Help identifying rims (vintage Bianchi touring bike)

Hi all,

I'm helping out my dad in trying to identify the size of the rims of his old Bianchi touring bike (purchased in 1965, I believe).
The outside diameter of the rim is 645mm, which would suggest it's a 700A size (642mm).

Something he said that I find interesting but I can't completely understand is that tyres are 27 and that 28 tyre don't fit because they are too small.
I know the nominal size of tyre does not reflect the actual measurement but I don't fully get what he meant, also because I have never heard of 28 tyres...

Any help?

Thanks

IIRC 28" tyres are 700c.

Re:

The easiest way is to read the number off the side of an existing tyre that fits the rim!

Failing that, look inside the rim and it will probably have a hook bead to hold the tyre on - not always with older rims. Below the hook bead there will be a flat edge - at the bottom of the flat edge will be the well of the rim. The circle made by the bottom of that flat edge is the bead seat, diameter of which is the ETRTO size.

I've got a 700c Mavic rim here - the outside diameter is 632 mm and the depth of the rim to the bead seat is about 5 mm. Subtracting the depth (x2) from the outside diameter gives 622, which is the ETRTO size for 700c.

I have a 27" road rim here too, the outside diameter of which is 641 mm. ETRTO size for 27" is 630.

I don't know anything about Italian touring bikes, but most Italian road bikes I've seen have either tubulars (which Italians called 28", but are the same size when it comes to setting brake blocks etc. as 700c clinchers), or 700c clinchers.

Some continental manufacturers put 27" wheels on bikes exported to Britain or the US, so your Dad's Bianchi could well have 27 inch wheels.

I suspect what he means by 28 not fitting because it's too small is that 700c doesn't fit, because it's smaller than 27".

28" is obviously smaller than 27" :facepalm:

Re:

Thanks for the explanation!

From what you say, it might be a 27'', with 2mm deeper rims, assuming the 645mm measurement is accurate.

I will ask my dad to measure the depth of the rim

Re:

Here in the UK 1960s we had either tubular tyres or wired-on. The latter had an inextensible wire bead. Nominally 27 x 1 1/4 inch diameter, the important measurement was the rim diameter which supported the wire bead, which was 27 - 2 1/2 inches = 24 1/2 inches.

Any other size would have been virtually unobtainable.

Keith

Re:

Hi always found this page to be helpful http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html