# How wide a tire can you put on a road wheel?



## pianist93 (Aug 29, 2009)

Hi there,
I am a mountain biker that doesn't often get to any trails and thus am a novice to road bikes. I have an old Raleigh that's over 20 years old that I got to work practically flawlessly. I live kind of out in the boondocks so the roads are not loose gravel but small gravel set in tar. You probably know the type. Anyway I was thinking that I might like to get some tires that are a little bit wider than 1-1/8in so I was wondering what a good option is? What is the max limit width tire that I can put on my bike? I have 27x1-1/8 now. Are 700c the same as 27"? Thanks for any help!
-Pianist93


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## andulong (Nov 23, 2006)

700's are not the same size. Sometimes you will have more trouble with the tire fitting the frame ( enough clearance) than on a particular rim. Here is some good info about tires and wheels.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html


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## Puchnuts (Oct 9, 2008)

And 26" MTB tires don't fit old Raleigh 26" 3-speed rims either. For your future edification.


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## chas0039 (Jun 26, 2007)

Also watch out for this problem, 27x1 1/4" tires are not the same as 27x1.25".


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## ARP (Mar 7, 2002)

*Here was a side by side*



pianist93 said:


> Hi there,
> I am a mountain biker that doesn't often get to any trails and thus am a novice to road bikes. I have an old Raleigh that's over 20 years old that I got to work practically flawlessly. I live kind of out in the boondocks so the roads are not loose gravel but small gravel set in tar. You probably know the type. Anyway I was thinking that I might like to get some tires that are a little bit wider than 1-1/8in so I was wondering what a good option is? What is the max limit width tire that I can put on my bike? I have 27x1-1/8 now. Are 700c the same as 27"? Thanks for any help!
> -Pianist93


All but one of my bikes are 700s One bike is a 27" and I painstakingly searched the world for a quality rim to mate to the Ultegra grade hubs for a set of wheels. I put Continental Sport 1000 tires on that bike, 27x11/4, best I could find locally. Sitting right next to that bike is one that is running Continental Ultra 3000 700x28mm. For the 4 bikes that I own that are 700 wheelsets, the 28mm tire is about the limit that will fit, in fact when tires are new and 28s, I can hear the rubber nubs striking the brake calipers. Now the 27" rimmed bike sitting side by side to the 700 rimmed bike, I took a tire measurement with a caliper. It is virtually the same width wise for the 28mm tire vs the 11/4" tire. With 700 wheelsets these days You can put on sizes as wide as you can find to fit, 35mm is that widest that I can think of that are made, I would not be surprised if there were wider cross tires.

I ride similar roads to what you describe. Run the 27x11/4 at about 95psi, you will get the same cadillac ride as a 28mm tire I'm running.


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## Mel Erickson (Feb 3, 2004)

27 x 1 3/8 is probably as wide a tire as you will be able to find for your 27" rims. There's a reasonable chance your Raleigh frame/fork should be able to handle rubber that big. Older frames built for 27" wheels usually had plenty of room for big tires. Your rims won't limit how big you can go. It's your frame/fork.


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## pianist93 (Aug 29, 2009)

This may be a stupid question but can you put a 700c tube on a 27" wheel? Also, what is the best wite at which to buy rodie stuff?
-pianist93


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

Yes you can use the tube, but you need the exact size for the tire.

Best site(s) for roadie stuff - too many to mention. take a look at some of the vendors that advertise here. You might also try E-Bay. Some sellers are selling only 1 or 2 parts, but quite a few have "stores" that you can visit. A few pretty good sites are www.performancebike.com - www.bikenashbar.com - www. competitivecycling.com.
Here are some more: ProCycleGear.com Pro Cycling Apparel 
Excel Sports 
Performance Bicycle 
Bike Nashbar 
Cambria Bicycle Outfitter 
JensonUSA.com Mountain bike parts, apparel, and accessories. 
REI Cycling Outlet 
ProBikeKit.com 
BikeJerseys.com Pro Cycling Apparel 
Best Bike Buys The Bikestore Comparison Service 
Bicycle Posters and Prints 
BikeWorld.com 
Branford Bike 
Bulltek Sports 
CBike.com Chicagoland Bicycle 
Colorado Cyclist 
Competitive Cyclist 
EuroDuds.com 
Giro Poste 
GVH Bikes Framesets, complete bike kits 
Harris Cyclery A great information resource 
Hi-Tech Bikes 
ICYLESUSA.com 
La Bicicletta 
LongsCycle.com Discount and closeout cycling apparel 
Nytro 
Parker International UK 
Peter White Cycles Touring bikes and gear 
Price Point 
R & A Cycles 
Rideable Bicycle Replicas Vintage bicycles and high wheelers 
Rivendell Bicycles 
Schwab Cycles 
St John Street Cycles UK tandem & touring specialist 
Tandems East 
Tandems, Ltd. 
Team Estrogen 
Tire Alert Sewup Bicycle Tire Repair Service 
Vintage Velos 
Wallingford Bicycle Parts Brooks Saddles and Carradice Bags 
WorldCycling.com


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

pianist93 said:


> This may be a stupid question but can you put a 700c tube on a 27" wheel? Also, what is the best wite at which to buy rodie stuff?
> -pianist93



1- yes
2- what???


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