Do modern tyres/grips etc ruin a retrobike?

[velomaniac]

Surely understated modern black tyres would not offend anyone. All black mtb tyres are just as retro as Tan Wall. Personally still dont get this if its not tan wall its not retro nonsense. I agree modern shouty logo's on the side of a tyre are naff but only an anoraks going to point at an undserstated modern black tyre or a modern tan wall and say that is wrong.
Oh wait there are lots of anoraks here and will be at the show.
Note to self, research into groups at events ! :facepalm:

 

[Thias]

Just to be clear: This Specialized is not my bike. And it is not my photo.
Those Halo tires cost and weight around the same as the (new) Smoke/Dart "Classik" tires. That should be around 35 Euro/pcs.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

It's the big advertisement they put on tyres that kills the look more than anything.

Find something without that and it should look fine.

You can pick up plenty of crap tyres that would suit.

It's all about the look not how it rides.

Do it.

 

[Matthews]

Re:

I'm pretty sure all black tyres were around before some marketing guru thought up tanwalls as a marketing hype , just find some with no loud logo's on the side and when the anoraks say it should have tanwalls point out they are too modern .

 

[NeilM]

Re:

All black tyres were available before, after and during the tan wall 'era', so I guess it's all down to what look you prefer.

Personally I can pay £20 for a pair of Fire XC Pro's from ebay that work in almost all conditions, rock hard dry to wet and sploshy, or I can pay four times that for some tan walls.... erm, ok, decision made.

 

[unkleGsif]

Re:

In what way woukd they ruin a retro? By making it rideable? No. By improving the handling? No... And just to clarify on the whole "tan vs blackwall" thing... In 1991/2ish, i had blackwall Ritchey Megabyte Zmax's on my steel Peugeot something-or-other... With a U brake and roller guide on the stem and everything

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re: Re:

In what way woukd they ruin a retro? By making it rideable? No. By improving the handling? No... And just to clarify on the whole "tan vs blackwall" thing... In 1991/2ish, i had blackwall Ritchey Megabyte Zmax's on my steel Peugeot something-or-other... With a U brake and roller guide on the stem and everything

It has nothing to do with the ride, the handling. The bike is going to be sitting there in a stand saying look at me I'm a retrobike but I cannot be bothered with the details of not making the tyres look out of place. Black is fine, Konas came fitted with black ever since way back when and so did many bikes.
Lock-Ons look off bike off. While not as noticeable the anodised clamps often stand out, some designs blend in though.

Seats can but i think there are many who wouldn't notice as much unless it specifically looked modern.

Just pick some up for cheap (Kenda Pshycos, Ritcheys if you can find some small logo's, specialised I've seen seem to have small box logo's)
Just big Rocket Ron's ans Scwalbe written down the side of an endless edge style tyre do not fit in.
(and neither do camouflage or snakeskin tyres )

 

[SEANSTEPHENS]

Re:

Modern Scwalbe tyres with turbo ted or racing Ralph on look silly to me, but say a set of panaracer fire xc wouldn't look out of place. I wouldn't buy old tyres as it just isn't safe. I spent 40 quid on period tyres once and had an accident, so lesson learned. The halo amber wall look stupid with those logo's they just don't fit the look of anything retro. Original panaracer re issues would be a good way to go or some IRC maybe

Sean

 

[Silvergoat]

Re:

These days, I'm not too uptight about keeping my old clunker period correct – it's all about keeping it on the road for me. Not sure what the obsession is with amber walls though.

If you are going to be showing yours as a concours vintage show stopper though, it's probably best keeping it as close to period as much as possible. Fat modern tyres with comedy graphics may be functional but will look out of place for a vintage retro. You could fit some reissued Smoke and Darts or Timbuk 2s or Ritchey Z-Max Pros or whatever. May be some Onza Poripaw grips, for example.

 

[dazzawazza]

Re:

Enough talk about tyres!

Grips

I'm a big fan of Odi Attacks and find it hard to believe how much a pair of these go for that aren't black...

The coloured ones go for £20+, and I've brought a few at high prices.

Is there a modern alternative I should be buying instead?