The top 7 best 27 inch bicycle tires

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In this article I’m going to give you my top picks for 27 inch bicycle tires.

Now you might wonder why that would be such a big deal. Well it isn’t really, unless you’re trying to find 27 inch bicycle tires, because there are not that many.

I found that out the hard way because the pair of Continental Gator Skin tires I had laying around ready to go onto the rims of my Bridgestone Submariner, they didn’t fit.

As it turned out 27 inch wheels were quite common back in the day, but not so much anymore. And considering the fact that the Submariner is from 1978 you understand why it had a more exotic sized wheelset.

So I did some research into the big brand names of the tire industry and came up with these options for 27 inch bicycle tires.

Continental Gatorskin

Very similar to the Hardshell version the Continental Gatorskin is an incredible road bike tire with an exceptional level of puncture protection.

It offers a more supple 3-ply 180 TPI carcass with the same PolyX Breaker, a tightly woven polyester fabric sitting underneath the center tread, preventing foreign objects from reaching the air chamber.

It also has the Duraskin bead-to-bead protection, reinforcing its sidewalls and giving the tire its distinctive burgundy appearance, and adding an extra protective layer made from an incredibly strong polyamide fabric.

This tire is the pinnacle of perfection, offering the seemingly unattainable blend of maximum puncture-protection without sacrificing to much in the weight department, all in a road bike tire with a slick tread pattern. An absolute no-brainer for people who appreciate hard-wearing, fast-rolling tires.

Continental RIDE Tour

The Continental RIDE Tour is a fantastic all-round tire meant for urban commuting. It’s a 4-season option for those people who want to ride their bike year round, and be assured of riding with the most effective puncture-protection for a commuting tire.

As an allrounder it shows characteristics of durability and puncture-proofness. With both reinforced sidewalls and a puncture-resistant belt underneath the center tread. The belt differs from the more road-bike oriented, and lighter breaker, offering extremely effective protection against everything you might encounter on the road.

An unbroken center tread means it’s reasonably fast in a straight line, and it offers a tread pattern to support riding in the rain.

With all that added material and rubber, you should pick this tire for its long-lasting lifespan.

Continental Ultra Sport III

The Continental Ultra Sport III is a budget-friendly slick tire for commuters and road bikes.

It offers a no-frills tire in an affordable package, and one of the cheapest big brand tires money can buy

It’s a solid option for people who understand they get what they pay for.

Kenda K35 Street

A fan-favorite for people who’re looking for an affordable and plush 27 inch bicycle tire, that’ll look great on a retro build.

Just as with its other brother, the Kenda K40, it barely has any thread to speak of, making it a great-looking slick tire. And one of the very few with tan walls.

It doesn’t have any puncture-resistant tech to speak, so you’ll get what you pay for.

Kenda K40 Street

The Kenda K40 Street is the wider version of the K35. The same tan-wall looks, for people who appreciate a more plush feel.

Panaracer Pasela ProTite

Panaracer makes very nice mid-level priced tires. And they also offer some of the best-looking ones for retro builds. I choose the Panaracer Pasela ProTite over the normal Pasela, because it’s lighter, comes in a folding version and has better puncture protection.

The ProTite bead-to-bead protection covers is a tightly woven fabric covering the entire width of the tire, and sits in a mid-tier casing, offering a great combination of puncture protection, and low weight.

In general the Pasela ProTite are lightweight and true skin walls, that’ll look great on your bike.

Schwalbe Marathon HS420

I’ve run multiple Schwalbe Marathons on various bikes in various sizes and I can’t remember ever running a flat.

To me, this original Schwalbe Marathon set the standard for a package of puncture-protection and durability. And it spawned an entire category of spin-offs for various other cycling disciplines.

I believe it’s one of the best-selling commuting tires because they do what they’re meant for, keep you riding. And they do so consistently.

Specifications 27 inch bicycle tires

Name	Size	ETRTO	Weight (gr)	Tread color	Sidewall color	Compound	Puncture protection	Tire bead	TPI	Buy at Amazon
Continental Gatorskin	27×1 1/4	32-630	395	Black	Black	BlackChili	DuraSkin / PolyX Breaker			link
Continental RIDE Tour	27×1 1/4	32-630	660	Black	Black		EXTRA PunctureBelt	wired	3/180	link
Continental Ultra Sport III	27×1 1/4	32-630	415	Black	Black	PureGrip		tlr		link
Kenda K35 Street	27×1 3/8	35-630		Black	Tan			wired		link
Kenda K40 Street	27×1 3/8	35-630		Black	Tan			wired		link
Panaracer Pasela ProTite	27×1	25-630	250	Black	Amber	ZSG	ProTite Shield / 400D Lite Extra Cord	foldable		link
Panaracer Pasela ProTite	27×1 1/8	28-630	270	Black	Amber	ZSG	ProTite Shield / 400D Lite Extra Cord	foldable		link
Panaracer Pasela ProTite	27×1 1/4	32-630	350	Black	Amber	ZSG	ProTite Shield / 400D Lite Extra Cord	foldable		link
Schwalbe Marathon HS420	27×1 1/4	32-630	660	Black	Black	ADDIX		wired		link

Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.