uncle uncle

After going thru another set of 27 X 1 3/8 cyclo-cross tires (the makers name rhymes with "Splenda"), with just about every tire I received having quality issues, I'm hoping to find something else to use to ride on. Anyone use their Pasela's as gravelers? Most of my gravel lately has been fairly tame, and I'm not setting any KOM's for any sections on Strava... I just want something that I can put on the bicycle, and not struggle with built in twists, or sidewalls that split and leave me stranded mid ride.

HTupolev

If you're getting sidewall cuts, the solution will probably be to go wider and/our tougher. Paselas are not built with beefy sidewalls.

Roger M

I have 1 1/4" Paselas on our tandem. I rode Cino on it last summer with my son. About 110 miles and maybe 75% of that gravel. Had two flats, but no tire damage. We rode some gravel rail trails on it as well, with no issues.

I am riding Cino next month, on 27x11/8 Paselas(single person bike). I have no worries that they'll hold up as well as most other tires doing the ride.

I will note however, that one Pasel that I bought had two slits in the outer layer of thw sidewall. I didn't notice it until I had put a couple hundred miles on them. Im sure it was a manufacturing defect, but I didn't go through the channels to pursure warranty.

Regardless, if I need to buy 27" tires, I'll buy Paselas.

uncle uncle

I'm pretty certain the previous tire failure wasn't due to a cut. It bulged out first, making the bike feel as if I was riding on a rutted road (but only on the one tire), then a few miles later, it split.

Clang

I have those tires on my Fuji Touring Series IV and rode gravel with a local group every Tuesday- ~30 miles each time and had no headaches with them at around 50 psi. I'd recommend them.

Pcampeau

I ride Panaracer Pasela Protites 27” x 1 1/4” on easy rails to trails gravel over fairly long distances and in my experience they are pretty good. Long lasting and comfortable but with a small weight penalty. I used to ride the regular Paselas and got a lot of flats. I don’t know if the tire compound is just too soft or what but they seemed to pick up too much sharp debris. I’ve never had a problem with the sidewalls though. The Protites are a little heavier but the ride quality is still quite good.

79pmooney

I've used Paselas in 700c from 25c (1") to 38c (1 1/2") in every size and a variety of models over the past 15? years. (I forget when I stared using them.) I don't care for the 25c and 28c on gravel simply because they are too narrow and dig to far into the loose stuff, but 32c (1 1/4") and up work well. Neither a very grippy pattern nor a sticky tread but good reliable tires. Sidewalls are thin and do not take kindly to scrapes but I've never had an issue with that while riding. (They don't like brake pads or curbs!) I've done several thousand feet of descending with a 38c front and 35c rear in rather hairy Oregon mountain conditions. First go tires and bike did just fine. Second time was way beyond my riding skills and I crashed hard but the tires again did just fine. (And they did not play a part in my down fall.)

ThermionicScott 

I haven't ridden the 27"x1-1/4" version on gravel, but assume it would hold up as well as the other Panaracer variants I do use on gravel (Pasela 700x28C, Pari-Moto 650x38B, Rene Herse 26"x1.7")

As with all the tires from this family, just check yours over carefully before installing, and then be mindful not to scuff the sidewalls whenever you park the bike or transport it somewhere.

gaucho777 

No complaints here. I've been riding 27 x 1-1/4 Pasela tires on my commuter for years. Most of my riding is on pavement, but I don't shy away from trails and gravel. This is a backway home I typically take around once per week. Yes, the sidewalls do feel thin, but I have yet to tear through a casing and I rarely get flats. I ride this bike almost every workday, heavily loaded with school papers, clothes, computer, lunch, plus my ~210-pound mass. Tires at about 60 psi, and I change tires when I see threads (if I notice).

oneclick 

Better, right after purchase. I ordered a pair of 650B and they waited until the bike was ready.

Finally mounted them, one has a bloddy great lump where the casing has some sort of defect.

