This 26x3 / 700x80 Blockley tyre, built for motorcycles and cyclecars, is the best tyre that you can buy. Robust, heavy duty and correctly made to the very highest quality, as are all Blockley products. This Blockley tyre has the correct twin-stud tread pattern used in period by Dunlop. This awesome quality tyre should not to be confused with any other brand of 26x3 (also called 700x80 size) tyre available from the Classic tyre wholesaler suppliers!

This 26x3 tyre size (which was also called by a millimetric 700x80 size in period) by Blockley Tyre Co. is a very high quality product than can be relied on to be of decent superior quality, our tyres being built using brand new tooling and moulds with correct robust construction. This 26x3 tyre has the original twin stud Dunlop tread pattern as it existed in period. Note this Blockley 26x3 / 700x80 tyre is not the usual offering up of a lightweight, degrading, bulging in use and often not round tyre that you have been getting used to, which even a child can fit using a couple of fingers, which is why Blockley Tyre Co was persuaded to produce this 26x3 / 700x80 size.

Blockley Tyre Co. was approached by the VMCC (The Vintage Motor Cycle Club) to make an authentic looking beaded edge 26x3 tyre, because their members were suffering and weary of the tyres available being sold in this size, which were causing their members issues. The Vintage Motor Cycle Club wanted a wholesome tyre of a type available in "the old days" that was round that runs true when inflated on the wheel, would not bulge and go out of shape, and would stay on the wheel rim under use. And a tyre that wouldn't keep growing the more you inflated it! This seemed little enough to ask for, so after a few years of development and prototypes, research and checking, we have added this Blockley 26x3 (700x80) tyre size, built exactly as it should be,  a size added to our already sizeable range of Blockley tyres. This 26x3 (700x80) tyre has a robust sidewall, and apart from motorcycle use we have ensured it is suitable for the many Voiturette, Cyclecar and Light cars which also require this size, owners of which can now have a wholesome product. This 700x80 / 26x3 tyre has written on the sidewall Extra Heavy and Reinforced as in period, but unlike other tyres that you will see with this written on, the Blockleys really are! Luckily we had a unused original period tyre in our collection, so were able to match and study the dimensions exactly, so if you are fitting to a motorcycle the Blockley tyre will not be too close or be rubbing your forks under use and so on.

When Blockley produces any additional tyre size, the Classic Tyre Wholesalers often reduce the prices of their equivalent offerings, with discounts, "free" postage, free inner tubes and so on, but remember that Blockley was asked to make this 26x3 / 700x80 size only because of dissatisfaction with what was available. The Blockley Tyre company was started only because of the unavailability of tyres that were needed. The reason for what may appear the low price of the Blockley is because we sell direct to the end user or garage/ restorer, and avoid the Classic tyre Wholesalers and their mark ups, so these Blockley tyres cost about the same or less as the other brands available elsewhere!

Note that Blockley also have an inner tube for the 26x3 tyre which we would recommend be used in conjunction with this tyre. It is nice and thick and made from the best material butyl, so you will not be continually pumping it back up, and at minimal cost.

Finally, for interest, we would point out that in period there was also a tyre size "650x65" which is no longer available ( which had a smaller inflated diameter of 660mm with narrower 67mm overall width) - as luck would have it, this 650x65 size tyre was also made for the same rim as our Blockley 700x80 / 26x3 tyre size. If you see other tyre wholesalers websites, you will note that they think a 26x2 1/2 tyre is a 650x65, but that is because they do not know any better! In addition there was also a larger beaded edge "low pressure" type tyre that was, again, made for fitting to this same wheel rim which was called 700x100 (also listed sometimes as 27x3.85 which is the same tyre). In addition there were a couple of other tyre sizes again using the same wheel rim, 650x75 and 700x85. So in conclusion, if your vehicle was originally fitted in period with the no longer available tyre sizes 650x65, 650x75, 700x85 or 700x100 (which was also 27x3.85) you can now use our Blockley 26x3 (700x80) tyre size as an alternative, fitted to the same wheel rim size. If you require any advice or are confused by anything, we can try and help!

Regarding 26x3 / 700x80 tyre pressure, period literature recommends anywhere between 38psi and 60psi. For motorcycle use people use somewhere between 40 and 50 psi, but for motorcars the recommended pressure is 60psi. The higher pressures required for beaded edge / clincher tyres is because the design requires high pressure to hold the tyre beads firmly against the wheel rim, otherwise the tyre could move around or creep on the rim which pulls the inner tube with it resulting in the valve stem getting ripped out eventually.