agermano

So I am picking up a new to me vintage bicycle. The rims, as per Fuji are 27x 1/8. Being large, I would like a higher width tire. Will I be able to use a 1 1/4? I know not a huge difference, but every little bit will help.
Thanks in advance.

fietsbob

its a metric world you still on 27" wheels* ? 630mm (63Cm) is that rim-tire bead interface diameter..

you talking rim but actually mean what tire you are fitting on that rim..

the rim width is a separate dimension its Undoubtedly, narrower than either of the tires you mentioned

you are only changing the tire by 0.125" its pretty insignificant.

* variety of choices is limited by now.. But Wider Is Good.




Its used Condition & function Unknown

check with your neighborhood bike shop, for safety/function assessment,
have them check the tension and truing of the wheels,
loose spokes break sooner than properly tensioned ones all acting as a whole.

HillRider

Simple answer, yes they will fit fine. Above details are irrelevant.

79pmooney

agetmano, all that really matters is the rim diameter; in your case, 27" or 630c. Tires can fit a variety of widths. Yes it is possible to go too far and have too narrow a tire on too wide a rim and vice versa, but the acceptable range is wide. And too wide a tire on a narrow rim rarely causes problems although in recent years the style police have decided wide tire on narrow rim is bad. Not aerodynamic enough and tire subject to roll on corners. (I always felt very secure cornering on wide tires and narrow rims, so apparently I didn't get the memo.)

Your 1 1/4 tires on 1 1/8 iwill look and ride like they were made for each other. Have at it!

Ben

andr0id

You're good.

The general rule of thumb back in the day for tire sizes in inches is don't mix fractions and decimals.

JohnDThompson 

Shouldn't be a problem, provided the frame has sufficient clearance for the slightly wider tire.

agermano

Thank you all for the short answers. To the poster who is shaming me for having 27 wheels, it's as simple as that is what is on the bike I'm buying and they are original aND are in perfect condition. Frankly, i don't give a rats puckered a-hole about the "in" equipment. If it works it works. When it doesn't, it will be repaired or replaced.

fietsbob

just offering selection is reduced really the difference is 4mm radius ..

lots of people do a cheap swap when they choose replacement wheels

then you may find even wider tires ... up until it wont fit in the frame.

only need the brake pads move down to meet the smaller rim ... just 4mm 630-622/2=r

steel rims? be careful too easy to blow the tire off the rim .. non Hook edged rims are also less secure




sorry, if you feel threatened by information.

techsensei

Which model Fuji? Does it have Dia Compe center pull brakes and Ukai rims? You should be able to fit even 1 3/8 tires.

agermano

I don't feel threatened by information, and certainly appreciate information. However, the information should actually be conveyed, and it should be conveyed in a coherent fashion. Thanks/.

fietsbob

You get what you pay for

DiabloScott

Well, that escalated quickly.

27" rims are not just out of fashion, they're about one step away from being obsolete... but they're not obsolete yet and good tires and replacement rims are still available so there's really no reason to switch on a vintage bike.

Fuji probably used UKAI rims which did label the width on the rim, even though it's not the rim width we're familiar with:



These are probably 19-21mm width rims and could accommodate 1-3/4" tires easily. Although if your rims don't have bead hooks you might not want to.

To the OP: You will almost certainly be able to fit tires wider than 1-1/8" on your wheels. Best to wait until you actually get the bike to decide though because if the rims are damaged you might decide to make a bigger change than just tire size, or you might have clearance problems off the wheel, like the brakes.

ThermionicScott 

Good point, @DiabloScott. Tires like the Panaracer Pasela 27"x1-1/4" now run true-to-size, so a frame designed around undersized 1-1/8" or 1-1/4" tires might not play well with the aforementioned Paselas.

