Ode to the Pasela: A Redundant Thread
 

OK - I know that it has been said before, but the Panaracer Pasela tires are really nice.
I bought two pair when Bike Tires Direct had them on sale. One pair in 27 -1 1/8" and one in 1 1/4" Wanted the 1 1/4" but was not certain that they would fit between the chainstays on my 1985 ST500 Cannondale. Got them to fit (barely) and really like them. They have a nice smooth, fast ride and look "right" on the touring oriented ST500. I might get the Tourguard model if I was going cross country but otherwise very satisfied with the basic model.

Please purchase lots of Paselas so they keep making them!

The Pasela's tread is redundant. :D

I have used both the regular and the TG Paselas in various sizes on a number of bikes. Great tires at a very affordable price.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7...2/P1020492.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g...2/P1010238.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m...2/P1010536.JPG

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...g?t=1344818649

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y...2/P1000412.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-I...2/DSCF6010.JPG

I use folding Pasela TGs on the 2 bikes I ride the most. They might not be the absolute best tire out there, but they perform well and they're an excellent value, especially when purchased on sale.

I "liked" them on Facebook. Consider doing that as well.

I've read countless praises on the Paselas through the years, but I just can't get over the tire's name..."Pasela" just sounds like some kind of Mexican food or something......not very sporty or "classic" sounding at all....Does anyone know if it even means something in some language?? I suspect we might be dealing with another "Haagen Dazs" here.....:rolleyes::D

Chombi

Big, Black Sharpie = fret no more

how do you guys clean up the gumwalls when they get wicked dirty? Last time i cleaned them it took a couple of hours with some serious elbow grease.

Apart from a small village in Nepal, I've no clue.

It wasn't easy, but I made a deliberate choice to appreciate the look of worn, streaked, smudged, and grayed Pasela sidewalls. It has made all the difference. :thumb:

As long as you do not let the dirt grease and gunk build up on the sidewalls too long, Pledge Lemon always work pretty good at getting them cleaned up. I use it on all my gum lever hoods too. Even my white Diacompe hoods and white cork bar tapes come up looking brand new after scrubbing them with Pledge. I think it also helps preserve them.
Good thing with Pledge is it is not too harsh on most things. Gum tire sidewalls tend to be sensitive to harsh solvents that can dry them out as are brake lever hoods.

Chombi

It was the only thing I found as well, other than refererences to the tire. I would guess that the employee who named the product had toured there.

Just ordered a set in 26x1.5 to replace to replace the smooth tread tires I bought from Performance because it was what they had. I like the tread on them, just enough bite for some dirt and gravel if needed, but not overkill like knobbies. I already have a pair of TG's on my tandem.

We have the 26x1.5" non-TG on my partner's MB-2 road conversion. Very cushy, nice and fast -- you don't feel like you're fighting the tires. *much* better ride quality than "commuter" tires.

Looking forward to upgrading the tandem to 700x32c Paselas. Not sure if I want the Kevlar belt or not...

I put Paselas on everything. Keepers, flippers, even casseroles.

I've found a way to "drag" oil and grime off the sidewalls with a stiff nylon brush. Brush must be applied sideways with your thumb pressing the bristles hard down on the tire. The action feels like I imagine waxing off hairs does. There's a lot of resistance, then snap the brush drags a whole flake of grime off. Doesn't abrade the tire at all.

With this I just got a pair of White Paselas sparkly clean using a detergent no stronger than dish soap. Wish I discovered this years ago.

I always thought it sounded like the name of a small gazelle or a similar animal--so to me it sounds both retro (naming things after animals) and sporty (gazelle are fast!).

Maybe the name reminds me of this??....:D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasilla

black ones are nice too;
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/...dF/Gitane1.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...15418168_n.jpg
Excuse the mix-matched rims. Over 2,000 miles this summer and not a solitary flat on them.

I used to ride bottom-of-the-barrel tires and Paselas were my first "good tire." What an improvement. Then of course I got a new wheelset with high-zoot tires and they felt so slow. Then after like a hundred miles the other tires were flatting left and right. I decided I liked a little more sluggish tire that was essentially impenetrable.

I have had great results cleaning gumwall tires with Westley's Bleche White.

I'm so grateful to bikeforums for learning about the Pasela. It would be a bargain even if the price were higher. It makes any bike feel lighter.

The sidewall is a little delicate, so it doesn't suit every purpose, but I love them. I haven't tried the Tourguard version yet or the folding version. Are they the same? I should try it already, huh?

They are not the same; you choose each independently. "Do I want TourGuard?" / "Do I want folding bead?"

The sad part is that they don't sell Non-TG/Folding Bead. Maybe they think of Non-TG as a budgetary decision only, like everybody would get TourGuard if they could afford it? I'd buy Non-TG/Folding if they offered it.

+1 - I hadn't heard of them before BF and all of the good comments coaxed me to try some. I put a 23c set on my le Champion and love them. Again thanks to BF for a sale thread a couple of weeks ago I ordered a set of TG 27 x 1 1/4 for my Cannondale ST400. I love the extra width and took them out for a 40+ mile inaugural ride yesterday and they provided a very comfortable ride with minimal rolling resistance.

I seem to be the only one who notices how tires sound. Does anyone notice the whooshy sound Paselas make? I hear it from the front wheel. It's a good sign.

Doing my bit.

I "discovered" pasellas when the owner of a bike shop I go to in a nearby city drug out a pair of 1" non tour guard in 27". He said that he had been hanging on to them only because I was the only person in the world he knew of who could use them. Really liked them, so started buying them in larger sizes for other bikes.
Funny thing, the 1" tire looks about half the width of the 1-1/4". Of course, they are on different rims, but the difference is amazing.
An old guy around my area likes them because he claims they give the closest to a tubular ride for the money than anything else he has tried, not sure about how right that is, but it made me feel better about not spending to much on my tires.