RennTiger

Hello.
I am new to this forum and would appreciate your advice or suggestions.
I have recently acquired and restored a 73 Paramount frame. I am presently collecting the best parts for the build, and I plan to use H Son Tb14 700c wheels to allow a period correct look and hopefully gain enough room for larger tires. (Ideally a pair of the Rene Herse 35mm Bon Jon Pass tires).
I have read through several discussions on similar topics, however none with a frame of my vintage, or the exact combination of rim/tires.
Does anyone have experience directly with this or equivalent combinations that they could share?
I know the bike came with 27" wheels and 1 1/4 tires with the room for fenders, which by the basic math suggests that 35mm would be ok, but I would rather know with greater certainty before ordering these items as returns here in Portugal are expensive. I would ideally like to retain room for correctly sized Honjo fenders as well.
Thank you in advance for any advice. I hope this topic isn't beaten to death and apologize if that is the case.

52telecaster

I have a 74 p15. Running 33s and fenders. On my bike it would be a very close fit but I think I could make 35s work.

Btw, congrats on a great bike.

John E

You should be fine with 700Cx35 tires. 27x1-1/4" tires are 31mm wide, and a 622mm diameter tire bead (700C rim) is 4mm smaller in radius than a 630mm (27" rim).

merziac

First of all, Welcome aboard, glad you found us, you're in the right place.

No need to apologize, we live for this stuff, its what we do and a finer lot of enablers you will not find.

Paramount's are some of the best to go with and many here have them, myself included, I'm up to a dozen or so.

They may be my favorite as well as and/or my customs.

So much history, tradition, success and plenty else, glad you are bringing this to Portugal, great work.

We have a current Paramount thread going that you may benefit from.

Your plan may not be too hard to get done but if you haven't done this before it can often be a hunt and peck, you may not be sure until you get it together and it works, or doesn't.

Not always cut and dried until you really get the hang of it.

So, we need pics, or it didn't happen, you need 5 posts X 2 days for 10 to post them, in the meantime you can post them to the gallery on your homepage and they may get moved here.

RennTiger

Thank you all for the replies.
I was leaning toward trying it just based on the metrics that John E referenced, but it will be close, so I feel better having your experiences as reinforcement.
I think it comes down to how much the fenders matter. I may just go for RH 32mm tires as I know the fenders will then be possible. I have been reading everything I can find on this topic and I didn't realize how much impact the rim width has on the posture of the tire, and it's resulting shape as it fits between the chain stays. I already purchased the H SON TB14 rims which, at 23mm wide, will not be helpful in narrowing the profile of the seated tire. I will post some pics of the frame and evolving project soon. For now I'll try to put a shot of frame on my homepage. Thanks again.

davester

If it were me, I'd buy 32 or 33 mm tires. If there appears to be extra clearance then I'd buy a 35 when the rear wore out.

St33lWh33ls

Compass Bon Jon Pass 35 on TB14

St33lWh33ls

I have tb14s on my 1970 P13 Paramount, to me a 700x28 is the sweet spot, 28s provide a comfortable ride and don’t look out of place on a vintage Paramount. The whole concept of the tb14 was to give a vintage tubular look to a modern clincher, 28 and below will give you that look, 32 and above not so much.

RennTiger

Wow. That is just what I wanted to see. Thank you for taking the time to show me the combination. I am curious if you were able to install these 35s with the TB14s on your Paramount? Was the clearance adequate? I agree with you on the aesthetics favoring the 28s. My interest in the 35s or 32s is based on their utility and comfort on rougher pavement.

St33lWh33ls

The 35s were for another build, to be honest I didn’t like them that much. I know the trend is for larger tires but they just felt sluggish to me and were overkill for rail trails and most street riding that I do. I could see how they might help on really broken pavement or gravel grinding, that said I never felt that 28s weren’t doing the job and I have a cyclocross bike with 32s for the off road stuff. This is just my opinion, and your and others mileage may vary, I would go with 28s and adjust your tire pressure to match your ride, it requires a little experimentation but it’s worth the effort.

RiddleOfSteel

I have had both a 1974 and 1973 Paramount P15-9, 25" and 26" sizes. Panaracer Pasela 35mm tires on A23 rims came in at 36mm wide for the black '74. Compass Bon Jon Pass 35s on Open Pros or TB14/Brevets comes in at 35mm wide. Tires do get close to the stays, but if I'm clear by ~1.5mm or better with no tire wobble, then it never rubs, even on big out of saddle efforts.

I don't know if you've ridden other P15 Paramounts, or what size of frame yours is, but in my experience these frames ride "strongly" as they are well-built with a sturdy character and beefier 531 tubing. Seattle roads are trash and my Paramounts never took them lying down. So, know your roads. If they're nice, yeah, you can run smaller if you want. If they're junky, then the bigger the better. And since it's a touring bike, big tires fit the bill--32/33mm or 35mm.

[Side note: I used to live in Seattle before moving back to Portland (and home state Oregon) and had many great memories there. Been a LOT of life happening between the move and now, and with this especially long, cold, and rainy winter, seeing these photos again remind me of just some really great times--times that I really miss and wish I had back. Sometimes it just hits you differently, especially if moving was 'not my idea'... Still adjusting and finding my way, but man, what warm, sunny, summer and autumn evenings these were. There will be summer again, with new places to ride, new memories to make with different bikes--a lovely trio of vintage Treks--so I will need to simply show up, be open, and pedal. I hope you make wonderful memories with your Paramount! These P15s are really do-it-all bikes. ]

John E

As indicated (so to speak) by SteelWheels' post with caliper readout, callout size on the sidewall of a tire does not necessarily equal its actual width when mounted on your particular rim and inflated. I can put 700Cx28 Continentals (actual width just about exactly 1 inch, between 25 and 26mm) on my Bianchi, but not 700Cx28 Specialized tires, which run at least 30mm in width.

52telecaster

74 repaint p15 can do it all! 33s on this one.

Kabuki12

I don't own a Paramount , but have ridden them before . They are , as was said , great all around bikes ,very versatile . I do own a 1973 Super Mondia Special which is very similar in almost every detail. When I first got it I ran 27" x 1 1/4" which measured 39mm when inflated on Weinman rims . I rode the bike that way for about 5-6 years. The bike felt a bit sluggish to me so I found a nice set of 700c Super Champion wheels and mounted 700 x 25 tires . The bike feels much more lively and still very comfy . The tires measure 26mm when inflated to 80lbs. Most of my bikes have 28's now and I like the Pasela Panaracer tires for comfort and cost . They hold up well to my type of riding even in mild gravel or dirt roads ( not very often).