Was referencing someone's mention of replacing tires with 1 1/4 inch ones. Since getting into the quest for a bike I have steered away from the "older" ones. Thanks for the advice.
Originally Posted by
LeeG
I'm assuming you are considering old used bikes when you reference 27" X 1 1/4" and not newer 700 x 32mm and larger tires. The problem with old wheels is if they were never trued right to begin with and rarely loaded down. Then when you head out loaded up the fatigued spokes on the rear wheel start failing and you're looking at a rebuild or new wheel. Old 26" 36 spoke mtn bike wheels for the most part are so over built that they are less likely to fail. The other thing is that old 27" wheels are probably 126mm rear dropout width compared to a 135mm dropout width on an old mtn bike.
But if you simply mean wider than 32mm (1 1/4") then yes 35mm is a good size for loaded touring and your weight. That said the condition of the wheel matters more than 32mm or 40mm.