27" rim without tearing it. 8MM difference is about .32" in diameter or about 1" different in circumference.
Installing a 27" on a 700C rim just isn't going to work. It'll "blow off" when you pump it up, IF you get that far.
My point was that a 27" tire (no matter what the thickness) is the wrong tire. The bead seat diameter is the same on ALL 27" tires (630MM). ALL 700C tires have a bead seat diameter of 622MM.

greyghost_6

I would invest a couple dollars in metal tire levers and get that hard to get 700c tire on there! I had some tires that just were impossible to get on and off, so i got metal levers since they were thinner and wouldn't snap (much) if I plyed too hard. The 700 is correct.

alicestrong

If the old tire is a 700 then most likely that is the correct size.

I know, I know...some tires are SO tight that last bit seems impossible but persevere...take a break if it gets too frustrating then go back to it.

geeyoff

Ok, I'll persevere with the 700C... but it's starting to seem a little ridiculous how difficult it's been to get it all the way on. I've watched some internet "how-to" videos, and I swear, I'm having a much tougher time than those people in the videos have. It's gotta be at least *partly* because the tire is wicked tight.

Anyway, thanks for your help, everybody.

Bill Kapaun

"I'm having a much tougher time than those people in the videos have."

You think maybe they had some practice?
It's like the DIY programs on TV. You don't see it when things go wrong!

When things start to tighten up, go around the rim with your thumb & index finger, squeezing the tire on its sides (near the beads) toward the center of the rim.

top506

"wicked tight"? You from New England?
As others have pointed out, some tires go on hard. REAL hard. Leaving it out in the sun for an hour or so might help. DON'T put it in the dryer!
Top

mike

You can use a 27" X 1" tire on a 27" X 1.25" rim and visa versa.

mike

If you decide to use the 700 cm wheel, you can ask the LBS to help you get it on.

Remember that you need to put one side of the tire on at a time. I have seen some newbies start with both sides of the tire on the rim at one time, then continue. This is a very difficult, if not impossible, way to do it.

geeyoff

Is it obvious?? Yeah, you know, since moving to Chicago, everybody out here seems to do a double-take whenever I say "wicked." :-)
Anyway, I've spent some more time sweating and cursing with this thing. Still no luck. Gonna try the dish soap idea.

alicestrong

Don't put too much air in the tube at first either...

Hey your tube is the right size, correct?

FS32246

The guy atthe shop was not being helpful to you. Look at sheldon brown's website for guidance.
Good luck everyone changing tires!

Positivity!

corrado33

A 700c tire will NEVER fit on a 27" rim. Ever. So if there was a 700c tire on the rim, it's a 700c rim. In fact, that's how we check to see if a rim is a 27 or 700c, we try mounting a typically easy to mount 700c tire to it.

Like people said above, sometimes tires are hard to mount. Keep at it, you'll find it.

ExpertTools

One should NOT need tire levers to get a tire on a rim. While it might make it easier, it can dramatically increase your odds of ruining the tube.


When I was a kid, I used to always go to the LBS and watch the mechanic fix my bike. By the time I was 12, I could do pretty much any bike repair myself; just from watching. I had little choice; my dad refused to continue to pay for the constant damage I did to my bike. Pay your LBS to change the tire and tell them you want to watch; this is one technique you MUST have, so you can fix a flat on the road so you don't get stranded. If you can't get the tire on, something is wrong with your technique. There are other options to learn of course; there are classes run by Co-Ops and tons of on-line videos and books. Even professional bike mechanics courses. Or just find a friend who knows, and watch.


Or just give up and take the bike to your LBS and let them fix it. Get a AAA card for when you get a flat on the road, (AAA does cover your bike!)

dedhed

Until you're old and worn out and lose finger strength. I've found certain rim/tire combinations can be very difficult. Wire bead heavily flat protected tires in particular. I always have a hard time with the Gatorskins on my open pros, especially when new. Schwalbe Marathon + are notorious for difficulty mounting. Can you imagine doing this on the side of the road in the rain.

hueyhoolihan

first things first. find the size of the rim.

if the old tire was indeed on the rim and you could get it off without destroying it, then most likely the rim is a 700c (622mm in diameter). if the bead had been destroyed and was on the rim, or had to be destroyed, or was destroyed while getting it off the rim, the rim may very well be a 27" (630mm in diameter) rim. i would beg borrow a wheel that is known to be one or the other and compare it, side by side. the 27" wheel, without tire, will sit about 7mm higher off the ground than a 700c wheel.

a pic of the bike (or age, or make, or model) would be of immense help here.

and BTW, if it turns out that it is, indeed, a 27" tire, these days, a 27x1 1/4 is readily available online, but there is only one tire, that i know of, that is available in a 27x1 size and that is made by Panaracer.

one would think that if the tire was on the rim, as mentioned, the rim is a 700c rim, but i've seen people that destroyed a tire bead while attempting to get a 700c tire on a 27" rim. they even thought that they had succeeded, but, in reality, they had simply destroyed the tire in the process.

JonathanGennick 

I hope in the 10 years since the original post, that the OP has been able to mount his tire.

cb400bill

We are going to put this 10 year old thread to bed.