27 1/4 tire recos
 

Hi all,

I need to get a rear tire for my Centurion Super Le Mans. Do you guys have any tires you love? I'm looking for something pretty durable. I sometimes commute to work on the bike but also take it on road rides with moderate climbing. I'm lucky that the pavement around these parts is pretty good with minor potholes.

TIA!

I'll have to check what I have on my Nishiki - bought them at the LBS and they have held up really well. Might be a Bontrager. Will check in the morning.

I have Panaracer Pasela 27 x 1 1/4's on my daily commuter, and they have held up well and feel great. Rough roads on my route, but I've had no issues. I've run them at 60psi and 85psi depending on the day, and they handle the lower pressures well.

I'm pretty sure they don't make 27" tires anymore. Throw the bike in the nearest dumpster :P

Ha! Kidding of course. Panaracer Paselas are a very good starting point. I've never yet flatted one of 27 x 1 1/4 (or larger) size, and not for lack of trying. I abuse my tires viciously, and at high speed. I've had terrible luck on the 28 x 700c size (and smaller), but that's probably just because I'm too fat, ~200 lbs.

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.

Certainly never discussed before, lol

http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...ce-thread.html

Someone should start an ultimate, definitive 27" tire thread!

Then put it here on the Bike Forums for people to read and search!

I used to run Paselas and Pasela PT's on my commuter but they wore down prematurely on the rough roads and I ended up getting flat after flat. They do look the part and I did prefer the ride feel but I ended up switching to Gatorskins on my commuter and haven't looked back. They are available in 27 1/4 if I am not mistaken but I switched to 700c when I made the tire switch.

Bontrager Select are the ones I have and have been real happy with. I run them at about 100psi