sovende

I have a similar vintage Technium that I built up from a bare frame-



While I had the option to use 700c wheels, I had a decent set of 27" wheels available so I used those. The Vittoria tires that I'm using were on clearance at NashBar several years ago and are prolly are the closest thing to "high end i.e. quality tires" that I have on any bike that I ride on a regular basis.

Bagel Bob

What happened is that America has stopped manufacturing pretty much anything and the rest of the world doesn't know about inches, feet, or miles. We need to get in sync. The metric system make SO much more sense.

wle

amazon will have tons of them

Cycle Tourist

Don't do it without ear plugs. Seriously.😁

slcurts

I recently restored a ~1950 French bike that paradoxically has 27" wheels, and I had trouble finding tires even on Amazon - all the Pasela listings I found were sold out. I did find this rather nice looking skinwall set on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pak-Vee-T...t/292286209376

Cycle Tourist

Touring bikes stayed with 27" tires later than many models because they were easier to find back in the 80's in many areas. Many retailers listed their bikes at 27", 26" or 24" based on wheel size rather than frame size. 700c wheels were used exclusively on racing or racing styled bikes at first but gradually became more popular and 27" are now seen only on older bikes. I have a lovely set of trek Matrix wheels that I use on my old Miyata or Maruishi touring bikes that I treasure. Unfortunately many 27" rims are not hooked and should only be used with non-folding tires in my opinion. I've blown a tube or two because I didn't check the (use on hooked rims only) warning. I've used non-hooked rims on tours of thousands of miles with no problem however so with the correct tires you'll be ok. In a pinch Walmart or Target still stock them usually but they are getting more scarce. It's probably smarter to change to 700c and there are chinese wheels that are "popularly priced" and sturdy but get something good if your planning on living out of your bike. With folding tires you can carry a spare tire easily which is nice if you suddenly discover your riding on what looks like canvas far from civilization.
For 27" tires I like gatorskins for touring. They're comfortable and they don't flat easily. They don't handle as well as others but loaded with camping gear I don't notice the difference. They last pretty well too. I can't tell you how many Kendra tires I've tossed with barely worn tread but unsafe sidewalls. You'll never regret spending a little more on tires whatever size you have.

sunburst

I was asking the guy at Performance a couple of years ago why don't they have a selection. They had one model Forte in 27" that was VERY uninspiring. I wanted Schwalbe or something decent. His answer "you won't believe how many we sell of that tire!" Yeah, because they only have that one model (crap) tire.

SurferRosa

Bob, check out this sticky over in c&v:

The ultimate 27" tire reference thread!

sovende

I’ve also noticed a relative scarcity of 27” tubes (at least in my locale). I was pleased to see the post in this thread that confirmed, as I suspected, that larger sized i.e. 28-32 700c tubes will work for 27 x 1 1/8” - 27 x 1 3/8” tires . My local WalMart (today) had their larger 700c tubes clearance priced at $1.96 (reg $4.96). Presta valve’d too!

Vintage Schwinn

The Bikesmiths(414)332-1330 in Milwaukee have plenty of 27" Kendas and Panaselas....see: the_bikesmiths (99.9% ebay store) ...bikesmiths.com =website.
There are other really great sources that carry some 27" tires such as (wheel and sprocket of appleton wisc....have ebay store also) and (trailthis....have ebay store too).
There are many more quality suppliers. Those are just several that I have dealt with over the years. Check all of the others and then compare their website, ebay store and Amazon listings for the best quantity discount/shipping cost when purchasing. I mean if your Amazon Prime membership gets you slightly better overall cost because of reduced shipping, well why the hell not.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/37226314290...EAAOSw73Naw9PH

https://www.ebay.com/itm/37312894981...YAAOSwnGJWTLwW

(#372263142905 = 2pk of Panasela 27" tires & #373128949810 = 2pk of Kenda 27" tires on thE bay from the_bikesmiths 99.9% milwaukee )


