28 inch tire size question

[us56456712]

Does anyone out there know if there are tires that fit vintage 28 American wood rims? I can't find info on the diameter of these in the ISO charts. What is the diameter? I would hate to have to get new wood rims.

 

[SSG]

It's a bit annoying since there are several different "28 inch" tire sizes. Are your wheels single tube or clincher bead? I believe that there are modern 700c tubulars that will fit the more common 28" wood single tube type rims. You'll probably want something at least 700x30 so you'll probably be looking at cyclocross tires.

 

[Duchess]

I've seen in multiple places that TOC American 28" is the same as (or close enough to) 700c, but have not tested that myself.

 

[us56456712]

It's a bit annoying since there are several different "28 inch" tire sizes. Are your wheels single tube or clincher bead? I believe that there are modern 700c tubulars that will fit the more common 28" wood single tube type rims. You'll probably want something at least 700x30 so you'll probably be looking at cyclocross tires.

I have another road bike that has tubulars. I always thought 700C was the same as 28 but didn't know the American size 28 was about the same. I'll check it out. Thanks.

 

[user 135]

Sheldon Brown has the answer. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#singletube

Single Tube
An obsolete type of tubeless tire. Similar to a tubular, but made like a loop of garden hose. They were held on to wooden rims by shellac. This type of tire was obsolete by the end of the 1920's. The most common size was 28 x 1 1/2. A flat could only be repaired by inserting a plug from the outside; damage to the fabric required professional repair in a bicycle shop.

The rim diameter is about the same as standard tubulars , though few tubulars are as wide as the typical single tube. Reportedly, however, tubulars can be mounted on singletube rims. I haven't actually tried it, can't guarantee that it will work.

Single-tube tires were forced on the U.S. market by a monopoly that excluded the better European clincher tires. Because single-tube tires were so difficult to repair, they drastically reduced the appeal of bicycling in the USA -- as is clear from a comparison of levels of bicycle use in the USA and Canada, where good European tires were available.

So you could try the modern tubular or.... There are some tires that were reproduced by Coker that were a tubular tire. They are no longer made and cost a pretty penny.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BICYCLE-WO...1-2-CLAD-WOODEN-WHEEL-BLACK-RARE/151066892228

 

[us56456712]

I got tubular cyclocross tires and they fit.