shkwak

I have a '70 Motobecane with a 27x1-1/16 size.
Now, I need an extra tube and tire of that size, but I can only find 27x1-1/4 or 27x1-1/8 on eBay, Amazon, etc.
Can I use those sizes instead of the 27x1-1/16 wheel? If anyone knows a place that sells 27x1-1/16 sized ones, please let me know.

arex

27x1-1/8 should be fine. 1-1/4 might be okay...someone else could confirm or deny that. You can also consider 700x25 or 28 tubes, too.

To clarify: You can use slightly smaller tubes, because they do stretch safely, up to a point. The same with slightly larger tubes.

You don't want to use a tube that's too large...you'll have too much material being stuffed into too small of a space, and the rubber will get creases and folds in it, trying to fit under a lot of pressure. Those folds will turn into stressed weak points that can fail for no good reason other than they're stressed and weak. The same thing can happen with a right-sized tube that hasn't been lubricated with talc.

Typically, though, a given tube is made to fit a range of sizes that will be specified on the box. It's okay to go outside of the stated range a little bit...the ranges aren't hard numbers that you dare not exceed.

Sorry to ramble...it's early and I'm still working on coffee.

Trakhak

Agreed. The tires (700c and 27") are not interchangeable. The tubes (25 mm, 28 mm, and 32 mm, corresponding to 1", 1 1/8", and 1 1/4", respectively) are interchangeable.

For the OP: very few tires were sold as 27" x 1 1/16". I can't remember ever seeing a tire marked with that designation, and I worked in bike stores in the '70's and '80s, which were the only decades when such tires would have been offered.

Fortunately, any tube that includes 700 x 23 among the listed sizes will fit perfectly.

pastorbobnlnh 

At some point since 2001, I came across a set of 27 X 1" tires. But I'm pretty certain they are long gone. You should be fine with either the 1/8" or 1/4" variant. Are there any labels on the rims which identify and specify their size?

And welcome to C&V. We look forward to hearing more about you and your Moto.

Kabuki12

I have a couple of sets of 27” x 1” tires . They are Panaracers and I got them on eBay not too long ago. I think they are still available , not certain. I would go with 27” x 1 1/8” for a replacement if you want a slightly wider tire on your Motobecane. Tubes , depending on Schrader or Presta , can be 700 x 23-28 range . I get them on eBay as well with short Presta stems (33mm) for a very reasonable price .

Pompiere

Panaracer Pasela are still available in 27 x 1 inch. I have them on a couple of my bikes. https://carsoncitybikeshop.com/pasel...-w-tire-27x-1/

BITD Avocet had a 27 x 7/8 inch tire. I don't recall ever seeing anything marked in 1/16" inch increments. That's only 0.62 mm, so hardly enough to worry about. There is enough variation in manufacturing tolerances that the designation probably had more to do with marketing than a change in the actual dimensions of the tire carcass. When marketing was all about "skinnier is faster", they could say "our new tire is faster than last years tire", even though the only difference was the label on the sidewall. You can mount three different tires, that are all labeled as the same size, on identical rims and get three different measurements.

USAZorro

The number that matters most when fitting tire to rim is the ISO number. I would expect that your tire should have the number 630 on it somewhere. This is the technical value for what is commonly described as 27". If you do not see 630, but rather some other number (like 622), you will need something different. If your ISO is 630, I would expect 1-1/4 would be fine, and 1-1/4 might actually feel like an improvement as long as it doesn't come too close to rubbing the fork, frame, brakes or fenders (if you have those).

Road Fan

Whether or not it should have ISO-labelling depends first, on whether the ISO standard was in International Standard (IS) status (i.e. released) at the appropriate time, among other arcanities of the International Standards process. Did the standard contain a classification to which 27 x ⅞" could be correctly aligned, or was it made into an orphan by an oversight? Such things can happen, though I don't know the story here. Were enough of these made to warrant incorporation into the Standard? It could be it was intended to coordinate referencing highly manufacture products, not all possible variants. Don't get me wrong, I loved working on international standards, but a lot of folks assume they mean more than they actually are intended to.

USAZorro

St. Sheldon left a couple pennies.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

Road Fan

Thanks, I guess.

The Golden Boy 

From your other thread:
So here's a brief thing about tires.
Thicker tires may be more durable and long lived, but the quality of your ride suffers- as the more pliable the tire is, the better it can absorb vibration and bumps.
Wider tires give you more air volume to serve as cushion. Unless you're racing and counting grams, I'd suggest using the widest tire you can-
If your bike is from 1970, it should fit 27 x 1 1/8". It'll probably fit 1 1/4" tires-
Unless you live in an area with lots of goat's head thorns or lots of broken glass, you most likely don't need thick, heavy 'puncture protection' tires.
Heavy tires are just weight you have to not only get and keep going, but also to turn and stop. Even if you have a relatively heavy bike, having lighter and responsive tires make a huge difference.
Panaracers are good tires. Panaracer is a division of Panasonic. IMO- Panaracer makes some of the very best bicycle tires- not only branded as Panaracer products, but also for more "boutique" brands like Rene Herse, SOMA, Swift and Jack Brown.

If your rims are presta, get presta tubes- don't drill out the rim.



In my experience- I went from using $10 Cheng Shin tires to forking out the money for Panaracer Paselas, then to the different iterations of the 'puncture proof' Paselas, then to using Sand Canyon tires (made by Panaracer) and then to using Rene Herse tires (made by Panaracer). To use the Herse tires, I had to change from 27" wheels to 700c, and the price was significant for me. But after riding them- it immediately made me a believer.

52telecaster

Golden boy is right! If your worried about flats get whatever extra protection the current paselas advertises. Protite I think is the latest. The tires still feel great but you have some extra protection.