Even with the package delivery services like UPS, Fed Ex & US Postal system being slightly slow because of the huge number of parcels being shipped now, you can expect to receive your tires within a week. No worries about whether it is too hot, too cold or raining or snowing because you don't need to drive to the local bike shop or the local walmart because they aren't going to have any 27" tires in stock anyway. The bonehead minimum wage flunkies at the LBS will tell you: "Dude ya need to convert to 700C wheels cuz we don't have no twenty-sevens, and they don't make them cuz dude we ain't never sold any" That isn't too far fetched from what moron Justin might tell you at the LBS, unless you actually talk to someone over 45 there who is half-way knowledgeable and not a half wit like Justin.
There is no reason to convert your old 27" wheel bike because YOU CAN PURCHASE NEW 27" TIRES THAT ARE DECENT ENOUGH. The Fed Ex guy or the UPS guy will deliver it to your doorstep within a week. The only thing to worry about is "Porch-Pirates" stealing UPS & Fed-Ex deliveries in your neighborhood. If that is a concern, you could ship it to your office address. Remember the old LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE WALKIN (yellow pages' 1970's ad), well let your fingers do the walkin and let the new tires arrive upon your doorstep. Just because Wallyworld and Your Local Bike Shop don't stock the 27" tires does not mean that they are not manufactured in large quantities and widely available on the web. Order some new replacement 27" tires from some web source and as Bachman Turner Overdrive sang back in the Seventies:....." Ride, Ride, Ride......."

Lazyass

Since we're keeping this one alive....

Because of the larger diameter, 27 inch wheels ride very smooth. The MTB industry went from 26 to 29 for a reason. I think they should revive 27's for gravel bikes. Light/wide 27 inch disc rims and some 45mm tires. Stop measuring them by inches.

My Univega is really stable on gravel and dirt roads and Pasela's are great tires. These are 27x1-1/14" measure out to about 32mm. They glide over those rail road tracks.

Hiro11

Unlikely. Larger tires on a 700c will give you the same roll over with the added benefit of more cush.

JanMM

While riding in a nearby neighborhood, noticed a bike sitting near the street with some other items - appeared to be giveaways. Stopped for a moment and found it was a old Miyata. Drove back in a while and rang the doorbell - confirmed by the owner it was mine for the taking. Which I did. Mid-80's Miyata Ninety looks to be in good shape. I plan to donate it to a local non-profit organization that helps kids learn to work on bikes, among other projects. (Freewheelin' Community Bikes) Bike still sporting what could be original tires (????), which are Miyata Sport 27 x 1 1/4.

Lazyass

But larger tires of the same width on a 27 will obviously still have a larger diameter. That's the point I'm making. It would be smooth as hell. But I know it's unlikely.

sovende

Nice bike! I have a few that are set up,in a similar fashion. 27x1 1/4” tires DO make for a comfortable, stable ride on gravel as well as blacktop surfaces. I don’t have anything against the 700c wheel size and have a few in that mode too. Most are used for “true” road riding but occasionally roll on packed limestone trails. None have tires wider than 25mm.
Bottom line, I too, hope 27” remain available at reasonable prices. IMHO there’s no need to drop the 27” labeling in favor of metric only labeling, it’s just not necessary. Just sayin’.

Maelochs

When you say "smooth as hell" I am pretty sure we all know you are exaggerating. I am pretty sure the differences the minimal difference in overall diameter would be almost unnoticeable .... based on the fact that I don't feel a "smooth as hell" sensation when I ride my 27"-equipped '84 Cannondale versus any of my 700c bikes.

A 29" MTB set-up is Significantly greater in diameter than a 26" set-up---so there is a significant increase in roll-over capability, which matters on very uneven surfaces. On pavement, I sincerely doubt there would be a any noticeable difference between a 27" and a 700c running equivalent tires---based on actual experiments.

Others' mileage will vary.

friday1970

As informative as this thread could be, lock it up. Already dumb politics a few posts in.
As far as 27 tires are concerned, visit a thread at the top of the C&V forum. I use Conti Ultrasports on my older 27".

Maelochs

^ Conti Ultrasports on my C'dale .... you are a man of wisdom.

Flatforkcrown

4mm. That’s the real difference between 27 and 700. 622 vs 630 bsd. So a 700 tire in 36mm would have the same outside diameter as a 27 in 32mm. Not a big enough difference to set up tooling and manufacturing for a dead tire size.