hagen2456

As the title states: Panaracer Tourguard. What are the opinions on them from those who've tried those as well as several other "commuting tyres"?

I'm not least interested in rolling resistance compared to other "puncture resistant" tyres...

zephyr

I have used Panaracer Pasela Tourguard tires on several road bikes for the past 7 years or so. The most wear I have got from one of these tires is around 10,000 miles, a front mounted 700x35, which has only had a couple of flats in it's lifetime and no bad cuts in the tread or sidewall. It is still on one of my bikes, and the tread still looks good. As rear tires, they have provided me typically around 4000 miles of good use. I have had one or two of these tires mounted on the rear that lasted less than 4000 miles due to a bad tear in the tread or sidewall from a flat. If the tear or gash left from a flat is too big, I toss out the tire even if the tread is good because I don't gamble with my safety.

Panaracer has a newer model of tire called T-Serv which I have put on a couple of my bikes in the past year. It is almost identical in weight and design to the Tourguard, but is supposed to have beefier puncture resistance on the tread. On one of my road bikes which is also my primary commuter bike, the T-Serv 700-35 rear tire has gone about 2600 miles with no flats and very little sign of tread wear. IMO, the T-Serv handle and ride virtually identical to the Tourguard. A few weeks ago, a rear mounted 700-28 T-Serv on my lightweight classic Italian road bike flatted with a big nail that cut all the way through to the sidewall, and cut the sidewall for about 1/4". I made it home after fixing the flat, but tossed out the tire because of the risk of a sidewall blowout later. Bummer, that tire did not give me 1000 miles, but it was plain bad luck because stuff like that just doesn't happen very often.

In the future I'll keep buying either Tourguard or T-Serv because both are good tires and I am comfortable with them in terms of flat protection, handling and safety.

martianone

tried them on my primary commuter/utility bike in 35-622 size. handled and rode well, liked their lighter weight, did't have a flat for around 4000 km - the side wall seemed rather thin, then i got a side wall gash in one - decided to replace them. went back to schwalbe marathons - reliable and heavy

GaryinLA

Ive been riding 13 months and have a hodgepodge of bikes with tires and fell into these P. TG tires accidentally when i needed new tires for a 27" wheel bike and that's what the local bike co-op was recommending and had in stock. (1.25")

Since then i also got the same tire in 700c 32mm.

I really like these tires. I like the increased flat resistance of the kevlar, i like the width for city use, and i like the feel and comfort of them when biking.

I have a hybrid bike with 38cm Marathon Plus tires and i dislike them for the feel and discomfort when biking.

I have some cheap tires with no flat resistance ie 25mm 700c and i will never buy tires like those again, got too many flats, went through too many tubes, it isnt a cost savings.

CliftonGK1

I've used 28 and 32mm Pasela TGs on my commuter/rando bike for a couple years and I will probably replace my Panaracer UrbanMax 32mm with another pair of TGs.

I was worried about the sidewall durability on them after hearing some stories, but I used them on rides like the 3 Volcanoes 300k, which has over 15 miles of loose, forest service gravel roads, including 7 miles up and 3 miles down on a mountain pass. Never had a single issue with them.
The tread and compound are the same on the UrbanMax, but it's a blackwall tire with a lower TPI and a wire bead, and the lower casing flexibility makes for a rougher ride at the same pressure. (and a slower ride if you go much lower on the psi)

hagen2456

Thanks to you all for the answers. Sounds like they're actually comfortable tyres, which was one of my worries (having previously used some horribly harsh and sluggish puncture resistant tyres). As comfort will, I believe, often go hand-in-hand with relatively low rolling resistance, I think they'l be fine for my needs.

tarwheel 

I used Pasela TG 28s on my commuter bike for a month or so but took them off because they rode so slow. They were not noticeably more comfortable riding than the 25 mm Michelin ProRace or Conti GP 4000s that I had been using, but my average speed dropped by at least 1 mph. I got a flat during the first few days of using the Paselas, but I don't blame the tires for that because it was a large chunk of glass that would have flatted nearly any tire. I've since been using Conti GP 4 Season 28s for commuting as well as Vittoria Rubino Pros 25s. Of all the tires I've tried for commuting, my current favorite would be the Rubino Pros -- they are comfortable, light weight, have very low rolling resistance and available in sizes up to 28 mm. No flats and good treadwear so far in about 1,000 miles of riding. If looking for 32s, I would try the Vittoria Randonneur Hypers based on my experience with Rubinos.

