icepick_trotsky 

Winter is coming (sorry) and I'm on the lookout for some appropriate tires. However, selection is a bit limited for my 27 inch rims. Can anyone recommend a good bad weather tire in this size? I have 1 1/4 inchers on there now, and I don't think I could add anything much wider with my fenders on. Here in St. Louis, we get more slush and sleet than snow, but last year we had a foot of snow overnight once, so who knows.

cobrabyte

The only one I can think of that has any decent amount of tread is the Michelin World Tour

Michelin World Tour 27x1-1/4" Tire - Harris Cyclery bicycle shop - West Newton, Massachusetts

gdhillard

Super happy with my Panaracer RibMos, at about $30 each. Now with 1500 miles, and almost no wear visable. Sticky in the wet, quiet, and quick enough at 105 pounds. I think Panaracer also has a Pacela Tour Guard for about the same money.

ThermionicScott 

Winter, and the potential for temperature drops to form ice, means studded tires to me. Don't know of any in 27"...

stevel610 

I would try to find a used set of 700c wheels and go with studded tires if you commute all Winter. If you are not worried about ice, the Continental Winter tires are good; though 700's as well.

If you really need 27" only, my first choice would be Schwalbe Marathons, Schwalbe HS 159's, Continental Tour Rides and Kenda 161 KrossCyclo tires in that order. Priced @ $40, $20, $20, $12 respectively. Flat protection inverse of that.

Leebo

Switch to 700c wheels, may need some long reach brakes like from tecktro. Then you will have room to run the nokian hakkapalita700 x 35 studded tires.

icepick_trotsky 

Never! Those who know the way of the Mafac racer never turn back.

Pretty sure they don't have the reach for 700c, though.

trailmix

I like Paselas.

old's'cool

Last time I checked, Kenda was still making a Kross-Cyclo or something like that in 27" with a pretty aggressive tread.

trailmix

Those are probably too wide to fit his bike as I believe they only available in 1 3/8.

old's'cool

Ay, there's the rub... <-- pun intended!

rumrunn6

studded tires for frozen precip but I don't see any in 27" size. maybe then just the marathon winters if you can find them in 27"?

likebike23

Those Kenda Cross-cyclo whatevers are not that wide actually. I have a pair and they are no wider than my Michelin World Tours which measure 32mm.

icepick_trotsky 

They might be worth a shot anyway. If I have to switch to different fenders then so be it.

MMACH 5

I'm a year-round commuter and love the 27" Armadillos. Not big tread but tough as a skillet.

old's'cool

To a small extent, you can probably gain some clearance with given fenders by adjusting to the largest feasible radius (i.e. with respect to the hub). Of course, the constraints of the fork and stays are pretty fixed.

Lively or Not

I also have the 27 x 1 3/8 Kendas with fenders on a 1976 commuter and have no problems at all.

noglider 

Your winters sound similar to NYC winters. We get snow, slush, ice, and 30 various textures in between. Your need for a different tire tread changes every day or maybe even every few feet. There's no way to prepare for that. If I can't make it safely through the snow and slush on regular tires, there's not much I can do. I bought ice tires for last winter, and they're not useful in snow. We got snow this past winter but no ice.

nfmisso

Agreed, and heavier than a solid lead tire. They will not flat until you were through the tread. If you go with Armadillos - note the MINIMUM pressure. Armadillos are prone to failure from tread separation due to too low a tire pressure - keep them properly inflated.

Another option: the Bell 27" tires are Walmart last a long time, have decent tread, and Kevlar protection belts. When my rear Armadillo wore out (>5K miles); I went back to the Bell - the feel of the bike was dramatically improved.

bikemig 

The continental winter contact tires are great for the kind of riding you describe but they do not come in 27 inch.

noglider 

If you're not extremely concerned with puncture protection, I find Paselas work well in the winter. Those Armadillos sound terrible, and I have handled the Walmart tires with my hands and would hope never to ride them.

Darth Lefty 

The only one I know of with knobs is 1-3/8, Kenda KrossCyclo

When my Pasela sidewall rubbed through due to a burr at the rim weld, I replaced it with a Zaffiro. Obviously much tougher tire and much smaller. Zaffiro is an undersize 28, Pasela is true 32 or even bigger. I haven't ridden that wheelset a lot since then. It belongs to my Paramount but I had it on a Super Sport at the time.

blackieoneshot 

Schwalbe Marathons. I don't get puncture flats, they last 8-10k, and are relatively cheap. However, they weigh 660 grams a piece (fwiw, my fun bike tires come in at 220 grams each.)