Just curious, were these gumwalls or skinwalls? I've had good luck and a lot of miles on their gumwall K35s, but they also have a skinwall version that I ordered by accident once. They gave me the most trouble of any tire ever trying to get the bead seated, so it seemed like they were out of round since parts were below the rim lip. I had to really soap them up and then over-fill them to get them to pop out to seat correctly, but then if I didn't ride them for a while and the air pressure went down they would unseat again. Not sure if it was the rims I was using them on, but they weren't worth the hassle.

I've updated the first post with more tires and notes from everybody's comments.

I've noticed a set of Michelin World Tours running rather large in comparison to other 27 x 1 1/4 tires. I ran into clearance issues on an older Schwinn with fenders (Suburban, maybe?).

I like the Continental Ultra Sports and very much like the Panaracer Paselas.

I'm just curious as to what made you think that those sunlite whitwalls were made by Cheng Shin?

They look more like the sub-Kenda cheapie level in the picture that I can see.

Also, with Niagara, shipping is an extra $5 per tire, no matter how many you are buying at once.


For 27" tires, I'm a big fan of the Cheng Shin gumwalls in the 1-1/4" width.

Another 27" Cheng tire, the 1-1/8" C-732 model is very much lighter with only a very thin layer of rubber on each side. Actually a fairly fast tire, with actual width about 26mm.

You might try calling. It's really difficult with some shopping carts to accurately reflect cost of shipping for multiple items.

FWIW, for the last Niagara order I placed, I compared and shipping was much cheaper when I bought from them via amazon vs directly from their website.

If I needed a heavy duty tire, that World Tour might fit the bill.

I've had a few too many defective Cheng Shin tires. Out of round is a b*tch. Yes, they ride well, and the prices are hard to resist. But I'm resisting.

+1 I have found that to be the case too. I also order a lot of stuff from treefortbikes. They offer free shipping at $125 and price matching. It works very well for me.

Hmmmm, I recommended the Cheng's because they seem to have far FEWER problems than the other sub-$15 tires I've tried, and I've bought a lot of them.

I would bet that the Sunlite-branded tires are lumpy as soon as they're mounted, and with a very uneven line between the black and white areas.
Again, these are the problems (with these cheap tires) that lead me to prefer Cheng Shin above many others.

A lot of the cheap OEM-level tires, as from Specialized, cost a couple dollars more than the aftermarket Cheng's, but seem to have more problems (even though they are also made by Cheng Shin) than the cheaper Cheng's that I buy aftermarket.

My only gripe about the c-732 (the lighter Cheng tire) is that they don't resist punctures well, but I could say the same thing about entry-level Conti's (but not the Vittorias which seem to have a thicker/stiffer tread cap).

I don't buy cheap ass tires because I don't own cheap ass bikes. They deserve better.

Bargain priced good tires are a different story. Panaracer Paselas are good tires at a bargain price when they're on sale, but I'm willing to try something else if they're good. Any suggestions?

You're absolutely right, it is a Kenda I stand corrected. On Mixtes, they look great!

As for shipping, I usually end up buying several tires and other consumables where the order averages $250, which makes the $20 shipping cost reasonable.

My $.02:
Kenda K-35--sometimes called Kenda Street tires, I think--are cheap and work pretty well. I've used a bunch of them, but the sidewalls tend to crack after a fairly short time.
Michelin World Tours--As someone else has noted, these are really wide. I put a pair of them on my Dawes in place of the Kendas that had fit comfortably, and they almost rubbed the chainstays--only a mm or so of clearance on each side. No good on that particular frame.
Schwalbe HS159--I just put a set on my Raleigh Sprite yesterday. The wheels have Mavic G40 rims, and I had a REALLY hard time getting one of the tires seated. It kept wanting to creep off the rim as I inflated it--I burst one tube and almost had the same thing happen again before I finally got it on properly. Not a rim problem, as far as I know--I'd never had problems with other tires on that rim. Now that it's on and fully inflated it seems fine. The other tire--the front--went right on with no problem. Go figure.
Panaracer Paselas--all in all, I think this are the best, most reliable 27s out there. If I weren't congenitally cheap, I'd never buy anything else.

