GravelKings - just me?

Hi, I've had similar problems with 38mm TLC slick tyres. Luckily the punctures have all sealed OK so far, but I was surprised by how many holes I found on the tyres, including the front one. I won't be buying GravelKings any more.

If you're open to non-tubeless tyres, Planet X have the former Rivendell range of tyres that are manufactured by Panaracer.
Their Jack Brown tyre is available with tan walls in 33.3mm with a chequered file tread. I found their 28mm equivalent to be pretty good in all on-road conditions.

Gravelking, Gravelking SK and Gravelking Mud are all very different tyres just marketed as a family, you can't really compare the robustness of one to the other

Hmm, I've got 2 sets of the SK version;   a 26mm set for my rim braked winter bike, and a 32mm set for my Crockett. I can't recall any issues with either of them, particularly the 26mm set which are about 2 years old - and tend to get used on the local rural roads, which tend to be covered in mud, and the local off road gravel path. 

But reviews do tend to mention poor puncture resistance.....so maybe I've been lucky.

Donelly used to be called Clement before they dropped the license of the Clement brand from Pirelli, you'll be able to find reviews of Clement Strada easily enough

Gravelking slicks aren't really off road tyres either, they do a couple of knobbly ones under the same name  though, confusingly 

I had WTB Riddlers and they were horribly prone to punctures on tarmac. It appears that the relatively soft compounds used for off-road tyres don't mix well with broken glass and such. They offered nice off-road capabilities but were a source of unending frustration - I was forced to repair two flats on a frosty New Year's Day and chucked them for Schwalbe Marathons. Hardly great off-for road riding, but very reliable and nigh-indestructible on tarmac. No repairs needed in the last 10,000 km. Still, these are hardly gravel tyres, so probably won't suit the original poster, as this is more of a cautionary tale about the Riddlers...

I've got some 28mm gravelkings on one bike - no unauthorised deflation's as yet touch wood, but they have cut up a bit. Probably won't buy them again, mainly because they ride like they're made of garden hose

My GK ended up in a bin within 2-3 weeks. Even when run tubeless they just punctured too easily and couldn't be plugged reliably. That was a while a go...

Couple of years forward, commuting in Surrey hills... Bontrager AW2, Schwalbe G-One Speed and finally Pirelli Cinturato (all tubeless)... all binned, some sooner some later. The main problem were always cuts from stones, flints etc... but twice I managed to catastrophically pinch the tyres by hitting large stones in the middle of the road (night, rain...)

My ultimate solution now is... Schwalbe Marathon Greenguard 28mm (stretched to 32mm) an amazing tyre that is faster and more comfortable than it should be (when not overinflated). In fact I wonder if, despite the numbers from BTRR website it may be marginally faster than Cinturato. It's no slower for sure. No punctures for over two weeks...

Below is a copy and paste of my comment from the Road cc review of the 32mm tyres which I had, in summary I had exactly the same issues as you and binned them after a couple of months. 

I actually went back to 28mm Hutchinson Fusion All Seasons as I had used them last winter without a single puncture, well having fitted them the last ride I went on I got two punctures...  

Think I may try the Pirelli Cinturato next time, they do them in a 35mm size, according to Bicycle Rolling Resistance they have great puncture resistance and don't roll too badly:

https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews/pirelli-cintu...

"

I've used the 32mm ones for a couple of months now, they're set up tubeless. Probably done about 600-700km on them.

Pros

- Very easy to fit and set up tubeless
- Very supple and great ride quality

Cons

- Puncture magnets, I've had 5 seperate punctures. For whatever reason none of them have sealed properly as well, that's despite me using the same sealent which works well in other tyres. My theory is the file tread pattern collects flints, this is why Vittoria Corsa's also puncture so readily.
- Questionable wet grip, just like the other comment above they're not great on skiddy wet roads. I hit the deck on a wet descent recently which I've done a million times on all kinds of other tyres and never had an issue.

In my experience, they're not suitable for winter riding especially on country lanes and I'm consigning mine to the dustbin. Going to GP5000 TL's which have given me far less hassle on another bike, even in winter."

I tore a Gravelking SK (tubed version) within about 50 miles of installation. Sidewalls aren't that well-protected on them so they need high pressures or to be set up tubeless.

As to alternatives, WTB Exposure? Schwalbe also do tan (well, fawn) sidewall versions of a lot of their tyres now. Also look at Hutchinson & Donnelly.

I've never really found knobbly mtb tyres to be particularly prone to "faults" when riding on the road.

When the knobbles are worn down, they are indeed more suseptable, no thick rubber.  Time for changing and for better grip off road.

Hmmm, I've got tan side wall 32s set up tubeless that ride nicely and look pretty good. Only covered a few hundred miles from new and had a puncture on Chrimbo Eve, that due to the rubbish sealant I used (a freebie, so serves me right for being tight) wouldn't seal so had to resort to a tube. Wasn't a big cut by any means, but yes, was also disappointed due to the supposed puncture protection the tyres are built with.

Gravel Kings are great on gravel. Riding on roads with the sheer volume of flint and glass is a recipe for punctures as the cmpouns id rather soft. The same goes for MTB tyres generally.

Not just you. I have 32 TLCs and I was thinking exactly the same thing just the other day as I knelt next to a busy London road in the rain... Won't be buying them again that's for sure.