Panaracer Paselas - Good for Anything Other than Looks?
 

Serious question. I understand that they match the looks of tires from the 70s-80s and that some folks like them for that reason alone, and are willing to put up with whatever downsides come with them. But the reviews I read online appear to indicate that they're relatively fragile, flat easily and don't wear well. I also understand that online reviews aren't quite scientific in nature and outcome. ;)

I've only been cycling for four years, and like modern tires. I've got three bikes, and have 700x25s on all of them - Gatorskins, Michelin Kyrlions and Michelin Pro Optimums. I like both sets of Michelins; the Gatorskins wear well and stick well enough, but the ride leaves something to be desired. I've got a set of 700x28 Conti Grand Prix tires to replace them at the end of this winter.

I don't race, but do a lot of long rides on rural roads where having a tire give me problems like flatting at the smallest excuse would be irritating. I like the look of the Paselas, but don't want to risk reliability for that. I understand that they offer a version with flat protection - how well does that work?

What's the forum's experience with using these tires?

I use them on my winter/foul weather bicycle.

This bicycle gets ridden when there is a reasonable amount of dry pavement.

The below shot was taken after I had completed a long ride after snow showers moved through the area.

I would rate them as average, and a little on the "dead" side.

Very little road feel in the colder months.

On the plus side, they never flat.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6057/6...d92fa16a_o.jpg

My experience has only been with Pasela TG tires (I've never used the plain Pasela). I've ridden about 1000 miles or so on my first pair of them which are 700x32 TG's and at the risk of putting bad words in the air...I've never had a flat. Most miles were city commuting but they have also done two D2R2 rides (100 miles on steep, windy dirt roads). I have found the durability and aesthetics to be better than the ride quality though. They aren't bad and I have 23c or 25c tires on all my other bikes so it is probably an unfair comparison, but they do feel pretty sluggish.

Paselas come in two varieties: one with a standard nylon casing, and the "Tour Guard" (TG) version with a kevlar belt for puncture resistance. Both have a nice ride, but the TG version is slightly heavier and sturdier. I use TGs on my off-season fixed gear wheels.

the TG version wears better, but the non-TG gives a slightly nicer ride. they both ride very well due to their supple/thin sidewalls. if you ride like a unskilled brute, then you might encounter problems with sidewall flats. you will probably get 800-1000 miles on the rear before it starts to square off. the front will last forever?

they look/ride very well and are an EXCELLENT VALUE. this is why they are so popular. i don't believe you can get a better tire under $40, and definitely not $25 (or less).

edit: the reason you see them so often here is that they are really the best tire for 27" wheels.

I have used the TG and they are very reliable.

My mom loves hers. She's ridden them, albeit gingerly, on the Mt Vernon trail that has gravely patches with no problems.

I'm soon to get my first experience with Pasela Tour Guard 700 x 25 with wire beads.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1.../pasela_tg.jpg

I run them on vintage bikes because of the durability and have a couple of thousand miles on them. Here in AZ, I use the standard tires with puncture resistant tubes. It just appears to be a necessity on all tires, including Gators, and particularly for multi surface paths.

Daily 30k commutte on my bike, regular 700x28 Paselas: no flats.

Occasional townie rides on my wife's bike, regular 27x 1 1/4" Paselas: no flats.

Decent ride, enough grip, fast enough. Good looks, good price.

I like em.

I love them, and have them on 3 bikes. 2 sets of TG one set of plain. I put close to 40 miles on the set of Non TGs this weekend on gaveled/rocky unpaved roads without issue.

I think there are less expensive tires that outperform them, but I'm sure a lot depends on preference, road conditions and the bike. I am not impressed much with Pasellas, except that they do look good and are reasonably priced. In terms of performance, I think their ribmos are a lot better for road feel.

+1 on the Ribmos.

I never see these in the local shops though.

I like 'em, have a set of 25's , 32's ( I really like ) and just got a set of 26x1.75 for my winter pothole muncher.

