smontanaro 

My wife's Motobecane Grand Touring mixte has 27-inch wheels. At the moment, it has a mismatched pair of tires. The rear is an old IRC Touring tire which states 32-630 but only measures 27mm inflated. The front has a Panaracer Pasela which has both "27x1-1/4" and 28-630 markings (weird - prototype narrow/wide???). It only measures 26mm wide. I have a new set of Paselas marked 27-1/4. I imagine they will measure more true-to-size, as I have a set on my Motobecane Grand Jubilé. Even after sitting idle for a month or more, I just measured a 30mm width.

Still, I wonder if I should just dispense with this foolishness and source some decent 700c wheels (120mm OLD). That would likely allow me to to mount 35-38mm tires and I'd have many more choices. I think the brake calipers Weinmann Vainqueur) have enough adjustment left in them to allow the switch. Any reason not to switch (aside from added cost)?

Salamandrine 

Not really. 27" was used for those because that was the standard size. 700c was still quite rare and exotic. The Rigida rims they came with were quite narrow. That's why your tires are less wide than the nominal width.

Make sure there's the needed 4mm adjustment left in the brakes. Obviously. Tires at that time maxed out at 32mm, generally speaking. You might be able to go a little bigger. You'll find out. I'd probably go with Sun M13 rims and 32c myself. The Sun rims look just like Rigida if you take off the stickers.

3alarmer 

.
...I have and ride several bicycles with Panaracer Pasela 27x1 1/4 tyres, and find them very enjoyable to ride. They are especially useful if you have something that requires a 27" rim because of cantilever brake boss placement. If I have any caveat, it is that they are not nearly as useful if your current wheel rims are old enough to have no bead hook or an inconsequential one. They're much more fun to ride at higher inflation pressures that you can use with a decent hook bead rim.

smontanaro 

Thanks. I'm aware that 27s were the standard BITD. Today 700c is neither rare nor exotic, unless you want your wheels covered in leopard spots or something. There would seem to be clearance to mount wider tires (I can verify that soon enough), but 32 is the max availability. I can certainly get wider tires in 700c and the smaller diameter should help something wider fit. I do believe the brakes have enough adjustment available to meet up with a 700c rim.

Ellen's bike has Weinmann Concave rims which might account for the mounted tires running narrower than nominal. They do seem to be a bit narrower than whatever is on my Grand Jubilé.

ryansu

Not sure of the year of your Moto GT on my 1978 I run Pasela 27 x 1 1/4 and that is about as wide as it will take due to rear stay clearance I really like the Swift Sand Canyons in 27 x 1 3/8 - also Panaracer and have them on a Nishiki but I don't think they would work on the MotoGT

I usually advocate sticking with 27" but in your instance if you really want more than a 27 x 1 1 /4 (roughly 32) then probably going 700c would help. The question is how much wider you could actually go and if its worth the hassle - wheels possibly brakes etc?

ironwood

700c tires will also give you a little more room for fenders.

scarlson 

More room for tires and fenders, more options for high quality tires, what's the downside? Cost and effort, of course.

I would do it, and I would also spread the frame to 135 and throw in a freehub so you don't ever have to worry about broken axles and removing freewheels again. Any bike I own, save the two museum pieces with Maxicar hubs, gets this treatment.

davester

There is the Swifttire Sand Canyon, which is labelled as 27 x 1-3/8. I just bought a set and put them on my new Raleigh but haven't measured them. They don't look any wider than the 700Cx32 Compass tires I have on my Cooper though.

smontanaro 

Thanks, yes I saw them mentioned in another thread where it was indicated that they weren't really any wider than 1-1/4.

ryansu

Sand Canyons do run in the 32 range

Sand Canyon 27 x 1 3/8



the Paselas at 27 x 1 1/4 are closer to 30


Paselas 27 x 1 1/4

repechage

If you can drop the brake pads 4mm, why not?
More options, plus fenders as noted, but on a Mixtie, there is always rear brake to be double checked.

63rickert

This is a no-brainer. She deserves the best. Pacenti, double-butted, René Herse.

ThermionicScott 

The 27"x1-1/4" Panaracer Paselas on my wife's Schwinn measure a full 32-33mm without the need for blocky or knobby tread.

