Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,520
Likes: 12
From: Colorado Springs, CO
Bikes: 1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo (frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame), 1974 Peugeot UO-8
Originally Posted by
tatfiend
I would expect that any Italian bike fitted with clincher rims likely had 700C size wheels fitted. I believe that I read somewhere that Michelin introduced the first narrow high pressure 700C clincher tires to the market sometime in the 70s.
My '74 Bottecchia still had Fiamme yellow label 27" clinchers. Oddly, I remember that I broke a rim hiting a curb or something and had it replaced within the first couple of years and they used a Super Champion (pre-Wolber) Gentleman rim. It was still 27" obviously to match the other rim but it was a narrow (13mm inside-20mm outside IIRC) rim with hooked beads unlike the Fiamme which had been a wider straight side rim. I still have the Super Champion hanging in the garage. Not sure exactly what year that was.
My '81 Motobecane Jubilee Sport and my old '85 Peugeot PKN10? still had 27" rims. So does my '88 Panasonic but since it's a touring model that might not mean anything.
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1959 Bottecchia Milano-Sanremo(frame), 1966 Bottecchia Professional (frame), 1971 Bottecchia Professional (frame),
1973 Bottecchia Gran Turismo, 1974 Bottecchia Special, 1977 Bottecchia Special (frame),
1974 Peugeot UO-8, 1988 Panasonic PT-3500, 2002 Bianchi Veloce, 2004 Bianchi Pista