ThermionicScott 

That's tempting. I like Paselas alright except for the siped tread, and $38 isn't such a bad price, I suppose. Keep us posted on how they ride.

lewis3000us

MileHiMark,

Thanks for the detail, and for publishing your review of this 28mm GravelKing.

I noticed you said below that the actual width on a 25mm HED rim measured appx 30.5mm. And in the review it says the measured width was 28.5 on my a 23mm rim. Can you please confirm? Also, how should I measure my rim for a comparison? Are we talking about interior rim width or exterior rim width?

Do you have any input on comparing the 28mm GravelKing to the 28mm Soma Shikoro? I'm looking for a tire for Eroica/California and the minimum width between my chainstays at tire location is about 33mm. The Shikoro is rated heavier, and they are both made by Panaracer. I kinda doubt the differences in their tread matters much.

Thank you.

Tom

MileHighMark

The rim widths were external measurements.

I have not ridden the 28mm Shikoro, but I have ridden the 33mm version. I much prefer the 28mm Gravelking as far as ride quality. Bontrager's R3 is another good choice, but may have enough clearance for your frame.

tarwheel 

My 28 Gravel Kings measure 30 mm wide on Velocity Dyad rims and 28 mm on Mavic Open Pros. I recently purchased some 32 GKs and they measure exactly 32 mm on Dyad rims. They appear to run narrow for a 32 tire, which surprised me since the 28s run wide, and have a much more aggressive tread than the 28s. I haven't ridden on the GK 32s yet, but the 28s are the nicest riding tire I have used in that width and one of the few that actually measure their advertised width. Most other 28s that I have owned were narrower than billed (eg, Conti GP 4 Season, Vittoria Rubino, Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy).

I have been curious to try the Compass/Grand Bois tires but can't get over the cost. Over the years, I've had too many tires destroyed by glass or rocks with only a few miles of use. I paid about $30/tire for my GKs, about half the cost of Compass tires.

I am also curious to try Rivendell Rolly Pollys, but again stymied by the cost. You can buy the Riv Ruffy Tuffys at discounted prices, but I've never seen the Rolly Pollys for less than list price. I cannot recommend the Ruffy Tuffys. Although they are durable and flat resistant, they do not ride very well and seem to have a lot of rolling resistance.

I used Conti GP 4 Season 28s for a number of years until they got too expensive for my tastes. They ride reasonably well but run narrow, about 26 mm on Open Pros. Vittoria Rubino 28s run about the same width but ride a little nicer and can be purchased at bargain prices from time to time. Panaracer Pasela PT 28s run true to width on Open Pro rims, but seem to have a lot of rolling resistance.

davester

I've been riding the 32 mm Compass Stampede Pass extralights for about a year and several thousand miles, including both the California Eroica and L'Eroica Italia (i.e. lots of rutted gravel roads). They have been great so far...comfortable, fast, no flats (knock on wood) and no appreciable signs of wear.

lewis3000us

Okay, thanks folks. I'm a gonna try the 28mm GravelKing since my rim is narrow enough to result in a narrow actual with of the tire.

gomango

I just ordered a set as well.

Anxious to give them a shot this season.

wassertreter

Any update on this? Unfortunately they don't even seen to be all that much more economic than the Compass standard editions.

sea coil

I've been using cheapy Vittoria Zaffiros (700x28) on my Jamis Coda Comp since I bought it in 2010. I am 250 pounds and ride mostly on city streets and some gravel. I have had one flat in all that time, but maybe I'm just lucky. They are so cheap that I just throw two new ones on every spring. They ride smoothly and roll freely.

mariachi

I have around 3000km on Gravelkings, they measure true 28 on A390 Rims. I had three flats, always with glass shards in urban areas. They are very comfortable and corner really well (when compared to Paselas in similar width).
The rear tire seems to be a bit used up, but the front looks good so swapping them should keep me running for a while longer.

I`m also interested in the Fairweathers though, they seem very similar to the GravelKings, just with funky colors

btw: https://www.panaracer.com/gravelking/ mentions a 32C version! anyone heard about this? the knobby ones are now under "Gravelking SK" and are heavier than. 32C GKs would be amazing

gomango

They are very nice for the money.

I have a set on my Hollands and they are super schweet.

mariachi

The slick ones right?

gomango

yep.

Bought two sets.

$30 per tire.

edit: What happened to Six Jours?

I liked his saucy, informative and interesting posts.

davester

I rode a third Eroica on my Stampede Passes (California Eroica No. 2) and have plenty of other miles on them with no issues of any kind. I must say that every time I get on this bike I am blown away by how smooth and comfortable the ride is, especially compared to the horribly out of true Clement Strada LGGs I picked up for my commuter bike. Those tires are horrible.

gugie 

Dunno, but @northbend rides fixies with o-rings for tires on his morning commute, or so I've heard. I'd recommend the fattest tire you can fit.

For good gravel roads I like to ride 33.333 Jack Browns as a minimum, but I'm old, fat, and slow.

bulldog1935

Compass Stampede Pass 32mm will run circles around Jack Browns.

If you can fit them, you might want to try the 35mm Bon Jons

gomango

That's a shame on the LGGs.

I've ridden them them on a friend's Cross Check and they seemed ok.

They certainly aren't in the Soma/Compass level though.

Again, I wish Veloflex would cook up a decent sized clincher. I've contacted the company about this and they don't seem terribly interested. I would love to have a true 28 or 32 that rolls like a Master and is priced competitively. I've paid as little as $30 for Masters. Wouldn't that be sweet to have a real price point competitor to the Compass and Soma tires?

northbend 

I just purchased my second set of Compass Stampede Pass 32mm tires. I really like them for all around riding on mixed surfaces. I do use Veloflex master 25mm on my fixed gear bike and my Merckx and have no problems riding better gravel roads and packed dirt but this has to be done at slightly higher pressures and paying attention to the line I take and how my weight is distributed on the bike. (I weigh 180 lbs), Veloflex are my favorite clinchers.

Sir_Name 

Totally. I saw the masters going for 30 recently and thought about gabbing a pair just to have on hand, but figured it'd be too long before I could use 'em. If it were the same deal but in 28 or 32 I'd have grabbed them in a heartbeat.

bulldog1935

I ride Vittoria Open Pave 27mm on my Moser, and my daughter has Veloflex Corsa on her go-fast.
Veloflex are the old Vittoria employees, still making the same tire in Italy (and for about 20% cheaper than the Thailand tires).

mariachi

Funny nobody ever mentions the Challenge Strada Bianca open tubular (30C)

bulldog1935

I rode 15,000+ miles on them, two bikes, but the bead gives up on those tires before the tread wears out.
They are both fast and cozy - I give them the speed edge, and Compass EL gets the cozy edge. But Compass also gets the reliability edge.
I described it above in this thread. But after I switched to Barlows on the bike that could fit them, and came back to Stampede on the other bike, I sold two new SB, and haven't been back.
The Challenge open tubulars are kind of low profile, their air volume matches their rating, but their footprint on the road matches the next width up.
SB are rated 30mm and measure 32mm wide; Parigi-Roubaix are rated 27mm and measure 29mm wide; Strada are rated 25mm and measure 27mm wide (great for clearing low fork crowns and seat tube bridges). Like Compass tires, they also run fast well below rated pressure.

PS, the Compass tubulars excel - both SB and Parigi-Roubaix are extremely fast and cozy, and the tread lasts twice the Vittorias.