Classic & Vintage - Tire & Rim Size

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1 Lugnut
08-26-12, 03:45 PM
I recently put a different set of wheels on my Windsor that I use for casual riding around town. The old set of wheels were 27" clinchers. After a few modifications, I was able to put a set of of 700C wheels on the bike. The wheels have been sitting around for years & I've aways wanted to put them into use, even though they are a bit heavy...but that's OK.

Being so old, the Michelin HD HI-Lite Supercomp tires (700x23C) mounted on the rims are cracking & need replacing. The rims are Mavic MA-2's laced to 36H Campy NR hubs. I am leaning towards Veloflex Clinchers for replacements. Since I don't like too big a tire, I was hoping a Veloflex Master 22 (http://veloflextires.com/veloflex_master%2022_clincher.htm) tire will fit on the MA-2, or is it too narrow a tire for it? The MA-2 measures 21mm outside width. Would I be better off using the larger Master 23 tire instead? I'm used to narrow tires. The former set of wheels had Specialized Touring II's 27"x1" mounted to Araya(?) rims that measure 19.5mm wide (outside to outside) and the tires only measured 21mm wide. I like that sized tire...

skoda2
08-26-12, 04:10 PM
I think 23's would fit better on the wider rim, I recently replaced the 27" wheels(MA-40's) on a 74 Romic with Mavic Open Sport rims and 23mm. Vredestein Fortessa, Tri-comps. also using Campy NR hubs. My only problem was filing the brake arms out to reach the rim braking surface properly. Good luck.
Regards
John E
08-26-12, 04:30 PM
SheldonBrown.com has a useful chart relating rim width to tire width.

An alternative to elongating the slots in the brake calipers is a drop bolt.

1 Lugnut
08-26-12, 05:04 PM
An alternative to elongating the slots in the brake calipers is a drop bolt.

I did have to use a drop-bolt for the front brake. I ended up counter-boring the fork w/ a long recessed nut for a good purchase on the threads. Previously, the drop-bolt was on the rear brake. With the wheel change, the rear brake bridge was so far away from the rim, I had to have a new bridge brazed in. I also tried using the D-bolt to get more reach for the rear, but it was still way off. With the new bridge, I'm now able to run either set of wheels, which was my intent to begin with. This all started because I was never thrilled about the Modolo Speedy calipers that were on there, so I went about replacing them w/ a set of NR calipers. Hence, the 27"/700C wheel issue arose...