These were the standard gum wall Kenda that you see at Canadian Tire or other mass retailers, with the fairly fat side wall. I also had trouble seating mine and once seated they still weren't round. You could see that the gum wall span was a little lop sided.

David

Hello, my first post to this forum. i picked up a 1972 motobecane mixte nomade for my daughter for $40 and bought some cheap $9 kendas but the front tire started bulging. i estimate i had only about 80psi in it (max rating on sidewall says 90) and she only rode it in front of the house. so i've been searching for better quality tires to replace both kendas. this thread is very helpful.

i liked the idea of the schwalbe HS159 in the white wall ($18) even though they seem heavy by the numbers but it appears they do not work well on hookless rims and i think the circa 80s aluminum arayas i grabbed from storage and am using on the moto are hookless. looks like i might turn to the standard paselas. again, thanks for this thread. getting this bike ride-worthy for my 12-year old has been a bit energizing for me, one who once used to ride everywhere on my old bianchi back in the 80s. how time flies...

eric
fresno, ca.

Eric,

Welcome to C&V. Glad you joined.

The old style hookless rims usually only let you get to about 70 psi or so. The variables do depend on the tire and the rim. Generally the cheaper stiff tires with a wire bead work the best, but those can also be a little "big" in the inside diameter, and thus slip off the rim easier. Try mounting the front tire on the back rim and see if it still comes off. If it does, take it back and ask for another Kenda. Best of luck.

In the FWIW dept. I just bought another vintage bike and the original 700c sew up rims had been switched out to 27's. The shop I bought the bike from put some Pasela Tour guards on it. Nice, but at 1 1/4, there was VERY little clearance. Almost none.
So, trying to keep the wheels I opted for Pasela 27 by 1 inch tires. Nice. Kind of low profile and narrow, looking much more like a "fat" tubular. Looks much better on a "racing bike" than the fatter tires, IMO.

I am using the Vittorio's. I got them on sale for $12 each from Westernbikeworks.com and so far am happy with them.

pastor bob, actually, the tire did not come off. the sidewall was bulging in 2-3 places over about a 5 inch length. the bead looked seated.

i'm considering panaracer paselas now.

eric
fresno, ca. (glad to be here)

Excellent! And thanks for posting the cross tires too. There are also these Serfas in 27X1 1/4, I have them on 2 bikes, an armored slick
[h=1]Serfas Seca Road Utility Tire - 27 x 1-1/4[/h]http://www.rei.com/pix/common/pixel.gif
they have them at REI stores and Amazon and other online stores too.

I have a set of these Vittorio in the 1 1/8 size and they still have all the molding line/whiskers on them after 450 miles. And they are more than grippy enough, I have vever had them slide out.

The 27s are bad enough, but getting a K35 mounted on an EA-3 is about an hour-long job, involving talc, soap, dire imprecations, salty language, sobbing in despair, solvent intoxication, white roosters, and the entrails of a goat or two

Jenson USA has Vittori Zaffiro 27 x 1 1/8 tires for $10.50. Free shipping on orders over $50

http://www.jensonusa.com/Vittoria-Zaffiro-Tire-1

I bet somebody wishes these were still made. Yes it's a crying shame :cry:

http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/a...b/IMG_0941.png

Probably the most widely available 27" tire in the USA is the cheap Bell branded 27" x 1 1/4" kevlar-belted blackwall tire sold by Walmart:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bell-Sport...-Tire/15188809

Every Walmart I have been in stocks these. You can find these or similar cheap 27" tires at hardware stores, general stores, etc.

As long as Walmart continues to stock 27" tires and matching shrader-valve tubes, there are large areas of the country where the most readily available tires are 27", not 700C. If you are touring, it's a lot easier to find a Walmart than a bike shop.

Not all Walmarts stock any 700C tires or any narrow presta-valve tubes. Most of their tire and tube stock is wide 26" tires and matching shrader tubes for cheap mountain bikes.

I can't find them in their online catalog, but I believe Canadian Tire (a ubiquitous and uniquely Canadian store that sells both automotive and sporting gear) stocks some similar 27" tires.

Probably costs too much, but I've found the Specialized All Condition Armadillo (27" x 1.25") to be very good.

I've got these on my touring bike and love how they ride. They are 4-5 years old at least, does anyone know if they still make them?