[ashfanman]

Hi all. I bought some 35mm Panaracer Gravelking TLCs for my commuter / winter bike, having read nothing but amazing reviews – including on this site.

They do roll well, they’re easy to fit and have decent grip, but Christ have they been a nightmare for punctures – I think I’m averaging a puncture every 100 miles!

They seem to be a magnet for tiny shards of stone – I have to dig them out after after ride and there are now knicks all over the front and rear, even though they’re otherwise showing almost no wear. They’re worse than the GP5000s on my race bike!

Am I just having horrible luck, or are the reviews just VERY generous about the puncture protection?

If the latter, does anyone have any recommendations for 35-38mm tyres that roll pretty well, ideally have tan sidewalls and aren’t complete liabilities for punctures?

Thanks!

Topic

[Anonymous]

Hi, I’ve had similar problems
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.

[ashfanman]

Rose on a Rose wrote:

Rose on a Rose wrote:

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.

Turns out the Donnellys I ordered are out of stock, so I’ve just ordered a pair of Jack Brown Blues. Thanks for the pointer!

[Anonymous]

If you’re open to non
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.

[Nick T]

Gravelking, Gravelking SK and

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

[Velophaart_95]

Hmm, I’ve got 2 sets of the

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.

[ashfanman]

Ah, that’s helpful – thanks.

Ah, that’s helpful – thanks.

Fingers crossed they’ll do the trick.

[Nick T]

Donelly used to be called

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

[ashfanman]

Thanks all. I’m actually not

Thanks all. I’m actually not using them on gravel – just for commuting and general winter road riding.

I’ve ordered a pair of Donnelly Strada LGGs in 32mm – a bit narrower than I’d like and can’t really see any reviews, but they were pretty cheap (£25) so thought I’d roll the dice.

If they don’t work, I may try the WTB Exposures in 36mm or the Pirelli Cinturatos in 35mm. Or I might just give up the idea of a wide, tan sidewall tyre that rolls well and has reasonable puncture resistance, and go for some Marathons instead.

Happy to report back on the Donnellys in a month or so, if that would be helpful?

[Nick T]

Gravelking slicks aren’t

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

[chocim]

I had WTB Riddlers and they

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…

[Nick T]

I’ve got some 28mm

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

[BBB]

My GK ended up in a bin
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…

[mike the bike]

 

 

 

……

Joe Totale wrote:

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.

……

 

On the strength of the BRR review I lashed out £80 on a pair of Cinturatos last September and fitted them, complete with tubes, to my everyday bike.  They lead a hard life, used six days a week in most weathers, on country lanes and busy roads.  After 1500 miles I have formed opinions about them, some good, some less so.

Firstly, they are tough but not exceptionally so.  A couple of weeks ago I had a thorn puncture, right through the thickest part of the carcass, where the protection would have been greatest.  It must have been a friendly thorn because I reached home alright and only noticed the flat next morning.  Changing the tube in the warmth and shelter of the garage is never as much hassle as at the side of a wet road.

They ride well enough, if a little wooden when I’ve just topped up the pressure.  After a week or two they soften and are suddenly more forgiving.  I’m afraid I’m too lazy to adjust my system of monthly pressure checks so I’ll have to put up with this aspect of their performance.

Grip is very good, even on roads streaming with water.  I’ve come to trust them as much as my old Michelin Pro4 Endurance rubber and that is high praise indeed.

Wear?  What wear?  Apart from a couple of nicks they still look almost new and don’t appear to have lost any tread over the last four months.  Even the fancy green flashes on the sidewalls still shine brightly.

So, was the high price a bargain?  Are they any better than the Michelins they replaced?  If they puncture every four months I shall consider them a disappointment but if they last as long as seems possible I shall cheer up a bit.  Only time will tell.

Best of luck.
 

 

 

[ashfanman]

kil0ran wrote:

kil0ran wrote:

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

.

Was looking at WTB Exposures, but the reviews for those aren’t great on puncture resistance either?

Not familiar with Hutchinson or Donnelly – will take a look.

Joe Totale wrote:

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.

 

Will take a look at those too – thanks.

 

Another one I’m looking at is the Teravail Rampart – anyone have any experience of those?

[Joe Totale]

I’m copying and pasting my

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-cinturato-velo-2018

“

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.”

[Author]

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