Never noticed, but yeah' they do look completely vintage when they all dirtied up don't they?

I ride the 28mm TG's on my everyday / commuter bike. I find them to be fairly long wearing and all around decent tires. I wouldn't rave about them, exactly, but they are good solid tires. I've never flatted with them.

Folks I know like the Paselas. It's not like they're $50/tire. For 700c durability, I like Specialized All-Comps or Mondos, if you can find them. I'm a Gatorskin fan in the 27" variety, and Conti's chili compound is sort of the standard around here for longevity and durability. For thorns, etc, the Armadillos from Specialized won't get you there faster, but they'll get you there holding air.

IME, Paselas are better handling/riding than the other (expensive) brand.

The TG rides a little stiffer but it's a good choice for hard duty.

The sidewalls are very thin - but the only sidewall flat I ever got was from opening the shipping box with my pen knife. :(

I've got Pasela TGs on four bikes in sizes 700x28, 700x32 and 27 1 1/8 and love them, the only flat I've had was during a trip to the playground with the kids and I ran over an ear ring and it stuck in the tire and I think that would have gone through almost any tire.

This one lasted 15,000 miles on a touring bike.


http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...33miles002.jpg

I've got Pasela TGs on my "fast" road bike, my commuter road bike, and our tandem. I must like them, certainly have no reason to complain.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=230940
Not into vintage bikes; but at age 79 . . . I am vintage!
Been riding since the early 1970s so have ridden what are now called 'vintage' bicycles.
Just put on a Pasela TG with Kevlar bead, 700x25, on our back wheel of the tandem. So far only 200 miles on it.
Observations so far:
No flats . . . yet.
Rides quite harsh and had to let out 5 lbs of air pressure so stoker would be happy with the ride quality.

Have been using Maxxis Re-Fuse tires with Kevlar bead 700x25s very succesfully here in Arizona for many years.
Rear tire (and this is on a tandem bike, not a single) 2,351 miles, no flats.
Front tire, 2,569 miles and one flat
Seems the Maxxis' lifetime is a bit short; but rides well and excellent flat resistance. Can actually remove/install the Maxxis without tire tools on our tandem wheels.

Just wanted to see how well the Pasela will fare against the Maxxis Re-Fuse.

Pedal on TWOgether5!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Lots of good reviews here.

i've put lots of miles on the non tg's in 700x25, 700x28, 27x1.25 and I like them all. I then got some 700x32's in tg, and hated them. Just felt slow, and flatted on the first ride. The flat wasnt the fault of the tire (i ran over a nail), but I just didnt like them much at all so I put non tg's back on that bike.

Cheng Shin Rubber Ind. Co., Ltd, d/b/a Maxxis International.

I've had very bad luck with the Cheng Shin tires would not trust tires made under a pseudonym. YMMV.

Funny that opinions here vary. It's OK, because there's room for personal taste. I happen to like Paselas very much. I find them to be supple and also a good value. I don't keep track of mileage, so I can't offer opinions there. I also don't pay attention to which tires are vulnerable to punctures. Punctures are a random event, and a couple of punctures can skew your statistics, and not many people have very good sample sizes.

I did rip a sidewall with a pair of pliers, so it was my fault. They are thin sidewalls, by design, so I wouldn't recommend this tire on a cargo bike. But I do recommend them as a tire below $35, and they're usually a lot less than that.

I use regular Paselas. I have no experience with the Tourguard version.

I've always liked the way Panaracer tires ride. I have noticed that they last longer than other brands. I've recently seen some 30 year old tires in very good shape. Of course, they weren't ridden much, and they were lucky to be out of the light and moisture. They still ride well.

The name Panaracer is invented for some sort of legal issue for the North American (or perhaps just US) market. In Japan, it's the National Tire Company. Here, they've been called various other names, e.g. Panasonic, Cycle Pro, Schwinn. Lots of companies rebrand their tires.