Kabuki12

I ran Kenda tires briefly on one of my bikes and they did not hold up. I got a bulge on one of them that rendered the tire useless. The ride was ok but not near as nice as the Panaracer tires I now have. I have either 1” or 1 1/8” on a few of my bikes and love them. They mount true and the bead seats very firmly . They are a bit tougher to get on and off the rim but I think that’s what makes them run so true once inflated. I don’t ride on gravel much here in Southern California but I have done some mild dirt roads and they are stable and seem ok.

rustystrings61 

I've been running 700x28 Paselas on a couple of bikes for eight years or so now, primarily on my fixed-gears. Those get ridden over all sorts of surfaces without issue. They have been my favorite tire for quite a while now.

While I haven't taken it on gravel, I HAVE been running 27 x 1 1/4-in blackwall Paselas on my '76 Puch. They run true to size for me on the Rigida hook bead 27-in rims and provide an astoundingly comfy ride so far.

non-fixie 

The 28mm Pasela TG Folding had been my go-to tire for all mixed road riding for about 10 years now, following recommendations on this forum. Many a L'Eroica has been navigated with them without any flats. Both by me and mrs non-fixie.

Last October in Gaiole, Tuscany:



For those interested, SJS Cycles have the folding version in 27 x 1 1/8: Panaracer Pasela Tour Guard Compe Folding Tyre - 27 x 1 1/8 Inch 28-630

squirtdad

I have 27 1 1/4 on my around town bike...so no gravel experience. but these feel way bigger than 1 1/4....and rolling resistance feels higher than it should be, but ride is comfy I run 28mm (700cc) gravel kings on my Cino bike and really like them (no help for 27 is my guess though)

Darth Lefty 

Un-armored version has been great to ride on but a magnet for thorns in the dry season.

bikemig 

Also consider Schwalbe marathon 27 x 1 and 1/4 tires (green guard) and Michelin Protek 27 x 1 and 1/4. The Proteks measure out at 1 and 3/8 on my rims; I know other BF members have also measured out Proteks as running wider than 1 and 1/4.

https://www.amazon.com/MICHELIN-Prot...390&th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-Mara...1-2&th=1&psc=1

79pmooney

That's funny. I don't find the Panaracers hard to get on and off. And as soon as I typed that, I realized almost all of my Panaracers have been wired on. Easier to deal with. The 38c I have for a gravel front is folding and it is a little harder to get on, especially brand new getting started. Overall, Paselas have been a joy to own and ride. All except they cannot touch the weight, feel, cornering and rolling resistance of the near race Vittoria Corsa Gs and Open Paves. Completely different animals.

On Pasela quality control, I've ridden probably a dozen or more into the ground, have about half a dozen on wheels and bunch more with varying miles hanging I mounted and forgot about. Maybe a tire or two with cord issues at the bead (though I cannot sy for sure that wasn't me damaging it - that cord is light. They are as close to a simple mount and use, dismount and repair tube when flat and go on with no surprises. In fact, almost boring. Most rides I never think about them. (I do pay attention in the wet. They aren't the grippiest. The big ones with suitably low pressure are pretty decent. It is clear that Panasonic opted to go slightly harder, less glass-prone and better wear. All tires are compromises/balancing acts between the characteristics. Paselas have found a balance I like a lot in the city, at night and for bikes I just grab to ride. Also long rides that involve real amounts of both pavement and gravel. (With the wider opes and a hand pump, riding the pavement at 60-75 psi and dropping to appropriate squish off-road, pumping back up to do the 35 miles home - pretty close to sublime.)

davester

The other possibility is to get these:

https://www.swifttire.com/product/sa...8-folding-tan/.

No wider than the Pasela 27x1-1/4, but definitely sturdier. I use them on my touring bike and have ridden the gravelly Eroica California coastal route on them.

kroozer 

I had the same problem with one of my Pasela 650Bx42's, and it was mostly because the bead did not seem to mount properly on the rim. In my case, I deflated the tire and reinflated it (several times) until I got the bead mounted evenly all the way around, that took out just about all of the wobble.

