thanks. Yes, the Pasela TGs are great for 27" and 700c and I have them on a number of bikes. My '62 Paramount daily driver has nearly worn out a set in the last 8 years (short commute!) I've had the Michelins and they look great and vintage correct, but they are heavy and ride like garden hose. I would only use them on a show bike that I don't ride, which doesn't really describe any of my bikes. I have bad memories of those from 1976 when I rode them halfway across the country on Bikecentennial, and had 30 flats between Reedsport Oregon and Pueblo Colorado. Changed to Schwinn Le Tours there and never had another flat on that bike for 8 years! Conti are nice too for riders. Don't look as vintage as the Pasela though. There are any number of Taiwan tires out there too but why bother when the Panaracers are so nice. So I mainly sell those, and a few Contis as backup. There are more distributors selling the Panaracer now so supply is better than it used to be.
But I will still take tubulars any day for the finest ride possible! My favorite are Veloflex which are exact copies of old Clement. $$$ though. Panaracer makes some nice tubulars too that look very much like an old Italian tire, the Practice. And they are 1/3 the price of the Veloflex, so I use those too on bikes that don't need the best tires.
cheers and have a happy New Year.
Bob Freeman Elliott Bay Bicycles 2116 Western Ave Seattle, WA 98121 206-441-8144 http://www.elliottbaybicycles.com http://www.davidsonbicycles.com
-----Original Message----- From: Ken Freeman <kenfreeman096@gmail.com> To: rdf1249@aol.com Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org; kevinsayles@tiscali.co.uk; freitas1@pacbell.net Sent: Sun, Dec 27, 2009 5:31 am Subject: Re: [CR] Long brakes,Short brakes and 700c...TIMELINE?
Well, Cousin Bob, that Butler is a great bike!
Aren't there some good tires available now? I've become enamored of a 1972 Peugeot UO-8 and planning a set of decent wheels for it. What I've seen in tires that looks to be supple and long(ish) lasting are a Pasela Tourguard and a Continental UltraGatorskin. Cheap and possibly decent includes the Michelin World. I don't think there are any Heinish (Grand Bois or Parigi-Roubaix) tires out there for 630. The World is said by some to be a modernization of the old high-pressure gumwall tires of the '70s. I haven't inspected any, so I can't really say.
But being a bike shop guy you're probably familiar with all of these. What sorts of tires are you looking for? I'd like to open my horizons.
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Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA