700 tire newbie

[ru...@russellbourrienne.com]

  I recently acquired a large 70s Raleigh that I am refurbishing for a friend. The wheels on this are 700 which is a size that I am not familiar with. These tires seem to come in many widths. It currently has 28mm width on the front and 30 in the back.  What width would you  guys recommend to make it look and function like our traditional steeds?  By the way, this is one of the Vicars bikes and it will be on the Pepin tour next year. Thanks for any assistance on this matter.   -Russell 

[Barry Hans]

I've always had good luck and a rather decent ride from Panaracer Pasela tires. I find the Schwalbe's models a bit too hard of a ride as well as the Conti's models. Pasela's for me. 32c is my go to. Front and back.

On Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 7:17 AM ru...@russellbourrienne.com <ru...@russellbourrienne.com> wrote:

  I recently acquired a large 70s Raleigh that I am refurbishing for a friend. The wheels on this are 700 which is a size that I am not familiar with. These tires seem to come in many widths. It currently has 28mm width on the front and 30 in the back.  What width would you  guys recommend to make it look and function like our traditional steeds?  By the way, this is one of the Vicars bikes and it will be on the Pepin tour next year. Thanks for any assistance on this matter.   -Russell 

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[Tim's Bitstream]

The Paselas are good.  You'll probably have to mail order them. There are several different models. The plain model is a little prone to punctures, there's a model with some sort of puncture protection as well.

My go-to tire is the Continental GP 5000 700x32, although they are spendy (at least double the price of the Paselas). Rolling resistance is noticeably lower than most other tires I have used and I find they are smooth and comfortable at 100 psi (I am 6'3" and 215 pounds, however).  They are folding tires and a bit of work to get on and off the rims. I have a set of Continental Ultra Sport on another bike, those are also good tires. The ride quality is a little stiffer but they are 700x28 at 115 psi.  With my weight, I run tires inflated full up to the rated pressure to avoid pinch flats on Saint Paul's incredibly badly maintained streets.

Both have black side walls like the traditional 3 speed tires.  I prefer the look of the Paselas, to be honest.

On Apr 14, 2025, at 7:26 AM, Barry Hans <barr...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Mark Brigham]

I’m a fan of the tan-wall panaracers as well. 

Another option is Rene Herse. I think these are made in the panaracer factory, to Herse’s specs. Used to be Compass. 

Jan Heine would tell you: get the widest possible that will fit your bike frame, and the most supple casing you feel comfortable with for your riding conditions (extra-light for Gentleman Cyclist type of rides, imo). Knobbies for mostly gravel; slicks for mostly pavement and closer to traditional looks.

https://www.renehersecycles.com/how-wide-a-tire-should-i-ride/

Here’s their 700c offerings: 

https://www.renehersecycles.com/product-category/components/tires/700c/

For looks, I’d probably max out at 38 mm. For ride comfort, I’d go 44 mm of the frame could hold them. 

All* Rene Herse tires are basically of two styles: knobby or slick. The only differences are wheel size, tire width, and casing. I’ve been riding on them for a couple years on my non-English bikes, and love ‘em. 

*Except they just came out with a semi-slick: slick at center of tire; knobs off-center for good traction in gravel. 

https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop/components/tires/700c/700c-x-44-corkscrew-climb-tc-semi-slick/

Mark Brigham

On Mon, Apr 14, 2025 at 7:17 AM ru...@russellbourrienne.com <ru...@russellbourrienne.com> wrote:

  I recently acquired a large 70s Raleigh that I am refurbishing for a friend. The wheels on this are 700 which is a size that I am not familiar with. These tires seem to come in many widths. It currently has 28mm width on the front and 30 in the back.  What width would you  guys recommend to make it look and function like our traditional steeds?  By the way, this is one of the Vicars bikes and it will be on the Pepin tour next year. Thanks for any assistance on this matter.   -Russell 

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