"still me" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:
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> How wide a (possibly cyclo-cross) tire can I run on the following
> rims:
>
> - Weinmann Concave's 17-18mm inside / 22-23mm outside ?
> - Mavic module E 13-14mm inside / 20mm outside ?
>
> Also, the Weinmann's have no hooks. Do I need to be selective about
> what tires I buy for these rims or will any bead work?
>
> Thanks,
>
>
I can't answer your question completely but I can give you some historical
info.
First off, what size are these rims? If they're 27" rims your tire
selection is going to be limited.
The Weinmann Concave rims were made in the days when there were very few
tires designed to run at more than 90 PSI. IRC came out with some of the
first 100+ PSI tires and they would blow off of some rims.
They were fairly heavy rims but not as strong as the Super Champion Mod 58
and similar Rigida 1622. I've seen a few Concaves break at the joint.
I've ridden the Super Champion Mod 58 and Rigida 1622 offroad for years
with tires as big as 700x47c.
The Mavic Module E and similar rims came out in conjunction with or
response to Michelin's Elan tires. The Elans were available in 27" x 1 (in
reality .75) and 700x19c. They were the first serious attempt to produce a
clincher tire to replace sewups.
Elans where supposed to hold 100+ PSI and used a new style small diameter
light weight tube that was prone to failure at the stem. The casings on
the Elans looked like they were made from hairnet material. They were very
prone to sidewall blowouts at high pressures and pinch flats at lower
pressures. The sidewalls were very heavy gum rubber.
Folks riding Elans had far more tire problems than sewup riders.
Wolber was the first company that I can remember that brought out a decent
tire for those rims. I seem to recall that there were some consistency
problems with the hooks in some of those style rims but I can't remember
which brands.
You should be able to use some of the modern 19mm to 22mm tires on the
Module E rims but I wouldn't go overboard on tire pressure.
Both of those rims are "classics". The designs are 30+ years old. If I
were planning on doing any offroad riding today I'd use modern rims, there
are so many better designed rims available.
Chas.