Hi Steven,
Tires tend to be a very personal thing.
My all time favorites were Clement Paris-Roubaix red label cotton sewups. Wolber "W" series tires with the fine pitch "long staple Egyptian cotton" casings were/are my favorite clinchers.
I have a single 700x32c from 1975 and a set of 700x28c Wolber W28 tires from 1976. They have 3000-5000 miles on them. I still ride them on special occasions (after careful pre-ride inspection.
One of my modern favorites are the 700x23c Continental Grand Prix GP3000 tires with dark brown sidewalls which were discontinued a few years ago. Nice ride with great handling and good grip wet or dry. A very "sporty" feel.
I found a source a year or so ago that had some on closeout and I bought a dozen of them at about 25% of MSRP. ;-)
The other tires that I like are the Panaracer (Panasonic) Pasela Tourguards. The Tourguard version Paselas have a Kevlar strip under the tread. I have them on at least 10 bikes. They're available with black (ugh) or tan sidewalls and steel or Kevlar beads.
The soft tread with flexible sidewalls make for very smooth riding tires with great grip and a nice bouncy feel.
I use the 700x28c size Paselas on several bikes that have a harsher ride and 700x25c on most of the others. The 700x28c tires measure a little bigger on 19mm-21mm wide rims while the 700x25c tires run about 26mm wide.
Last year Panaracer introduced 700x23c Paselas and I got a set of them to try one of my bikes. They measured around 23mm.
I just put a new set of 700x23c Paselas on one of my bikes with a narrow rear triangle. They're slightly smaller than last year's tires, measuring 21.5mm-22mm in height and width. They too have a smooth ride.
The 2 complaints I've seen about Pasela Tourguards is the soft tread and thin sidewalls. The treads tend to wear fast until the tread pattern wears off.
The thin sidewalls are part of why they ride so well. Anyone having problems should maybe consider Specialized Armadillos or Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires.
One other consideration, I run my narrower tires at 90 to 105 PSI depending on the size. I weigh 225 Lbs. and I've only had one pinch flat in recent times when I ran over a large pine cone!
Chas. Colerich RAINING in May! in Oakland, CA USA
Steven Mills wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> My wife has a set of Continental Ultra 2000 700x23 tires on her Alpine and I
> really like the color of the gumwall. I've been trying to find a set for my
> Paramount but have had no luck...does anyone know where I can buy a set? Or
> what are your recommendations for a quality gumwall tire? I know that they
> aren't the greatest tire overall because of their tendency to separate at
> the wall, but they are ideal for the aesthetic I'm going for. Any input is
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Steven Mills.
> Portland, Oregon.
> United States.