jeisenbe

26 x 1 3/8 tires are widely available in the classic 37 mm (or 35 mm) width from Kenda, Schwalbe and a number of other manufacturers. I have also seen thinner tires, down to 20 mm, for wheelchairs and old racing bikes. But I have yet to find a source of new 590 mm or 597 mm tires in widths greater than 37 mm.

I think it would be nice to have 1.75 inch (45 mm) or 2.0 inch (50 mm) tires, like the Schwalbe Big Apples, on these older 3-speed bikes. (I love the 1.75 x 26 tires on my Breezer, but of course those are 559 mm rims). Most 3-speeds have sufficient fender clearance for slightly wider tires.

Are there any online or North American sources of 45 x 590, 45 x 597, 50 x 590 or 50 x 597 tires?

jeisenbe

Okay, so that's a "nope."

The alternative would be to buy a new set of wheels in 559 mm size. That would be about $115, on Amazon.com, for a Nexus 3-speed rear wheel ($90) and aluminum-rim front wheel ($25, due to shipping).

Has anyone done this for their old 3-speed or 1-speed?

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Nexus-...2808746&sr=1-1

https://www.amazon.com/Alex-Silver-St...ef=pd_sim_sg_1
(I suppose most bike shops will have front wheels for around this price, if they sell cruiser bikes)

David Newton

You haven't mentioned exactly what bike you are futzing with. Is it an English 3 speed sports type?
You are going to lose your brakes by converting to mountain bike wheels, what's your plan there?
Is the lack of tire width that negative?
Look into 650b wheels, there are wider tires for that size, and you may only have to mount longer reach brake calipers. It is a common conversion, there is a thread here somewhere.

flammenwurfer

I agree, that 650b would be easier to fit onto a typical 3 speed. 650b rim selection in the US is VERY limited though. But I guess 26 1 3/8 is also.

jeisenbe

If I do it I would use a rear coaster brake (built into the 3-speed Nexus) or a Shimano Rollerbrake on the rear wheel. Not sure about the front; perhaps I could use Sheldon's drop-bolt technique, or if building a wheel I could get a Sturmey Archer Drum Brake / Dynamo front hub. This idea is getting expensive... :-)

David Newton

Yes, most conversions are more expensive than restorations. I happen to really like 26 x 1 3/8", I'm on the heavy side and the standard tires carry me fine, and I run on the dirt some too. I'm currently riding a Bridgestone 300, originally 27" wheeled, converted to 650A, and all the parts are priced on the low side.

mickey85

If you go with 590, the Panaracer Col de la Vie's are about 39mm, and are honestly huge. They float like pillows at 50 psi, and are fairly puncture proof. I would recommend anyone with 590's to go with them. My one complaint is that they don't have a generator strip, so I can't run a side-mount generator.

If you go with 559's, you will never find brakes that reach that far (nor would you want to - they'd bend like spaghetti). You'd have to modify it to run drum brakes.

If you go with 584 (650b), you probably wouldn't even have to change the brakes, and if you did, they'd be available. You can also get fat tires in 650b - up to mountain bike widths.

prathmann

I've used bottle generators (side-mount) for many years and never had a tire with a specific generator strip. Only had any problem at all in slushy conditions when the generator would sometimes slip - but that was very rare. Note that the generator should be mounted high enough that when it's engaged it runs partly on the regular tread surface of the tire and not just on the sidewall. Sometimes this requires a bit of bending or cutting away of the fender at that point.

mickey85

Interesting...I checked out a few websites that showed pretty horrific scuffing, and with a $30 tires, I'm not going to eat it that quickly.

prathmann

I use my tires until they wear out to the point that the tire cords are showing in the center of the tread. Never had any fail prematurely due to the generator. I suspect that the ones you saw may have had a generator installed incorrectly - either the axle wasn't aligned to aim directly at the hub or it was mounted too low.

Even ran tubular tires for awhile with a generator without any problems - and those have much thinner tire casings than most clinchers.

jeisenbe

Thanks, I didn't realize those tires were wider (in practice), since they are still labled as "26 x 1 3/8". 39 mm sound like a significant improvement, since most are 35 mm in the class of tires. Harris Cyclery stocks them, and says "This is arguably the finest tire ever made to fit this rim size.
38.5 mm width is wider than most for a cushy, sure-footed rid" https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/590.html
$30 is a bit pricy for an old bike, but still reasonable compared to most Schwalbe's and other high-end brands.

mickey85

When I switched to the CdlV's from the Bell Streetsters that I had on there, it was a marked difference in width. And in comfort - they're a lot softer than the Bells too...