D1andonlyDman

To the OP, you'll be fine running 27 x 1 1/4 tires on those rims - but I also agree, that you should wait to make sure that the existing rims are in good condition, because if they're not, it would be a good time to replace them with 700c wheels. But, assuming the existing rims are fine, and all you need is new tires, here are some recommendations - pick them based upon your budget and performance needs:

Kenda K35 tires are a good, inexpensive tire. Not high performance, but fairly durable.

Continental Ultra Sport II are a step up in performance, and probably will cost slightly more than the Kendas. There is an ebay seller offering a closeout deal on them right now:
2pack Continental Ultra Sport II 27" x 1 1 8 or 1 1 4" Road Bike Tire Flat Guard | eBay

Vittoria Zaffiros are similar in character to the Continental Ultra Sports, but they are becoming hard to find in 27" sizes now.

Panaracer Paselas are probably the best general purpose 27 x 1 1/4 tires available, but they'll also cost more than the ones listed above.

Clearly, 700c wheels give you infinitely more choices, but the ones listed above should more than suffice for most purposes.

drlogik 

Having grown up with 27" wheels you should be good to go. Quite frankly, the 1 1/8" tires should be good to. I'm 6'3" tall and weight around 210 and ride 1 1/8's...just got some new tires as a matter of fact. NOT EASY to find locally now though! 1 1/4's are good too but unless you're carrying weight (panniers, etc) I'd stick with the 1 1/8 tires as they will save some weight and roll a little faster.

As stated above, make sure the rims are truly in good shape. If you move to 700c's though, you're gonna open up a can of worms for brakes. Plus, even though they are just a little smaller, the 700 c's will look "smaller" on the bike. I know first hand; I have converted on previous bikes. I'd go so far as to buy new 27' wheels if the current ones are marginal (those can be found to). I recently bought a 30+ year old Raleigh with 27 inchers and thought about converting to 700c...for about 30 seconds. Just too much trouble getting brakes to work right (you need a dropper bolt - hard to find - or long reach brakes). Some folks will disagree of course (there are always Doubting Thomas's) but it depends on what you're goal is.

Me? I wanted to keep the bike "period" and not modernize it too much. Sure the tire choices are more limited but you can still get good tires for a good price. I kept the wheels but put new brakes on it...actually took them off my new Wabi and put some new Ultegra's on the Wabi instead. It's a purdy thang with my Brooks saddle and leather handlebar tape..... It's funny but "back in the day" we wanted our bikes to look as futuristic as possible. Now it seems that anything L'Eroica is the new hip!

Here's my L'Eroica Raleigh Wyoming Touring bike!

agermano

Bought the bike. It is immaculate. Essentially a brand new bike, he even found the owners manual for the bike which he gave me.

Now I may be dumb but I'm not stupid. As I intended, I went right from picking up the bike shop to a very reputable and long established LBS. They are going to tune it, put new brake pads on as the originals are hard and crusty. As for the tires, all the techs came out to looknow the bike as they wanted to see it. They all initially seen to think the original tires could actually stay on. They of course have to look at them closer, but that was there initial thoughts. The original foam padding on the bars is being replaced with tape, as it is so old and dry it almost disintegrates when you touch it. Other than that, everything initially looks like a new bike.

The above tall poster above is correct regarding the size. It is a scoasch to tall for me. I clear the bar but not as much as I would like. However, the top bar is perfect length. I also believe the next size down would be to small for me. I always hit the in between. Well I will ride it. If it simply to tall to safely operate at speed and distance, I will probably sell the beauty.

Thanks all for the help and advice.
Once I get her back from her tune, I will post some pics on the classic section.

agermano

My goal. I want to ride steel. My alum Chad, while a nice bike, is simply bone jarring to me at times.
However, being new to this, I plunged in on a brand new bike and nm can't really afford another new bike, so I looknow used/vintage.

Delmarva

Who is shaming you for having 27" wheels??? All I have read so far has been good advice.

agermano

I initially read a post above as that. Probably my mistake. No worries.