Classic Road bike

[North West Lad]

I have a classic road bike in need of new tyres. 26 x 11/4. Looked around some and it seems a lot of problem getting a equivalent to fit.
Is it possible to just buy new modern wheels with tyres. If so what would fit.

 

[Paulus]

I have a classic road bike in need of new tyres. 26 x 11/4. Looked around some and it seems a lot of problem getting a equivalent to fit.
Is it possible to just buy new modern wheels with tyres. If so what would fit.

Good evening @North West Lad
What style of tyre are you after?
There are various tyres on Ebay in the size you want 26 x1 1/4. Some just black, some with amber walls.

 

[Poacher]

Not sure whether these would fit - if so, they're a bargain.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m14b0s121p1550/SCHWALBE-Durano-HS399-Folding
However, tyre sizes are potentially very confusing, as Sheldon Brown demonstrates:
https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html
SJS cycles list four different bead diameters for nominally 26" tyres, 559, 584, 590 and 597 mm!
This is probably the right size: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tyres-26-597/

 

[midlife]

Bankruptbikeparts do them as wall in various guise

https://bankruptbikeparts.co.uk/pro...bbed-black-amberwall-tread-suit-60s-70s-racer

 

[North West Lad]

Not sure whether these would fit - if so, they're a bargain.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m14b0s121p1550/SCHWALBE-Durano-HS399-Folding
However, tyre sizes are potentially very confusing, as Sheldon Brown demonstrates:
https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html
SJS cycles list four different bead diameters for nominally 26" tyres, 559, 584, 590 and 597 mm!
This is probably the right size: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tyres-26-597/

Confusing is putting it mildly. I thought a 597 but I've been wrong before. It's (was) a standard road racer, drop handlebars, thin wheels and a seat that made your eyes water. (Never did change it). It's done 10s of thousands of miles. To cut through all the bull I thought 2 up to date wheels would solve the problem but don't know if that's feasible. Any advice would be appreciated. Not much left in these tyres though.

 

[North West Lad]

It would help if you gave us some idea of what the bike is.

It's a Raleigh.

 

[Paulus]

Confusing is putting it mildly. I thought a 597 but I've been wrong before. It's (was) a standard road racer, drop handlebars, thin wheels and a seat that made your eyes water. (Never did change it). It's done 10s of thousands of miles. To cut through all the bull I thought 2 up to date wheels would solve the problem but don't know if that's feasible. Any advice would be appreciated. Not much left in these tyres though.

Some pictures of the bike, old tyres and wheels would be helpful.

 

[Poacher]

Confusing is putting it mildly. I thought a 597 but I've been wrong before. It's (was) a standard road racer, drop handlebars, thin wheels and a seat that made your eyes water. (Never did change it). It's done 10s of thousands of miles. To cut through all the bull I thought 2 up to date wheels would solve the problem but don't know if that's feasible. Any advice would be appreciated. Not much left in these tyres though.

Assuming that 597 is the correct size, it may be possible to use modern "700c" aka ISO 622 rims in your frame.
This implies that the rim will be 622-597 = 25mm larger diameter, so you would need your brake pads to be ~1/2" (12.5mm) closer to your fork crown / rear bridge. Your existing brakes might be OK with this amount of adjustment; if not, there are plenty of short reach brakes available. Double pivot brakes will be a revelation in stopping power if yours are single pivot! Your tyres will also be ~1/2" closer, so clearance might be a problem, especially with mudguards / fenders.
Next consideration, and an important one, is the distance between your rear dropouts. Depending on the age of your bike, this is likely to be 126mm or even 120mm, while most modern rear road hubs are 130mm over lock nuts (OLN). Steel frames can be sprung apart every time you put your wheel in, but this is not ideal. Cold-setting is preferable, but brings me out in a cold sweat thinking about it! Narrower hubs than 130mm are available, but choice is limited. Again Sheldon Brown has the gen. https://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Personally, I wouldn't attempt to replace an ISO 597 rim with a modern 700c type rim, as the size difference is too much.
What I would do is investigate substituting a ISO 590 rim, which is more commonly known as a 26 x 1 3/8" Roadster size. The diameter difference is minimal so brakes will probably be adjustable. You will need to investigate the rim width though, although if it's a cooking grade Raleigh "racer" such as an Arena, I doubt the clearances will be that tight.
If it's a sportier high end frame made from 531, but in a small size, hence needing 26" wheels, then there might not be so much wiggle room.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Key limiters here are likely the range of the rim brakes (to cope with a different radius) as Skippy above has described/implied, and quite likely the OLD of the rear dropouts will be 126mm. Any modern wheel will need 130mm so there'll be some permanent bending of the chainstays required. Finally there's a side issue of this bike being 6sp so needing wheel with a freewheel (not freehub). Though I guess friction levers would mean a 7/8sp cassette/freehub could work.
Identifying the correct tyre size and procuring same to fit the current wheels does seem vastly simpler and preferable.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Identifying the correct tyre size and procuring same to fit the current wheels does seem vastly simpler and preferable.

A lot depends on the condition of the existing rims though. If chromed steel and in poor condition, rim replacement might be preferable, even if the original hubs are retained - assuming the spoke count of old and new are the same of course!
The biggest drawback to ISO 697 rims is the tyre choice is very limited, with nothing much in the way of tough, high miler, puncture resistant types readily available. That means you wouldn't really want to use such a bike in demanding conditions where punctures are either frequent or a major time-reliability issue. For riding a few miles on a Sunday morning, no big deal, but not for rides where it's important that you can get somewhere on time day in day out.

 

[North West Lad]

A lot depends on the condition of the existing rims though. If chromed steel and in poor condition, rim replacement might be preferable, even if the original hubs are retained - assuming the spoke count of old and new are the same of course!
The biggest drawback to ISO 697 rims is the tyre choice is very limited, with nothing much in the way of tough, high miler, puncture resistant types readily available. That means you wouldn't really want to use such a bike in demanding conditions where punctures are either frequent or a major time-reliability issue. For riding a few miles on a Sunday morning, no big deal, but not for rides where it's important that you can get somewhere on time day in day out.

Thanks for all that, you've given me a lot to think about. The bike itself is in good condition and I'm using it. Recently (18 months or so) had a new derailleur. But needs nothing else. The tyres are starting to show some wear but no nothing serious. My concern is they are not going to last much longer. My cycling is summer months only now, getting a bit old. I like the Idea of just replacing the tyres but couldn't find any and didn't know if there was an equivalent. 25 x 11/4 is still visible on the old ones. Once again thanks.

 

[North West Lad]

Bankruptbikeparts do them as wall in various guise

https://bankruptbikeparts.co.uk/pro...bbed-black-amberwall-tread-suit-60s-70s-racer

Thanks for that. I've been on Bankruptstock. They look good to me and they are in the year range 1980s (on the site). Will be ordering them when I wind up the computer. £29.99 a pair seems a damn good price. I had trawled Ebay without success. Much obliged.