I agree with the previous posters about weak sidewalls on Pasela. A bit of damage and the tire is toast.

old's'cool

My experience was I ripped a sidewall. That was the last time I commuted on Paselas.

bwilli88 

I also agree that the Swift tire Sand Canyon tires are remarkably similar to Paselas. I really like them.

Road Fan

I don’t have my 27 x 1 ¼ bike put together yet but I did put 559 x 42 mm Pasele Protite tires on Mrs. Road Fan’s Terry Cote de Donana, a full-rendered Waterford-framed 2x11 road bike, 70-ish y/o on drop bars with Ergopowers. This was a step up from Vittoria Randonneurs 28 mm. No flats with the Vittorias in 6 years, no rim bobbles developing, and always smooth, but the bigger cushioning volume of the 42 mm donuts, at the right pressure feels like my Compass tires on my 650b. Also, she gushes over it, for smoothness and stability when traversing road irregularities. The frame is pretty stiff with its 2nd over size main tubes, but the 42 mm Profites improve it a lot. BTW the rims are hooked, so these are folding tires.

Main point is, with this tire she do not have any feeling of sluggishness (and she IS sensitive to that), at least at my canny selection of pressure. I use a divination tool in the mystical writings of Master Berto and stop pumping when my arms are tired, and she likes it. It’s about 55 to 60 psi. It works well on my 650b, as well.

My 32 mm is a very vintage Rudge Aero Special, which is getting “new” Modele 58 wired-on rims, butted spokes and an alloy crank, and may eventually get an alloy Sturmey Archer FM medium-range IGH, but it’s essentially Rudge 3-speed designed for drop-bars. Before i buy the tires I need to do a careful check of the frame clearances, because a pair of 35 mm Swift tires might be even nicer if they fit under fenders.

Bottom line, experiment with tire pressures, if you haven’t.

Road Fan

Very interesting, ‘Mooney! Can you make a guesstimate of what pressure you use softened up for non-paved? Sounds like it’s probably 40 psi or so?

79pmooney

I rode the Trask River road on very soft tires, maybe as low as 25 in front and 35 in back. Thought I'd just squish along for the 8 miles of pavement into town thinking it's not very far. Way, way too soft! Felt like I was never going to get there.

dddd

The term "gravel" to me sounds pretty tame as compared to the terrain that I have conquered on mere 1" Paselas.

I measure 26mm plus on my Araya touring rims, and so can ride them on mountain-bike trails and rocky railroad parallel trails that feature continuous elevation-change pitches.

I really didn't expect them to hold up for long, but the first thing that I used my newly-acquired Pro-Tour for after rescuing it from a shop's dumpster was exploring the twenty miles of trail that follows the railroad into the Sierra foothills.
Emboldened by that week-long adventure, I did my usual all-use riding on that bike, and a year passed before I replaced the rear tire which was worn and had several not-so-subtle sidewall traumas.

The rider does need to keep tabs on what these tires might be scraping against, but the tread cap wraps around the casing well enough to ward off the consequences of most out-of-control recovery moves when traversing extremely rocky terrain.

For reference, I at 140# run the pressure at 70F/75R, and thus have to control my speed relative to the chunkiness of the surface that I'm riding on (I did suffer a couple of pinch-flat incidences during that first year).

I'm now well into this bike's third year, I've lessened my use of this bike because of my road-going priorities, but the original front (and second rear) Pasela TourGuard 1" tires are still working for me.

I should add that I bought these wire-bead tires in 2011, at ten dollars apiece from Nashbar. I stocked up on these and some folding Pasela's in larger 27" widths at that time.
As such, the wet grip pf these tires on pavement or rock is less than the best, rubber not getting better with age!