Classic & Vintage - WIDE 27" rims

As I've done for years, when ever I see an older or small bike shop while I'm traveling I tend to stop and have a look. I stopped at one on a trip to FL last week and got to talking with the guy about old bikes after seeing he had a few hanging in the shop on display. Conversation turned into a tour of his parts area where I noticed a pair of super wide Araya steel rims, marked 27"x1 1/4"x1 3/8" W/O. I've seen old Araya steel rims, most marked w/o for what ever reason but never a set that are as wide as most middle weight rims?
When I asked about them, he had no clue as to what they came from, I pulled them down to take a closer look just out of curiousity and he said if I wanted them, to take them, "They've been hanging there for 30 years now". So I came home with a pair of new old stock steel wheels, really wide steel wheels. Now, what would have taken these rims? Obviously it wasn't high end, but my guess is that had to have a pretty stout tire on it? Even a wide 1 1/4" tire would look lost on these. They take a normal bead diameter, I did inflate a 27x1 1/4" tire on one, but the sidewalls are angled outward toward the rim edges. These rims look as wide as the S-7 rims on my Schwinn Typhoon. The hubs are steel as well, and made by Sunshine with medium flanges. Both are nutted hubs.

...And then you found $5?

JK. So they're 30 years old? Have you Googled the specs?

Nutted steel Sunshine hubs and steel Araya rims have to be from the late 70's or early 80's or so, don't they?
They look new, but could well have been off a new bike that was upgraded or something, which is my bet since there's a Shimano 14-28 freewheel on the rear wheel.
I did search online, that's what brought me back here. The only thing I found online was this link to some old Araya Catalogs, http://www.araya-kk.co.jp/rim/archive.htm
but nothing matching these rims. I've seen hundreds of bikes with Araya steel rims, both narrow, and what the catalogs show as being Model 5 and 5H rims, these look like 27" versions of the SN5 rims in the 1980 catalog.
They don't show any of the later 70's era catalogs so I can't say if these may have been a one year or two model?

I'm thinking of finding a set of those old 27x 1 3/8" cyclecross tires and setting these up on a cheap frame for dirt trails and places I won't take my good bike.

They're most likely off of something along the lines of a Raleigh Sprite but of Japanese or American Origin.
Maybe something in the lower Schwinn line or maybe a Nishiki or similar bike.
It had to be something they weren't worrying about weight on for sure. It sounds like they'd make a great set of wheels on a Raleigh Sprite, most Sprites by now are long overdue for new wheels but most would probably just go alloy. I've also not seen many choices in 27x 1 3/8" tires lately.

Harris Cycle has a 27 X 1 3/8 knobby. And the Michelin World Tour 27 X 1 1/4 is close to this size as well.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/TR2101.jpg

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/images/tire630-mich-worldtour.jpg

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/630.html

I have some specialized 27 x 1-3/8 road tires from the 80's. Don't remember what they are called though.

I have some specialized 27 x 1-3/8 road tires from the 80's. Don't remember what they are called though.

specialized tricross are 27 x 1 3/8

Those Michelin World Tour tires are wide but they're not very high pressure and they don't roll very well. I put a set on an old Letour a while back and really didn't like the way they felt. They gave the bike a heavy, sluggish feel.

Those Michelin World Tour tires are wide but they're not very high pressure and they don't roll very well. I put a set on an old Letour a while back and really didn't like the way they felt. They gave the bike a heavy, sluggish feel.


I'm thinking of finding a set of those old 27x 1 3/8" cyclecross tires and setting these up on a cheap frame for dirt trails and places I won't take my good bike.

But for dirt trails and these specific steel rims, they might be the only tire in 27" to adequately fill the rims, other than knobbys.