aglais1

I'm a bit confused. I've pulled out my 1971 PX-10 which I'.ve not ridden for over 25 years. I need tires. I usually bought Hutchinsons but I not the bike has a set Of Clement Futurox on it now. I don't remember what size tire I use to buy but thought it was 27". Went to Bike store and they had FEW tubulars. The fellow told me all tubulars are 700s and no one uses them so he stocks verry little. Tried the internet but can't find Hutchinson or even Clement 27". The rims are stock Mavic Monterley and they are about 3/4 inches wide and about 24 3/4 inches in diameter. What tires do I need that are available and $100 per pair or less? Only paid $200 for the bike new, hate to have to spend $140 for each set of tires - used to require 2 sets per year. Any help/pointers would be appreciated

EjustE

Your bike takes tubulars. Any tubulars will do and all tubulars are 700c. Tubulars are pricey these days. Expect to pay about $35-50 per tire. biketiresdirect.com is a good place to buy tires

noglider 

$200 in 1971 is equivalent to well over $1000 nowadays. That's a fine bike you have there, and it should get fine tires. Yes, they're expensive.

As E said, your bike takes tubulars. Tubulars come in 700c. They don't come in 27". Some people call those 27" tubulars. Perhaps that's to distinguish them from 24" tubulars.

You may want to get a new pair of wheels to accept clincher tires which cost less and require a LOT less maintenance. New clincher tires perform at least as well as tubulars.

LesterOfPuppets

I don't know of any 27" tubulars either, when I got my Pinarello I peeled off some olde sewups that said 28" on 'em, they were the same as 700c.

but if you're looking for bargain 700c tubulars:

Vittoria Rally typically $25 in various places. Yellow Jersey has those Servizio Corse three for $50.

noglider 

LesterOfPuppets, are those any good? Last I knew, cheap tubulars don't last and ride crappily.

LesterOfPuppets

Vittoria Rally's aren't bad in my opinion. Ride quality is better than Vittoria Zaffiros, but the Zaffiros are half the price of Rallys. They seem to have decent longevity. I've yet to try the Yellow Jersey tires, I'll likely be buying a 3-pack this summer sometime.

GMS 

During the 70s tubulars were sometimes called 27. I looked in the Raleigh 1971 catalog and found the Professional had 27 rims and silk tubular tires. 700 and 27 tubulars are the same size.

SingeDebile

youve got options, good luck! (and lets see some pictures of that thing cleaned up with some fresh tires on it when you get them)

aglais1

Thanks guys, for all the replys. I just assumed that 700 meant 700 mm outside diameter and that would be too large for my rims. Now I'll just peruse the tubulars and see what I come up with. BTW, the inflated tire width was just shy of an inch; I presume (again) I want 700x21 with the 21 meaning 21mm width or there abouts?

John E

700mm = 27.56", which was the nominal outer tire diameter for European balloon tires. Put a skinny, lower-profile tire on the same diameter (622mm) rim, and you have "700C," which is actually closer to 680mm = 26-3/4" outer tire diameter.

aglais1

As requested by SingeDebile, I'm attaching a shot of the bike. The tires, Vittoria Rally's, are on (stretching) I'll glue them in a day or two. The other part of the request, " lets see some pictures of that thing cleaned up with some fresh tires on it", the clean up has progressed no further than the glue removal on the rims. At this point I have more questions. The Ad Hoc Pump is not doing the job. Can't seem to locate a rebuild kit for it. Do they exist? I used to use a floor pump before I went out - that's gone missing and my current pump has no presta provision. I used to fold up a spare and keep it tucked under the saddle. I had occasion to use it once and the frame pump did the job (more or less). I'd like to keep the Ad Hoc if I can repair it but I'm open to suggestions re current frame pumps.

noglider 

I highly recommend buying both a frame pump and a floor pump. Using a floor pump gets old really fast. When I bought myself my first good floor pump, I kicked myself for not buying it sooner. Now I own two floor pumps! I like my Topeak Joe Blow pump very much and my Specialized almost as much.

furballi

Also note that you can replace the stock rim to 700c clincher, which will allow you to use cheaper and more durable 700c tires. You can even upgrade to wider touring tires for comfort.

repechage

For the Rallys as an example, I only buy the 23's Buy a spare. I bought a bunch and let them age on rims in a cool dry place. fresh tires are "sticky" and hold debris increasing the chance of a flat. 9 months seems to be the magic minimum for me, aged tubulars just last longer between flats.

Be nice for a 25 mm reasonably priced tub... one can dream.

Grand Bois

The Ad Hoc pump is worth money, working or not. I've seen them go for over $300 on eBay.

repechage

The Joe Blow is good, I have one, works well, BUT the hose is not reinforced, if I had been in control of its storage fully I would not have let the hose take a 180 degree turn for storage, it cracked there, I had to shorten it, spare parts? Be nice, and the hose is an odd size and uses a special compression fit. The pump head is also nice. So, I limp along with a hose of only 17" in length.

noglider 

More importantly, there are tons of good pumps out there. I'm out of touch with the latest and greatest frame pumps. I just found out that Zefal is still in business, and I bet their pumps are better than ever. They used to be my very favorite, with no close second.