hagen2456

Okay. So noticable rolling resistance, but as far as I can make out that's compared to regular racing (or at least training) tyres. Or is it worse than the Conti GP 4 Seasons, too?

tarwheel 

Paselas were about the slowest riding tires I have ever used. I wouldn't have minded if they were also more comfortable, but they weren't. GP 4 Seasons ride nicer and have much lower rolling resistance. However, I personally find that the Rubino Pro IIs ride better than GP 4 Seasons and are a lot less expensive. You can buy Rubinos for less than $30 each on line if you shop around, and they are available in 25 and 28 mm folders. Clement Stradas folders are also available in 28s for a reasonable price, although I haven't used them personally. The best thing Paselas have going for them is the price, particularly the wire bead version but I only use folders due to the weight savings. A personal issue I have with Paselas is that the tan sidewalls looks really nasty after the first time you ride in the rain. I like the way they look when new, but mine were discolored after one rain ride and I could never get them clean after that. Not a huge issue but if you like to keep your bikes looking nice, it's something to consider.

bigbenaugust 

If you can find some Panaracer UrbanMax or T-Serv tires, they are similar and all black. I have a set on my CX bike.

Both have the same tread pattern as the Pasela TG and also have good puncture resistance.

hagen2456

Thanks for the elaboration. When I get around to finishing the bike, I'll try the TGs on, knowing that there are better alternatives. But having tried really, REALLY bad tyres, they may still feel nice in comparison

(On the other hand, my racer has some very supple, low resistance folding tyres, so, hehe...)

irwin7638

I've been happier with them than any other tires. They seem to be a good combination of performance and durability. Soma markets a variety called Soma Express they are made by Panaracer and are a Pasela TG design with a beefier sidewall. I use them on my city bike and have been really happy with them.

Marc

Pobble.808

I had 26 x 1.25 Pasela TGs on my bike for a couple of years.

Front tire - lasted more than 3 years, approx 7,000 miles, one puncture (glass?)
Rear - lasted about a year and a half (then a one-inch strip of rubber peeled off the tread), approx 3,500 miles, no punctures

I thought that they had a nice, nimble feel but I am not sensitive or picky about this kind of stuff, YMMV. I would use them again with no hesitation.
Replaced them with Panaracer Ribmos, which are also fine, just because they happened to be easier to get.

Wolfwerx

I like the TGs quite a bit on my commuter/distance bikes. I use Panaracer RIBMOs on my "fast" bikes. They are my favorite tires of any I've personally used. I think that the prices are very good, and they seem to last pretty long.

lostarchitect 

I use these on several bikes. They are very comfy and have good flat resistance. It's true that the sidewall is somewhat thin--that's what makes them so comfortable. It's a trade off in that regard. The only flats I have ever had--and this is with NYC daily commuting duty--were tears in the sidewall. That has happened twice in the past 2 years.

I do not agree at all that they are somehow extremely slow. They're touring tires and they feel normal--even fast--for touring tires. Comparing them to racier tires is apples to oranges. And even so, I have the aforementioned Rubino pros on another bike and I don't find the Paselas significantly slower--though they are much more comfortable. In fact, I just switched to Paselas on that bike because of the vastly improved ride comfort.

hagen2456

irwin, Pobble, Wolfwerx and lostarchitect: thanks for the informations. The more the better. So, they may not be bad at all

Igo

I run 28c Panaracer -TServ and have never had a flat.
You may not want to hear it but others will. The T-Serv has very little roll resistance for a 28. I run it because it is a flat resistance tire the weighs only 240 grams and pumps up to 105 psi. Fantastic commuter tire.

lostarchitect 

I'm updating this because today I got my first ever flat through the tread on a Pasela Tourguard tire. It was a tiny pinhole puncture, probably a wire from a radial tire or something like that, so I don't know that any tire would have stopped it. It was probably karma for bragging about how I never get flats!

Still love these tires though!

fietsbob

tread rubber is thinner, so weighs less but not as much tread
to lengthen milage per tire, a trade off..

Editz

Would anyone venture a guess as to how any of these would compare to Schwalbe Marathon Racers? I'm finding that tire picks up a lot of debris, but no flats yet.