Originally Posted by
well biked
In the U.S., the mainstream move from 27" clinchers to 700c clinchers occurred in the mid to late '80's. Big improvements were made in mainstream clincher rims/tires at that time as well, with hook edged rims hitting the mainstream being the biggest advancement. True racing rims/tires had been 700c all along, in the form of tubulars.
Started in the early '80's, finished by the late '80's. I was working in a shop in the early '80's, and we started stocking all of the high-end tires in both 27" and 700C. We were careful not to mix them- putting a 27" tire on a 700C rim was a sure-fire way to create an ear-splitting blowout.
Man, those Schwinn Super Record yellow-label tires sure were light.