H: Hubs, Wheels and Tyres Rim and Tyre choice

b'knighted

b'knighted

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Most standard machines were fitted with 20” front and19” rear and front ribbed 3.00 x 20 with a 3.50 x 19 SM or similar block tread, often square section, would have been used. If you were happy with their performance in the past you’ll find them better with modern compounds and modern pressures and they will look the part. Racers had bigger diameters and Ds and tourers had wider with 19” front and 18” rears. When 20” tyres were unavailable a lot of people changed fronts to 19 rims. I use big block treads on the Knight, Avon Gripsters, Distanzias or Trailmasters and 21”/19” Roadriders on A single. I may try Trailmasters on the next change on a C Comet.
 
stu spalding

stu spalding

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Black Flash said:
Most modern tires are recommended on wider rims. I went to 2.15 front and 2.5 rear rims, both 19 inch and will certainly do same in the future.
The ugly looking but superb Continental classic attack tire comes in 90/90 for 18 inch only, so I went for 100/90/19 front and 110/90/19 rear on the afore mentioned rim sizes. Same size is easily available for the BT45 Bridgestone. Avon tires are not so easy to get here so I cannot say anything about them.
Click to expand...
I'm with you on the BT45 Battlax although I use a 110/90/18 on the rear. A few years ago they seemed to wear rather more quickly, as if the manufacturers were playing with softer compounds, but they do fit the handling/wear/cost equation quite well. Cheers, Stu.
 
Chris.R

Chris.R

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Wow!!!!! I have a 1954 C, Comet TVK960 unknown to the VOC register until I bought her, she has not been on the road in nearly 30 years, last taxed in 1989, then in a museum sitting on a new Avon Speedmaster front and a new Dunlop K70 rear both are scrap due to age. The wheel size for both is 3.50/19". I am gathering that the front only would have been a 20", at some time the two Dunlop rims must have been fitted these are in need of refurbishment. I am minded to have the existing rims re-chromed and red/black lined and then rebuilt, of course I have to find someone to do the rebuilding and the red/black lining, do I put in new spokes or have those I have re-plated, I gather there are several grades of chrome. What finish will be compatible with the age of the machine should the spokes be chrome?, I do not want to change the old girl too much, that is I am not able to produce a concours machine but would like to leave her in a state where she could be moved closer to that condition by someone else in years to come. Just as the present owner Ken Phelps has with the 1951 C, Comet NKN112 I last owned in 1968 and now in Australia.
Carshalton Chris.
 
mercurycrest

mercurycrest

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Mr. Boring said:
Girdraulic and it had a 20" rim on it, but it was a Jones so I'm guessing it was replaced.
Click to expand...
If you're going to ride it, I'd stay with the Jones rim and an Avon ribbed on the front, rather than an Avon SM on the rear, I'd choose a K70 Dunlop, they stay rounder longer than the Avon.
 
vibrac

vibrac

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
At the auction at the flyweel festival there was a comet looking quite smart with nice lined rims till I noticed 2 inches of red tape had come unstuck from the wheel I bet that dropped the price a few thousand if a wheel could be blinged up like that what else had been done on the cheap?
 
D

druridge

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
So many choices.......It's all down to what you want to do with the bike.
Even in the mid 1970's we all locally referred to the Avon Speedmaster as the 'deathmaster'.
TT100's arrived a few years earlier and people started to move over to these and similar (from eg Pirelli, Metzler, Conti, etc) if they were after grip/performance rather than tradition/longevity. I guess the same still applies .
 
Top