As I'm starting to work on the old Hercules I bought recently, I am trying to figure out what tires would be most appropriate: tanwall or blackwall?

I have new a half dozen tanwalls sitting in my shop, but am not sure they'll look right. Most of the pictures I've seen of Pre-Raleigh Hercules seem to have blackwall tires.

Thoughts and input please!

I'm a gumwall guy nearly everytime. They just seem so age appropriate on vintage bikes and they really add some interest to the overall look. Unless it's a newer modern type bike, blackwalls really don't do it for me...

Probably had blackwalls originally. What color is the rest of the bike?

Use what you have. Tan will look great.

Yeah either one is fine. I seem to like black tires on the old three speeds. Not to mention, black tires stay nicer looking after riding in the rain.

All the older three-speeds that I have seen had blackwalls. Sometime in the 1970's tan sidewalls came into fashion, maybe because that was what the ten-speeds were wearing.

I have seen ads from the 1950's with white walls and tan walls. Use what you want. FWIW I run either and have been known to run both on the same bike

Aaron

My '72 Raleigh came with blackwall tires. I put on gumwalls and never looked back. I am now running Michelin World Tours with the reflective white strip in the gumwall. A really slick looking tire in my opinion.

The bike is black with a white headtube.

That's a good point. I did a ride on a crushed limestone path a few days ago after a rainstorm and it made HUGE mess of the tires... And the rest of the bike, too!

Full tan tires, not just the walls seem to be the fashion here for oldies or wannabe oldies.

Both of my mid-70s Raleigh Sports have their original tanwall tires. The Herc is, at best guess, from the early- to mid-50's and does not have the original tires on it, but they are blackwalls. As mentioned in an earlier thread, it also doesn't have the original front or rear wheels either and, frankly, I'm not entirely concerned with originality.

I purchased a set of World Tours and haven't levered them onto a set of rims yet. I like the very traditional look of the tread and the reflective strip is an added bonus.

Aaron, you'll need to send me a Kodak! I just can't imagine you doing anything like that...

Italuminium, do you have any examples of some that will fit on the original 26x1-3/8 rim size? I don't recall seeing any that were all full-on tan for this size.

What also doesn't show in the picture is that the rear tire is a knobby cyclocross and the front is smooth street tread!

Aaron

Actually, I'm switching my fleet over to wheelchair grey;

Hmmm, I've always been suspicious of your advice. I'm now know why! As far as the mismatching tread, that sounds like what I've got on the Herc. The front is a Cheng Shin and the rear has HWA FONG on the sidewall, a name I've never heard of.


Hercules Front Tire by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr


Hercules Rear Tire by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr

That's an interesting idea... I often forget that wheelchair tires are 26x1-3/8. How many or the wheelchair gray tires have you levered on so far, sailor?

EDIT: I just realized that the tread on the tire in your picture looks nearly identical to that on my rear tire. What brand is that tire, sailor?

That is my beer bike, gotta have good traction getting up the unimproved road that serves as my driveway.

Don't forget the advice you get on the internet is worth exactly what you paid for it. BTW, on some bikes I don't care what the tires are as long as they hold air and roll!

Aaron

Nice pic. I like that you have a bicycle themed beer in the front basket of the bike. Gotta find me some fat tire! I do agree with you on the "as long as they hold air and roll" comment. That's why I plan to ride the original tires that came on my Raleighs. No sense in sending them to the landfill yet.

My Superbe has matching black wall tires on it, they happen to be Bell tires from WM (I was seriously desperate!) Eventually it will get Michelin World Tour or Panaracer Col de Vie's on it along with alloy rims.

Aaron