Hi all:

For the last two years I've been running Panaracer Pasela 27 x 1" tires on my Grand Jubile. I really like the tires, they're the closest thing I could find to the skinny, high-pressure tires I used in my college days (in 27" size). They're due for a replacement, and I'm thinking about switching to the Pasela 27 x 1 1/8". I ride on city streets that are sometimes pretty rough, and I'm wondering if the slightly wider tires would give me a little more shock protection without sacrificing too much in terms of speed. Anybody have experience with both sizes of this tire? how much bigger in practice will the 27 x 1 1/8" be than the 1" I'm used to (given that the panaracers are a pretty "generous" 1" width to begin with).

A related question, anybody tried the new Panaracer "urban Max" tires?

I wish there was more selection in 27" tires! I'm really resisting the temptation to switch to 700c wheels.

I can't be very specific, but I would not hesitate to switch to the 1-1/8" size. I doubt you'll see any difference in speed, and will get a slightly more plush ride.

I used to have some 32's on a Salsa that I no longer have and they are nice.
Too bad the Conti Contacts don't come in 27" as they are nice also.

I don't understand people that don't want to ride tires that make their ride comfortable.

I'm riding 27 1 1/4 on everything that I can fit 'em on. I just got a set of 27 1 3/8 of Loose Screws' Sand Canyon tires. I have one of those on the back wheel of my Trek 620.

In all honesty, going from 1 1/8 to 1 1/4- great and wonderful difference. Going from 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 is not quite as noticeable. Then again, I didn't do the front tire.

I would absolutely ride the wider one. Go to 1-1/4" if you can.

I have both 1 inch and 1 1/8 inch Paselas. Though the wire bead kind. I can't detect much difference in the feel of them.
But then, I don't put near as many miles on my bikes as others here. I like the 1 inch version. But only because of the reason stated in the first post. They sort of "look right" on an old "ten speed racer".

ive been riding the 700x32c (1 1/4") ones for years and many thousands of miles and they dont feel any slower than the 23c durano plus' i had ridden previous. they are my favorite tire. they do a great job of smoothing out the ride and allow you to access a lot of places that skinnier tires dont.

i have a pair of 650b wheels in the works which ill be putting 38s and 43s if they can fit in the frame, i dont expect those to slow me down at all.

hell, my ECR with 29x3" knobby tires still seems fast and thats just a SS. a "bump" for that thing has to be a difference of 4" or more in road surface

Hello, Wider will give you more comfort on the city streets, a number of my motos have been updated to 700 and the only issue is the rear brake reach is sometimes not long enough so you will have to source some 900 series center-pulls.
Regards, Ben

That's rootboy for you- all fashion over function...

Trust the knowledgeable judgement of a neighbor, [MENTION=190364]lostarchitect[/MENTION], riding the mean streets of NYC and Prospect Park!

Yep ride the wider one. Once you do it, you'll wonder why it took you so long to make the switch.

I've ridden Paselas in 1", 1-1/8", and 1-1/4. The wider tires will feel slightly more comfortable and will have a negligible speed difference.

BTW, check for adequate clearance at the chainstays. I refurbed a Moto Sport Jubilee, Vitus tubing, and low and behold 1 1/4 tires wouldn't fit. Had to go to 1 1/8.

If the 28-630 (27"x1-1/8") tires feel anything like the 28-622 (700x28C) tires I have on a couple of bikes, you'll love them. That's the skinniest tire I'm willing to ride on my roads, to be honest.

Depends on the bike and application. Not all like to ride trucks and rather prefer a sports car with light weight wheels / tire combo that sprint the hills. If you really want to experience it, you might be blown away with high-end tubulars. Maybe not even high-end but mid grade tubular. Another option is wider cross tubulars with a small file tread pattern.

I think I look at it like a tool for an application.

For everything I'm riding- that skitter-y feel of narrower tires just isn't good. I can see where someone doing "race"y things might prefer it. But for the person riding around, going to the grocery store, commuting or utilizing any sort of "all-arounder" bike- it just makes sense to use more plush tires. Where I've seen here where people turn their noses up, and advocate nothing wider than 1" or 23 for anything... it doesn't make sense. For the person who's read those comments and is unaware that wider tires aren't going to slow you down- as I'm under the understanding that there's scientific, statistical factual basis in that- again it doesn't make sense to want to ride with narrow tires- especially on rough streets.

It seems to me that the choice to use narrower tires should be the more selective process, rather than "should I use wider tires."

I agree. While I don't ride 27", I do have one set of 700x23 on one bike and 700x28 on two others. No difference in speed and the 28s provide a much more comfortable ride.

My Paselas seem to flat easily and one was done in by an imperfection in the rim. They sure ride nice, though.

If running with a kickstand the fatter tires will make it work better! With 700x28's my Super Sport is starting to want to fall over.

i know someone that would argue that the paselas are the most flat-prone tire theyve ever had, yet theyre the most flat resistant tires ive ever had. i can count on one hand the flats ive had with them in 3 years/somethousands of miles

was just talking about this in the roadie forum

I feel like that tread pattern contributes somehow... if a thorn or some other little sharp thing gets into one of the tread grooves, there isn't a whole lot of protection, but the rest of the tread seems to protect against intrusion pretty well.

I've wished for a while that they'd make a version without the tread grooves at not-Grand Bois prices. The Fairweather "For Traveler" seems to be a step in the right direction, but I'm a few thousand miles away from being ready to try it.

I have a few bikes on 28mm folding Paselas, both in 622 and 630. They're quite light and pretty much flat-proof. ** dark voice**: "The dependable tire".

The treads are noisy, though.

[MENTION=262368]Roypercy[/MENTION], I ride all three sizes on my 27" rims, 1, 1 1/8, 1 1/4. I probably won't be buying any more of the 1" tires, but I wanted to try them. So, yeah, I'd go up a step if I were you. As far as Panaracers being "generously" sized, I'd say more that they're "accurately" sized. Most other companies rate their tires wider than they are in real life, for whatever reason.

I ride the Paselas in 25, 28 32 and 35 (700c). The difference between any tire and the next is small. Two steps I notice. I often interchange the 25s which I have for my two fastest bikes and the 28s of my more general bikes. The large tires don't fit on my faster bikes so they don't get the side by side comparison, though I started by gravel bike on 28c, went to 32s and will go 35 when it comes back from being painted. For that bike every step up in size has been a plus.

Ben

Mine have all been from thorns, and I have the unarmored version. I wanted to try it. They did ride very nice! I will be buying something a little further up the food chain next time I need 700's and probably sticking with Zafiros at 27