Originally Posted by
Lascauxcaveman
I'm pretty sure they don't make 27" tires anymore. Throw the bike in the nearest dumpster
Not true, of course, but you are obviously jesting. There are some OK 27" tires, notably the Pasela, but no great ones. And that's not going to get any better.
But the only reason I'm replying is to rectify the omission of considering a 700C conversion as an option. For most bikes equipped with 27 x 1 1/4" tires, a switch to 700C is trivial, involving nothing more than swapping wheels and adjusting brake pads. That's even true for some bikes equipped with cantilever brakes, although in other cases switching brakes or even moving canti posts is required.
This of course flies in the face of period-correctness, and does involve expense. It wouldn't be worth it for a cheap beater you use as a commuter, and it would obviously be wrong for a museum piece time capsule. But for many other wonderful older bikes, it's a simple conversion that can open up a range of possibilities far superior to anything made when the bike was new, never mind still available today.