[CR] Tire sizing - then & now

(Example: Framebuilders)

Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 15:14:34 -0800
From: "David Boston" <zzboston@yahoo.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
In-Reply-To: <93F654329FB04C9799F11C9D2A74DA9D@DELL>
Subject: [CR] Tire sizing - then & now


List-   I was rooting through old stuff and found some Specialized Turbo Infinity/SK4   tires marked 700x25. I was going to toss them, but decided to do a trial mounting   and see how they would do. Great, as it turns out, but I noticed the actual size of   these 700x25 tires to be smaller than the current day 700x23 tires I removed, which   were Conti Grand Prix 3000s. Both measurements, across and off the rim, were   smaller. Why is this? Have the numbers come to represent something different?   They could be mis-sized, but I recall back in the day during the introduction of   skinnier clincher tires that 25c would be the narrowest I would want to ride on the   road, and today I'm riding 23c tires with no consideration. Well, I guess because   they're bigger.  So, have tires come to reflect the overall cultural obesity situation   or is there some other "inflationary" cause for this?  Anyone else notice this in older   tires?  Was this a gradual change or did I miss a tire sizing revolution somewhere?

Dave Boston
Tucson AZ  USA


--- On Sat, 11/28/09, Charles Andrews wrote:


From: Charles Andrews <chasds@mindspring.com> Subject: [CR] ebay outing: mondia special To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Date: Saturday, November 28, 2009, 9:51 AM

Optimistic sellers just put a little ray of sunshine into the world, you know?

http://ebay.com/<blah>

nice bike, but I'm thinkin' no more than 700-800 bucks in this, or any, market.

Be interesting to know what it ultimately sells for.

Charles Andrews Los Angeles

Q:  "Why do people spoil everything for themselves?

A:  "In big ways, and little ways too, people do that all the time to themselves. We can't stand prosperity. We have to tinker with the machinery."

--John D. MacDonald