Panaracer Gravelking Plus Slick 700x28C tires Review

I wanted to share my experience with the Panaracer Gravelking plus slick tires which I have been using this season.  I was searching for a more-comfy ride on my Felt Z75 disc road bike and switched to these from my Continental GP4000 25mm tires. 

Actual Width

First thing I should mention is that for me they are not that wide of a tire.  My rims have a 17 mm internal width, and these measured 26.55mm when first installed.  Now I have about 1500 miles on them, and they have expanded to about 27.24 mm.  It’s good they are not wider as my frame clearance wouldn’t work with more than a mm wider.  My 25mm GP4000 were measuring just a bit over 28mm when I removed them. 

How’s the ride?

They have indeed been a little more comfortable of a ride.  Much of that may be from only inflating these to 90 psi rear and 85 psi front.  The GP4000 I was doing 110 psi rear and 100 psi front.  So, I don’t know how they would compare at the same inflation.  They have real good grip and I have always felt confident riding on them.  I have also had no flats, which is great.  I do think I lost a little bit of speed with these.  This is probably due to them being a little higher rolling resistance tire plus the lower inflation.  Max inflation for these is only 105 so I wouldn’t be able to go as high as I did with the GP4000.  The Gravelkings are also quite a bit heavier as they are supposed to be about 320 grams vs 220 grams for the GP4000.  

Durability

So after about 1500 miles here is the tread for the front and back:

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Front doesn’t show much wear, but the rear has lost all the bumps in the center.  I’m guessing it probably has quite a few more miles left in it, but I haven’t found any reference for wear markers. 

Price

I got a pretty good deal on these at the bikesmiths and paid about $30 each.  Not sure if I bought from their website or ebay.  They seem to often have better deals on ebay.  If you shop around, you should be able to find a good price.  Definitely cheaper than some of the more racer tires. 

Conclusion

I think they are good tires for the money.  A great choice if you have a tight clearance and want a 28mm tire that isn’t that wide.  They have a comfy ride and great flat protection, plus good grip.  Also, a good tire if you find yourself off the pavement often.  Probably not the fastest tire out there though.  Next season I think I’m going to check out the Continental GP5000.  Think I want to go back to speed over comfy…