billnuke1 

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Still riding these. Sidewall flecking off. Sidewall underneath looks perfect. Don’t really ride further than I’m willing to walk home. Still icy around here anyhow.

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Drive wheel.

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On my as found Motobecane Grand Touring.

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Found these in my stash.

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Anybody tried these?

Iride01 

Depends on what you want out of a tire. I had some very old gumwalls on my Varsity that looked like your first pick with the sidewall flaking off. Not a big deal IMO as the gumwall only served to protect those layers underneath and to look "pretty". I've ridden Kenda's quite a bit when I had a 27" wheel bike and they were okay tires. I'm sure the Kenda's you showed will serve the purpose as will the Bell's if you decide to buy those.

If you are going to start riding for 2 plus hours or more at a time three to four times a week, then you might find you want a better tire in the 25 to 30 dollar/tire range or even higher.

edit...

ps. The Bell's are a folding tire so they don't have a wire bead and work best on rims that have a hook. If your rims aren't hooked then be aware they may blow off your rim under high pressure and/or from road forces when cornering and such. That said, I use a folding tire on my rims that are smooth on the inside and not had an issue yet even at max pressure.

Looking at your rims, are those Weinmann concave rims? That's what's on my '78 Raleigh. Except mine are 700C.

Jon T

I have that exact same Zefal frame pump on my '84 Peugeot PH10. Bought 'em both new and both are still as good as the day they were new. I'd be replacing those gum walls if they were on my bike.
Jon

jefnvk

Everything is sill usable, until it suddenly isn't. Can I guarantee that "suddenly" isn't going to come in the middle of a 35MPH downhill corner?

For the $50-60 its gonna cost me to get into a decent set, tires like that are simply not worth it.

Also bought one of those folding Bells for $3 to carry as a touring spare when Wally World closed them out. Looks like a stiff but solid tire. Haven't used it yet though.

rumrunn6

reminds me trying to nurse some old tires ('70s originals probably) w a test commute 17 miles on a quiet Sunday. got about 3/4 the way when I started to hear popping sounds. turned out to be the threads of the sidewalls w cpl bulges starting to appear. turned around & glad to make it home. so yeah, new tires before the next trial commute!

ThermionicScott 

Cheaper tires with thicker casing threads and heavy rubber coatings all around can usually put up with more age and abuse than lightweight performance tires.

If it were my bike, I would at least put a newer tire on the front.

veganbikes

I wouldn't ride on rotted tires. I am worth more than the cost of some tires. If I am riding the bike in urban conditions a lot then I am happy to spend money on a Continental Gatorskin or Gatorhardshell which you can still find in 27x1 1/4. There are tons of other tires still out there from Specialized's Armadillos to Schwalbe's Marathon to Panaracer's Pasella you can even find CX tires from Club Roost and Kenda and those aren't all the options.

The tires might be cool because they are actual Motobecane tires and not something from BikesDirect that just uses the name to add false prestige, but when they are rotted they do you no good even if you are close enough to walk.

billnuke1 

Yeah. They’ve gone to the big tire shredder in the sky...
I love the sound of sidewalls unzipping themselves!
Oooo! Maybe I’ll blow these up!

billnuke1 

907E0640-357C-4A20-B882-0016903D2619.jpegOriginal tubes, too. Valve failed before it blew up. I’m guessin’ I could’ve still seen my house when this gave up!

Wanderer

If you want to help it age gracefully, and be protected, vacuum shrink wrap it in one of them food saver thingys. Would almost make it last forever as a emergency spare.

billnuke1 

Wall hangers...right next to my Myata Radials!

Mr IGH

Life is too precious and my riding enjoyment too important to ride on cheap or marginal tyres.