daka

For me, the 27" tire that characterizes the '70s was the Michelin Fifty. 27x1 1/4. Gumwall, fine chevron tread, consistent quality, 70 psi.. In the later '70s you started to see 27x1 1/8 tires and Avocet appeared with their slicks. My go-to for '70s bikes with 27" wheels is the beige sidewall Panaracer Pasela though we also have two bikes with beige sidewall Schwalbes (not sure which model, but they were cheap, like $19 on sale). The Schwalbes have a heavier, more robust look to them on both tread and sidewall. We use those on the bikes that are off-pavement more.
For a more slick tread, there are the Continentals but most what is offered now all seems to have a dark or black sidewall. I also get the impression that they are trying to cut back to one set of molds and make a single 27" tire that is in between 1 1/8 and 1 1/4. Some people grouse about Continentals but I've used a lot of them and don't really have any complaints.

WT160

I bought Kenda Street K40 tires in 27" x 1 3/8" the other day. There are not many offerings in this size. They're cheap and seem fine.

daka

We use a lot of Kendas at the Bike Exchange where I volunteer. Personally, I think they are kind of slow compared to a Pasela or a Continental.

dddd

Sadly, I have read more bad things than good about Schwalbe's "Green" compounded tires, parts made from recycled materials.

dddd

Well, it's been eight months since anyone (me) posted to this former "sticky" thread.

I had been looking for fatter, treaded rubber for my New-Years Day Bridgestone submariner that has been seeing mixed and off-road duty, so yeah, it's being used as a "hybrid" and I finally pulled the trigger on some tires which have been impossible to source stateside.

I finally found a Hybrid "37mm" (or more realistically, their labeled and actual 1-3/8" width) tire with deeper tread than anything 27" that is actually this wide.
Previous Kenda 1-3/8" tires measured an actual 29mm on touring rims, but these Cheng Shin C-979D tires will measure an actual 35mm wide on 27" touring rims.

The tread is what I remember as the Specialized Nimbus tires that came on my 1991 Specialized Crossroads, except those were "41mm" wide (also made by CST though).

These are good tires for riding at lower pressure, though still rated for 85psi.
The tread is "open" along the center, so will wear fast in the middle if ridden at relatively high pressure (that's not what these tires are about imo).

The source is Alibaba, and the shipped price is just $17 each (I bought six). Two weeks delivery approximately, wrapped three to a package and unfurled into straight-looking tires none the worse for their travels.
Alibaba's search engine wastes your time, a 27" tire query brings up hundreds of bicycles.
Phoeny bike shop Store

Pictured mounted on a medium-narrow rim that's 15mm inside width, so only showing 34mm outside width at rated pressure, after 24 hours.

smontanaro 

In all fairness, there aren't a lot of new developments in the 27in tire space.

Thanks for the report on the new tires.

sunburst

Can you give us a link? When I search for "Cheng Shin C-979D", at AliExpress, I get a page of sex toys.

tbowenmo

Most of my go to roadbikes are vintage 27", so another shout out for Swift Tire Sand Canyons in 27x1 3/8. They are only available via the Swift Tire web page I think... Not Schwalbe thick and uber strong, but for me, lighter and more supple for a better ride on my local bike path and fine gravel rail trail. Those or the Panaracer offerings in 2 smaller 27" sizes. For my bikes, $36 for Sand Canyons isn't terrible in today's market for what you get. And yes, I also hapilly run Kenda K40 gum walls on a motobecane mirage (beater bike) because they are always available when I need tires.

dddd

I posted the link to the particular Aliexpress vendor. You'll have to scroll through a lot of their listed products from there, but their pictures help a lot (and are more indicative of what you are looking for than their text ACTUAL SIZE is).

I entered the search term "CST 979D" in the Phoeny bike shop Store 's search box (upper RH corner).
One of the item descriptions in the search results will list 24" and 26" versions of visually the same tire, but clicking on that listing shows seven different versions, including 27x1-3/8"
There is no hard link to the particular item selection, you have to go through the search box to get to it.

Again, the store link, below:

Phoeny bike shop Store

And no, it's not Phony

64TBOLT

what name brand tires came on a 80 Royael???

dddd

I worked at a Fuji dealer around that time, I'm remembering Mitsuboshi Silver Star on some of the sport-touring models.

But the Royale being fairly heavy and still having 27" rims, possibly Panaracer or IRC.

What tires did yours come with?

64TBOLT

Kenda's

dddd

The Kendas wouldn't be original, so it matters not what the original tires were, since you can't buy them.

The Canadian-Market 1976 Bridgestone Submariner I bought at Goodwill on January 1 still had it's original front gumwall, "The Original High Pressure Tyre" or some such.

I rode the bike with it's badly decaying "tyres" for some weeks before replacing them one night after riding it home on a pinch-flatted rear tire. I was running 55psi on- and off-road for my 145lbs and neither tire blew (sigh).

