I took a 20 mile cruise over the weekend on the Centurion Pro Tour and was thoroughly fed up with the Kenda 27 x 1-1/4" gumwall tires by the end.


So on goes a spare set of 700c wheels I've got...didn't even have to touch the brake pad adjustment

Now the question....what tires? The outgoing 27" tires are 32's and The slightly smaller rims give me enough room to go a bit bigger.

So I'm thinking

a. Panaracer Jack Browns. Claimed 33.3333333 width

b. Another pair of Grand Bois Cypress. Claimed 32 width

c. Fat Panaracer Paselas....I can get em in 35 or even 37, but I don't see a point to going as fat as 37 in this case...unless you folks can convince me.

So whaddya think?

I'm leaning towards Jack Browns. Something I haven't tried yet.

The Jack Browns will measure right around 35mm @ 80psi on a CR-18 or VO Diagonale rim (same inside width). I've had two sets of the Kevlar version. They're nice and you can ride them at really low psi. I'll bet the non-Kevlar version offers an even better ride.

From all of the opinions I've heard (from riders' opinions I'd consider) I suspect the Grand Bois are the best of the three. As you are aware, any of the choices will be a good one.

What kind of duty/mileage will this set see? That would be a factor in my decision.

The Grand Bois would be my choice as I don't have experience with the Jack Browns. I do have the 32mm Paselas on a couple of bikes and like them a lot, but they're not quite to the level of the GBs.

Neal

The bike will be set up for long rides and spending a lot of comfortable time in the saddle.
I commute on Grand Bois Cypress's (which have no protective belt) and have only flatted once in the 10 months i've been using em....so I'll be going with a non-Kevlar Belted/TourGard Tire.

Rims are Sun CR-18.

I was gonna try out a pair of Veloflex Master's but the rims are too wide.

There's a thread on the iBob list right now, actually, on this topic. Some of the other 32mm-ish 700c tires being discussed include:

Michelin Dynamic (mostly good response)
Vittoria Randonneur Hyper (lots of folks seem to like these)

Neal

I think that the Paselas actually are slightly under-advertised-size. A pair of "32 mm" TourGuards on 23 mm wide (velocity Synergy) rims, are only 30 mm wide. I have some 35 mm non-TG, but haven't mounted them. My own impression of the TG tires is that while they're tough, I've ridden better tires. I'm also considering the Jack Brown Green (non-kevlar-belted) tires for another build -- nice-looking tread.

Thanks for the replies guys, I am leaning a bit less towards the Paselas mostly because they don't have the same snob appeal

speaking of which, the Vittoria tires sounded like a good look but I ended up on A-Dugast's Site Silk 29mm Tubulars?

+1 on the Vittoria Hypers. I have been using them and now prefer them to the Pasela TG's I used to run. I run them in 35mm. On a CR-18 @90psi the are really a 37mm. On a set of Open Pros they are a true 35mm tire. They do not come in a skin wall so that may be a deal breaker. In my informal & unscientific search they were the lightest 35mm tire that I found FWIW. I was finding them on Amazon for about $33 each if I remember correctly....

Fender1, do you have a pic of your bike with the Vittoria Hypers on it? i'm interested to see what they look like mounted up.

Here is a pic on CR-18. Bike is not C&V approved. Another upside it that there is no skin wall to get all dirty and nasty....

I had the Pasela (regular, not tour guard) in 27" x 1 1/4 on my fixie for years of near-daily riding. Never got a flat, the recessed tread held up beautifully and I rode in all sorts of weather on truly terrible Philly roads. The gumwalls did get pretty nasty and dry overt time though. Had Vittorias before that wore down quickly although they were nice too.

I like the look of the Pasela TG, on Open Sport rims the 32mm version measure 30mm:

Pasela 35's. I'm regretting replacing the worn-out 35's with blackwall 32's - by comparison, the new tires are harsh and slow, not to mention much less attractive. I've also got SOMA B-lines on my 650b bike. Just like the 35 Pasela, but with a folding bead (and no TourGard! YEA!!)

Also have Schwalbe Kojaks (1.35", 35mm) on my 'bent. "Good tires, but certainly not great tires", to borrow a line from Road&Track:



35mm is turning out to be my "sweet spot" for tires: smooth, plenty fast, and completely oblivious to gravel and chipseal.

SP
Bend, OR

Here is a pic of the Vittoria Hyper 35mm on a more traditional looking project of mine. These are on the Open Pros

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OOOOOooooooohh!!! TOp Line Cranks!!! LOVE IT

Those tires look good on that bike

Brian is such a show off.

Guilty as charged.......^^^^^^^

That Riv looks great, and blackwall tires were an excellent choice. The invisible handlebar tape is pretty cool, too.

Neal

Thanks and I am getting there w/ the build. I am currently stripping, glazing & painting 28, 90 year old windows in my "C&V" house....it never ends........hopefully next week it will be done.......

Thanks. The crank is actually a Sugino PX (TA Clone).

Even cooler.

Jack Browns was the ultimate choice, and here they are fat and happy on the Centurion Pro-Tour