Hi guys, a while back I posted about this bike.



It is basically a rebranded Colnago Super 1977. I got a NOS clincher wheelset because my first experience with tubulars was a nightmare. I want to get a nice pair of tires to get the most out of the 'legendary' Italian steel feel. I was looking at Grand Bois tires but Challenge Paris-Roubaix clinchers seem to be top rated. They measure at 27mm but I believe expands to 29mm when fully inflated. Does anybody have experience with tire clearance with those tires with a similar frame? Anybody have experience with those tires on a C&V bike? I feel that the more expensive the tires, the most flats people seem to get.

As of right now I am using the tires that came with the clincher rims, a pair of 80s Specialized Turbo Sport with 'Armadillo technology' in 20mm. They feel quite harsh and is working against the bike. I am interested in the Challenge PR tires because of the gumwalls.

Thanks for the advice fellow C&Vers!

-JC

I seriously doubt that 29s will fit on a frameset like that. My wife's old 1980s Italian racer runs 25s OK, just, but 28s were a no go.

how can I measure the tire clearance so I don't find out the hard way later?

I would use a pair of calipers to find out how wide yours really are, then use allen wrenches (or something) to measure clearance from your tires to the brake calipers, seat tube, anything else in the vicinity of the tires, then add the two. That's roughly how big of a tire you can use.