64TBOLT

Panaracer is still around

Pompiere

I bought a Fuji Royale in 1980. While you could find a gumwall tire that resembles the original, you can get much better tires for only a few dollars more. I would go with a Panaracer Pasela. They are readily available in 27 inch sizes and not expensive. There are cheaper tires, but they are heavy and do not hold up as well.

ehasbrouck

I got a pair of Bontrager T1s, 27" x 1 1/8", during the pandemic when they were the only 27" tires I could find after canvassing local bike shops all over greater Boston. I rode them on a vintage Bridgestone road bike, for recreation and with panniers of groceries, on a mix of mostly good paved roads and unpaved paths, in both dry and rainy weather.

I road them at 100 PSI; I weigh about 170 lbs.

My overall impression is that the Bontrager T1s are pretty good mid-range tires, better than CKS or Kenda, I would choose Continental Ultrasports (if they are still available; it looks like Ultrasports may have been discontinued in 27" sizes) over Bontrager T1s for similar uses at a similar price.

Good: Good traction on a range of surfaces, wet or dry, including under a heavy load. (Particularly good wet traction, and decent on fine crushed rock or smooth dirt, although I wouldn't choose them for coarse gravel.) Smooth ride. Available in 27" x 1", 27" x 1 1/8", and 27" x 1 1/4" sizes.

Bad: Poor road feel, Feel somehow "dead", as though they are heavier than they are. Much slower if even slightly underinflated.

I was riding on roads without a lot of glass or debris, and not in goathead country, so I can't judge flat resistance.

smontanaro 

Maybe not quite on-topic for this thread, but I noticed yesterday someone on Chicago CL is selling 27x1 tires in groups of 10 for $25 per group, CST Super HP:

https://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/b...741820112.html

Apparently the seller has several sets. Might be useful for flippers...

Fissile

Would also be worth it for anyone who has more than one bike with 27" rims. Tires will last a long time if stored in a 'cool, dry place' and out of direct sunlight. I currently have one bike with 27" rims. When those rims give out I will rebuild with 700c. My feeling is that we're in the homestretch as far availability of new 27" rims/tires is concerned.

sunburst

I found this at Phoeny for $14.81 and gave them a try. I mounted one today to see if it would fit in my "70's Peugeot U-08 frame and it did. Big honking tires, but one day I realized it's why the Royal Scot feels so good to putt around on. Today these Kenda tires, 27x1 3/8, are $12.68! I may order a second set, although I keep saying every build and/or flip is going to be my last. Wish they came in 26x1 3/8. I need two sets in that size.

Kenda 27x1 3/8

Thanks for the pointer to this source.

Velo Mule

Thanks for mentioning that this was a former sticky thread. I little while ago I was looking for this thread and thought that memory was failing. Now, I feel better. What was that tire called again? Just kidding. But short term memory isn't what it used to be, or so I'm told.

That tire is tempting. Fat is the the new black.

Velo Mule

How does a Sticky loose it's adhesive? I ask because this is a C&V thread and sharing information on 27" tires would seem to be important. I realize that there were no new posts, however, it still serves as a reference. dddd's new post is a good example of a new source for desirable tire.

All my big skinny's are 27". I don't have any 700C or 28" wheels. I even have spare wheels that are 27". I am also a advocate for 650a or 26 x 1-3/8" wheels and tires. There seem to be good options out there, although your not going to see any new investment by the tire companies into these sizes.

smontanaro 

I'm not sure about stickiness. I assume you mean pinned threads. cb400bill will know.

I wonder if, instead of just a 27-inch tire thread an "obscure sizes" tire thread would make sense as a pinned thread? Perhaps 650A, ISO 597, 27-inch and other no-longer-quite-mainstream vintage tire sizes... It would be nice if there was a way to insert tables into bbcode (is there?) so the key information could always be front and center in an easily digestible form.

​​​​​

dddd

I'm not confident that any Kenda 27" tire measures wider than an actual 30mm, based on my measuring of previous Kenda 1-3/8" sized tires.

Even their knobby version 1-3/8" tire, while working well both on- and off-road, measured around 29mm on a wider Araya touring rim.

smontanaro 

I'm not confident that Kenda tires are actually tires, just tire shaped objects. (In case my sarcasm wasn't obvious, I'm not a fan.) For 27-inch tires, I will always pay up for decent tires (e.g., Panaracer Paselas).

Phamilton

5 years later it appears Bontrager are still making the T1 in 27 x 1 1/4”. I also read somewhere in this thread that somebody was wondering about 590 options and appears they’re making the tire in that size as well, but I never tried it. I had a positive experience with the 27, ended up putting about 6k total miles on the pair before they started disintegrating. They weigh about 450g, have a sticky tread compound and mine measured exactly 32x32mm installed on my standard 80’s Araya aluminum whatever blah blah blah road bike rims.