Classic & Vintage - Raleigh DL-1 Tires; Save the old and ride new?

My 1970 DL-1 is 95% original. The only new item is a Brooks saddle to replace the no-name "comfort saddle" the previous owner had on it. The tires and tubes are Dunlop and both in excellent condition. My question is should I save the Dunlops and put some Schwalbes, or other tire, on the bike for my regular riding or not? Thx in advance, PG.

I have the original Raleigh tires on mine, and I ride them. What good is having an original if it isn't totally original?

You didn't mention what condition the Dunlops are in. If they're good, I'd keep riding them. I have the original Dunlop in front and a new Schwalbe in the rear (replacing the original 1969 Dunlop to give you an idea of how durable they are). If/when you go to sell it, tires that are in good nick are going to null if not outweigh the originality factor. Things like an the pump, working headlamp, dry cell unit, etc. hold far greater value so I would be apt to preserve those things instead. Enjoy it in any case. Show us pics when you get a chance.

On my DL-1, only one tire was original... and the 1966 tire is in perfect shape with virtually no cracking. The other one was a made-in-Austria tire with a slightly different tread pattern. The replacement tire developed a bubble in the sidewall and since I was replacing it, I got two Schwalbes from Flying Pigeon L.A. (great ppl to work with, by the way) and I'm saving the original Dunlop.

The Schwalbes, by the way, are very nice tires, but they are really balloon tires and not hybrid-style tires like the original Dunlops. I like them fine, but they yield a much softer ride.

Thx for all your input. The tires are in almost new condition. The tread shows no signs of wear, the sidewalls are pliable and the raised lettering looks very fresh. Based upon your advice, I'll keep them on the bike and enjoy the ride. I've attached a couple of pics for your amusement. Since the time I took these photos, I added a new Brooks saddle (the one on the bike in the pics was old and tore in half on a ride), a new old stock Raleigh rear rack and a Big Ben type bell. A couple of weeks ago I took the DL-1 on a 25 mile loop that I used to use my old TREK 1000 road bike for. It took longer to do but the ride was way more enjoyable. Got passed by a lot of the local "go-fast" roadies. Now I know why Raleigh named it a "Tourist"; it's very pleasant to go touring on. Thx again, PG.

Yeah, as long as you're not pushing the bike too hard, and just enjoying the ride, they are nice. I like riding mine, and in fact I'm gonna go take a short ride right now. CHEERS!!