Well , here I go . . .
1.) Ray , your antique tires may be truly more odd than anything I've ever seen . Perhaps none of what I'm about to write will have anything to do with your tires .
2.) In the beginning , there were single-tube tires . Just to keep it simple , let's say from approximately the year 1890 , to perhaps 1925 . They were real "tubular" tires . They were not sewn up . The tires were made around the inner tubes . There were no seams . Single-tube tires were , and still are , wide , thick , and heavy . They were available in a few diameters , and in several widths .
3.) Very quickly , a standard size of single-tube tire was established for the vast majority of adult sized bicycles . It was often called "28-inch" . The size was NOT a rim size ! The size was an overall diameter of the tire , from outer tread to outer tread ! And of course , it was only a rough estimate , since even on the same rim , a fatter tire would have a larger overall diameter .
4.) Today , we STILL use basically the SAME size rims as they used in 1890 !! Today , we call that rim size , 700 , or even 700c . Yes , as mentioned many times , I can , and I have put modern fat cyclo-cross "sew-up" or "tubular" tires onto wooden rims made sometime around 1900 .
5.) And today , some modern "sew-up" or "tubular" tires are still marked with the good old "28-inch" size designation , even though they are SMALLER than 27-inch tires !!!!!!!
6.) After the single-tube tires , came the clinchers . Real clinchers . Most people , even most people who work in bicycle shops , have NEVER even SEEN a REAL clincher tire .
7.) After the real clincher tires , came the modern wired-on tires . What people ride on today , with modern automobiles , modern motorbikes , and modern bicycles , are wired-on tires .
8.) Ray , the tire you describe sounds much more like a clincher tire , than anything else .
9.) Go to the Coker Tire web site . Look at the real clincher tires , still made for antique vehicles . Look at what are called "flaps" for real clincher tires . A "flap" is something like a rim strip . Except that it goes INSIDE the beads of the tire !! It was fairly common for a real clincher tire to wear through an inner tube , unless the tube was protected by a "flap" . The tires on my 1915 Model T Ford are real clinchers , and inside each is a heavy "flap" .
10.) Ray , I think what you have is an actual , real , genuine , clincher tire . I also think it may have a "flap" permanently attached to the tire .
11.) I've wondered for quite a long while , what people could possibly do , if they needed an actual , real , genuine , clincher tire for a bicycle . Unless they can use one of the ones made for the really early motorbikes , I think they may just be out of luck .
12.) As I've mentioned before , single-tube tires are still available . They are extremely expensive . Almost all sew-up tires are cheaper by comparison . Plus , as mentioned , if you don't mind using tires that look too skinny , you can just use modern sew-up / tubular tires , on your old rims made for single-tube tires . But , if you have real clincher rims , where do you go for tires ????????
13.) And , I used to try hard to always call the modern sew-up tires , "sew-ups" , and never "tubulars" . I was careful about those terms because modern tires were not truly tubular . The old single-tube tires were genuinely tubular . But the sew-ups had a seam ! Today however , modern tires have become seamless once again !
14.) And of course , back to Ray's problem , what is a 28-inch tire ?? Occasionally you will still find a new modern 700 size tire , marked "28-inch" . This sounds very strange since those tires are actually smaller than 27-inch tires . However , the old Raleigh DL-1 Tourist did really use 28-inch tires . They were much-much larger than any 700 size tire .
15.) As always , check out the selection of tires on the Harris Cyclery web site . Thanks Sheldon !! The explanations found there do more to straighten out the tangled mess of tires sizes , and do more to correct the mistakes , than any other single source I've ever found .
Best Of Luck ,
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas
> I purchased a rather old Austro-Daimler girls multi speed bicycle at
> T-town last year. I am just getting to it and it is coming out great. I
> noticed something when I went to clean and repack the wheels. The tires
> that came off this derailleur bike were 28 inch clinchers. They are wide
> but when removing them I noticed what I thought to be extra material
> beyond the bead. About half an inch of extra material on each side. I did
> not pay attention at first thinking it was just an old fashioned tire.
> While cleaning the rim I also noticed no rim strip of any kind. It did not
> hit me till I tried to replace the 28 inch tire with a more modern German
> brand. The first 28 inch tire I tried would not fit on the rim at all, to
> small. The second 28 inch tire was so much bigger than the rim that the
> bead would not set. Fortunatly I scrambled back to my trash can to
> retrieve the old tires. I cleand and armoralled them and then re-installed
> them on the rim. I then realized that the extra material was actually a
> built in rim strip. The tube sat inside of the tire completly surrounded
> by it. It installed on the rim easily and when inflated the bead set up
> nicely. This was a first for me, glad the trashman did not come that day.
> I tried to find reference to these tires but could not. Any one know what
> they are called or when they were in use. This bike is pretty old, judging
> from the set up and components it may be late 30s to mid 40s.
>
> Ray Homiski
> Elizabeth, NJ