just wanted to know, at what point on a journey from England to India, would 700c wheels and tyres stop being readily available?
sorry about the broadness of the question, trying hard to avoid a 700 v 26 debate.
hobo100
1
pq
Well it depends what route you take, but it will be when you leave the areas where there's a tradition of road racing. My guess is Istanbul but hopefully someone who's visited bike shops in the area will be along soon.
2
creamcrackered
Taking the question a slightly different way, I'd say Istanbul was probably the last place you can easily get 700c tyres and, if necessary, wheels sent out to you. That's what we did and it was relatively painless. If you start off with really good wheels, you're only likely to need tyres. If you fit new ones in Istanbul, they should take you through to Delhi.
3
camel
I had severe difficulty finding 700c tires in Ukraine/Russia/Kazakhstan. Suitable built 700c wheels for loaded touring were also not available. Likely could have found a suitable rimset to build up. 26" tires, and built wheels seemingly good enough for touring were available.
It took 3 weeks for my replacement Schwalbes to get shipped to eastern China (Kashgar). I'm certain it could have gotten to me sooner had my family sent it via FedEx.There was a customs delay as well, because it was shipped directly from the company. Other tourists had care packages sent from home(USA) to Kasgar in ~7days.
As #2, 1 set of tires will easily get you to Istanbul.
[My original 700c Schwalbes all failed at the bead, well under 4000Km. My replacements are holding up fine and dandy]
~Cheers from Viang Veng Laos!~
5
hobo100
Thanks for the replies. I'll hopefully have a 26" wheel bike by then, but if I do end up taking my 700c wheel 3spd roadster its good to know what the score is.
6
camel
Jitterbug, I use there top end touring model. XR, or XR plus or something. The really heavy ones. Mind that these are 700c.
My first set of 3 I bought on line in the US. I have very distinct suspission that they should have been destroyed (ie "grey" market type goods). Seems that they all had the same type of manufacturing defect-failure of the bead prematurely.
My replacements sent out by Schwalbe are doing fine. They were sent out free, and they also covered shipping. Prenty darned good customer service! I did send in photos, as well as the serieal number off of one of the failed tires.
~Cheers from Vientienne Laos!~
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