My hot take: if you have "1-1/4" tires that measure 26mm or whatever, they're probably either old or crappy, and should be thrown out!

repechage

You made me recall my first serious girlfriend, got her at a discount a Nishiki Olympic Mixtie- she enjoyed it, found a no pass up deal on a NOS Masi GC frame set- built that up. Campagnolo of course...but went with Tipo hubs. Did use tubulars.... one has standards to keep up you know.
We break up, she fits the bike with Weinmann levers and "Comfort" levers too...
Later sells it at a large profit.
20 years pass, our paths cross, "Never should have ended our relationship, and should have kept the Masi".
too bad, so sad, about the bike especially.

palincss

There's simply no question, you can get better tires in 700C than you can in 27" these days. You can also get wider tires in 700C than you can in 27". These are indisputable facts. We can go one step further: in 700C today you can get better tires for your 1970s bike than were ever available in 27" at any time during the life of that bike.

Whether those tires will fit on that 1970s frame remains to be seen. Whether your brakes can be adjusted to fit, also remains to be seen.

When I was building up my 1963 Jack Taylor Sports I used Mafac Racers which had enough reach to work. I would have used them regardless, because I wanted to use the TA front handlebar bag rack that was made to fit those brakes.

I also happened to have a perfectly usable set of 700C wheels left over from upgrading my 700C randonneur, thanks to the VW Dieselgate settlement, and either the original owner had at some point in the 50-odd years he'd had the bike spread the rear triangle or the bike originally was made that way, because the last configuration the original owner had the bike in featured an indexed Campagnolo 10 Ergo drivetrain, and I had no difficulty getting a 130mm wheel to fit.




Period-correctness was never going to be an issue with this bike. I set up as though it were a brand new frame rather than one that had been made over 55 years before, with components I liked, that I had on hand, and that reflected my preferences in setting up a bike. In this case, that meant an XTR M900 drivetrain, indexed 8 speed, with bar end shifters and modern generator hub lighting.

I'm using Grand Bois Cypres 700x32C tires on this bike, and even though they're still a couple of steps down from the best 32mm tires (such as the Rene Herse Stampede Pass with the EL casing) the tires are still significantly better than any 27 x 1 1/4" tire that has ever been available.

francophile 

And finding brakes with long enough reach.

smontanaro see this post: https://www.bikeforums.net/20175974-post63.html

I wish I'd taken measurements on it, but those are 27", 1x1-3/8 and relatively low cost investment, see the Moto GT they're on in the pics for a reference on how bulbous they appear. I have a few pair in the shop I horded when the price dropped down again below $10/tire at Niagara but haven't installed yet on the bike they're intended (Claud Butler I just got). Could be suitable for your needs. I can slap them on the CB this weekend and take some measurements for you if you want. Would give me a good excuse to get into the shop and hide from the kids and my "better 3/4"

no67el

These are Compass/Rene Herse 700x38c tires on my Moto Grand Jubile. It's just about the limit in terms of clearance between the chainstays--- the wheel is pushed all the way back in the dropouts. But I really like the way they ride....

I did put a slightly longer-reach Weinmann brake on in the back, but those are pretty cheap/easy to find. Was thinking about 650b for this bike, but for the moment this is riding very nicely...... I guess if I want fenders I'll have to go to 32c or 35c....

Vintage Schwinn

Look at the MICHELIN Protek 32-630 , 27 x 1 1/4 tire.
It is one of the heavier tires based on it's weight in grams, so if you're opposed to weight, it might not be for you.
Great riding tire.......durable and protection against thorns and road debris......reflective outer ring on the sidewall which is very nice.
These are true to size and are among the widest 32-630 tire on the market......no cheating or fudging with the Michelin Protek tire.
You should also know that these appear to be taller than several other popular 32-630 , 27 x 1 1/4 tires on the market Based on my own
non scientific observations. This might be an issue on certain bicycles that have fenders as you'll likely find that you may have less fender
clearance than with the 32-630 tires that you may be currently using.
I have these Protek 32-630 tires on my 1971 brown Schwinn Suburban Five Speed with the stock fenders removed.
The are great tires for the type of tire that these Michelins are, but if WEIGHT is an issue, you're gonna want to look for some other tire.





