Panaracer Gravel Kings - report

[Dired]

Thanks OP and Gravelbike, picked up some 28s to run with (soon to be mine) 25mm hed plus on the synapse.

Btw: don't forget the 7% cashback from Active Junky.

[GRAVELBIKE]

I put a few rides on the 32mm GKs, and I think folks will be please with how nicely they ride. Smooth, quiet, and not slow or sluggish. I've ridden treadless tires of similar size/weight that didn't ride anywhere near as well. Like every other Panaracer tire that I've ridden, they mounted straight-and-true with no hops or wobbles.

[Dromen]

Originally Posted by bcm119

well that sucks. Aren't there enough 32mm treaded tires?

http://resistparts.com/parts/tires-nomad/

I have the 35 black walls mounted on OPs and they run a smidge over 32mm wide. Got em for a little over 18 bucks from Jenson on an internet price match.

Have 100 or so miles on them over Chicago city roads and crushed limestone multi-use paths. running at 65 PSI under my 185# butt. No issues so far and seem to roll better than my Clement LAS, USH and MXP on these surfaces(only 30+ tires i can compare to).

Not much risk in taking a spin at this price point.

[druptight]

I'm about 300 commuting miles in on mine. Rave reviews continue for ride quality. Mixed reviews on puncture resistance. At about mile 200, in the rain of course, I picked up a piece of glass on the rear that punctured my tube and left a pretty decent cut in the rubber but doesn't appear to go all the way through the protective layer. I'm commuting on these with probably a total of 225 pounds all in - including bike weight. I'm going to keep riding the tire for now, see how it holds up:

Front is good as new:


Rear tread starting to smooth out in the middle, with decent cut from glass shard:

[GRAVELBIKE]

I've repaired tread cuts like that with silicone caulking, shoe goo, and even super glue.

[druptight]

Originally Posted by GRAVELBIKE

I've repaired tread cuts like that with silicone caulking, shoe goo, and even super glue.

Was just reading about that. I think I've only got gorilla glue handy, but I'll give it a go tonight.

[tele]

My Ruffy Tuffys need to be replaced so looking at trying the Gravel Kings, anyone have any direct comparisons?

I can get the 28s Ruffy to fit my bike, any reason to think the 28 Gravel Kings wont fit?

[druptight]

Originally Posted by tele

My Ruffy Tuffys need to be replaced so looking at trying the Gravel Kings, anyone have any direct comparisons?

I can get the 28s Ruffy to fit my bike, any reason to think the 28 Gravel Kings wont fit?

I've never mounted up ruffys but if you've got calipers I can tell you that my GK 28's measure just a hair over 28mm wide mounted on 23mm wide rims.

[buck-50]

Speaking of comparisons, any comparison between the Gravel Kings and the Clement Strada LGGs?

[weisan]

I have no direct experience with Gravel Kings yet but I have heard good things about them so far.

It's interesting to read about folks' expectations regarding the perfect balance between price/durability/rolling resistance.

They used to say, pick two out of the three attributes, you can't have it all....when in fact, as I just discovered, yes you can!

I did a 650b conversion using an old Bianchi several months ago and am very satisfied with the outcome, largely because of the tire choice. After some research, I went with an older model in the panaracer product lineup called the Col de la Vie and couldn't be more pleased with its performance. Other than using it on my daily commute through city roads and encountering all kinds of debris imaginable, I have ridden on it extensively in gravel and the trails. So far, it has dealt with the punishment very well. And it rolls very nicely on normal paved roads. At 38mm width, it doesn't feel sluggish at all, in fact the larger volume contributed to a huge extent to its overall comfort.

What I discovered along the way is these tires used to be the tire of choice for the touring and randonneur types but have sort of fallen out of favor with the newer and seemingly better tires that came out in recent years. Well, lucky for me, I managed to find a seller on eBay that were throwing them out at $20 a piece, which to me is dirt cheap and a great bargain, so I bought a whole bunch of them, enough to last me until the next millennium.

So, if any of my pals are looking for a great set of tires to go with their 650b bikes that seem to possess all the qualities we raved about here on the gravel kings AND running a wide 38mm, do yourself a favor and check out the Panaracer Col de la Vie.

[s_curran]

Anyone used these againt the Grand Bois Cerf? I liked the ride GB's a lot, but cant afford them at the rate they wear, these might be a better choice for me.

[druptight]

Update, after about 500 miles now, I've flatted again, up to 3 rear flats on these now. One flat I had to change on the road, and 2 that I put away fully inflated when I got to work only to find them flat at the end of the day when I went to hop on the bike. The rear tire is so cut up that's going in the trash. The front one still looks decent, so I'll save the 3rd tire I bought and the front for some longer rides when I'll be outside the city, going to replace them with some ruffy tuffys I picked up off the forum for fall commuting.

Turns out you can't have it all. These are a great ride, but I think they're just too soft with too little flat protection for true commuting/city riding - ESPECIALLY now that I'm riding home in the dark making it harder to dodge glass. My previous GP4 seasons lasted me 1500+ miles with only one flat and have been moved to another bike for continued life.

Here's the cuts after about 500 miles including the big one (first 2 pics) that goes all the way through:

[juanj]

Too bad these are not more resilient for commuting.

I have about 400 miles on my 26mm Gravelkings, and I can report that they look good--herringbone pattern (or whatever) is still very visible. I've had not flats or cuts. All my miles are training, on decent roads, in daylight.

Better luck with your next commuting set of tires.

[druptight]

Originally Posted by juanj

Too bad these are not more resilient for commuting.

I have about 400 miles on my 26mm Gravelkings, and I can report that they look good--herringbone pattern (or whatever) is still very visible. I've had not flats or cuts. All my miles are training, on decent roads, in daylight.

Better luck with your next commuting set of tires.

I also picked up 3 26mm tires for my road bike which will go on for the spring and I have no doubt I'll enjoy them on that bike. Just not enough protection for the crap I ride through on a day to day basis on the commuter.

[GRAVELBIKE]

Spoke to Panaracer today, and the 32mm GKs will be available later this month. More sizes are in the works, too.