27” tire picking advice vs modifying an old road bike to 700

[ex-powderbroker]

i picked up an 80s bridgestone last weekend to use as a commuter and tourer in montreal but since the last time i had a 27” bike tire options have gotten very crappy.

if i want gatorskins, which were just about the only rubber i trusted in nyc to prevent flats i’d have to pay a big delivery fee.

has anyone used a panaracer pasela or continental ride tour that can speak to about how many flats i might get doing 60 miles a week of city riding and the occasional trip to a chalet or crag outside of town?

the other option would be putting on 700’s, but i don’t really feel like spending that dough unless manufacturers are going to stop producing tubes or any rubber for 27”, which seems like it might happen some year.

go for it anyway?

[doebedoe]

I've ridden Paselas and Pasela PTs thousands and thousands of miles on my commuters and tourers. Probably 1 more flat per thousand miles than with Gatorskins assuming properly inflated tires and reasonable riding. A trade off I'm willing to make cause ride quality of gatorskins sucks.

[maximusj]

My original tires on my commuter were Paselas, and I think I got well over 3k miles on them (albeit a Seattle commute on on a bike trail). I had a set of Tour Rides and was very not impressed - the sidewalls started cracking where the sidewall meets tread much quicker that I would have expected. I bought those because they were cheap, and I got what I paid for.

[teledad]

A 700c tube should fit just fine - they're basically interchangeable. Tires are a different story.

[miserywhip]

Thumbs up on Paselas. Get gumwalls for added retro-chic!

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[ex-powderbroker]

Very cool, thanks for the feedback on the Pasela's, I'll give them a try.

Way better than fucking with the wheel size if they work.

[doebedoe]

Fucking with wheel size is pretty easy on most those old bridgestone rigs. Very few of them have tight clearances and super-short reach calipers. You can buy decent used 700c wheelsets all day for cheap (like $100 + a quick true) and then lower the brake pads. Time and time again people have made it seem like a big deal. And time and time again I've done it in about 5min.

[skimaxpower]

Swap the wheels. The extra clearance that you get from 700c will provide space for fenders, and/or wider cushier tiers. You'll have better wheel options, better tire options, and a softer ride.