m

Mad Honk 

smonatanaro,
Your wife has a set of bomb-proof wheels and you want to switch them for something else to fit a wider tire???? Not a problem, ship them to me and I'll find you a couple of cheap drop bolts to make the brakes work correctly. Methinks there is a bit of overthinking going on here! There are plenty of good tires that fit the 27" rim and will work. The cost of a pair of tires is way cheaper than all of the changes you will go through to make the change to 700c wheels. Smiles, MH

the sci guy 

If you want wider 27" rims get a set of Sun CR-18s. I got them for my '74 Raleigh rebuild and they're quite nice. I mounted 27 x 1 1/4 Panaracer Pasaleas on them. The whole combo is quite nice. I'm running Tektro R539 caliper brakes with them since the old Weinmans were sucky.

On my other vintage Raleigh I made the switch to 700c (running 700x32 Pasaleas there), and Tektro R559 long reach brakes.

Both are great combinations and have worked well. Both are commuter bikes.

francophile 

Got a great deal on some Protek Cross tires for the bike my "better 3/4" asked me to rebuild for her, granted I think these are 700c x 38 (maybe 35, forgot to look). BikeTiresDirect pricematched to another internet vendor, $9.99/tire and $5 shipping. Regularly $23.99/ea.

Overall great tires, they've held up well, believe it or not these are at least 18 months old (she only rides casually). She says they ride well. Looks wild when light interacts with them at night, the reflective strip is bright! My only gripe is the squarish profile and lack of vintage vibe. But maybe varieties other than the Cross look different?

TriBiker19 

I was looking for a pair of 27" tires for a gravel build for my Fuji and someone suggested these.

smontanaro 

Thanks for the feedback folks. I'll respond to a number of comments in a single post. But first, a small confession. I originally stated that the Pasela on the front wheel was marked as both 27x1-1/4 and 28-630. The inch marking was actually 27x1-1/8. I blame poor lighting in my bat cave and my aging eyes.

Working backwards:

• TriBiker19 Kenda, just say no. I don't really care how good their tires are now. Their tires and tubes have given me too much trouble in the past, so I refuse on principle to ever purchase their products.
• the sci guy Thanks for the CR-18 tip. The Weinmann Concaves don't have hook beaded rims or eyelets, so if I stick with 27-inch rims, I'll consider them. (We have three bikes in the stable with 27-inch rims, so even if this Moto stays as-is, one of the others might get new hoops.)
• Mad Honk Thanks. I don't think drop bolts will be required. I believe there is enough adjustment left in the brake calipers if I go to 700c. Also, I'm not convinced that an old set of Weinmann Concave rims laced to some mid-level Normandy hubs with old galvanized spokes qualifies today as "bombproof." The last thing I want to do is have Ellen ride a bike that leaves her stranded. (Upgrading to something else, even if it remains at 27-inch, would eventually be a good idea.) She doesn't ride during the winter, so I have time to execute some alternate plan.
• no67el Thanks for the pic of your Grand Jubilé. I have one as well. I don't think of it as a "keeper," but it's nice to know a 700c swap is a possibility.
• ThermionicScott I had a pair of 27x1-1/4 Paselas, so I installed them yesterday. After sitting overnight at about 60psi, they both measure between 29 and 29.5mm. My guess is the difference between your measurement and mine can be chalked up to differences in rim widths.
• 63rickert If I collect the parts, do you want to lace up the wheels?

Long story short, the bike now has a pair of new Paselas and Schwalbe tubes, which is definitely an improvement over the mismatched set the bike had. I'll see how Ellen likes it before going any farther, but I've got options and plenty of time.

the sci guy 

If you want to see the rims/tires in action, here's an album with pics from the rebuild - scroll to the bottom to see a bunch with the new wheels/tires on the completed bike: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rattle...57708966505507

cannonride15

@smontanaro, have you perused this sticky thread? https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ce-thread.html
Many! great recommendations for 27" tires, including my favorite Continental Ultra Sport II, which for 27x11/4" size measures a true 32mm and is a supple side walled comfortable ride to boot! I have both 27" and 700C wheels and there is no intrinsic advantage to either one. Great tires are available for both!