I have been a big fan of the Panaracer gravel tires and was interested to try their new road tire. These replaced my Conti GP5000's, which have been my go-to for several seasons (and an excellent tire). The Agilest mount quite easily and needed just quick flip with a single plastic tire tool to pop them on. On the road they have plenty of grip, and at equivalent pressure the 28mm Agilest ride smoother than the Conti. However, the 28mm Agilest measure only about 26mm and are visually narrower than the GP5000. Using the Silca tire pressure calculator, it recommends about 8-10psi more for the Agelist. It's hard to say if they truly roll better, as every day on the road is a different day. But early experience says a little pressure tweaking is needed to get the most out of the tire.
I have a few hundred miles on the 28mm tires so far with 95% paved road and 5% smooth gravel on a bike path. They replaced a set of vittora corsas, and so far they feel smoother and are noticeably lighter. No flats yet and I run these with tubes. Nice supple sidewalls (I've found the modern crop of non-tubeless tires to be preferable if you want supple). I'm a huge panaracer fan so have been looking forward to trying these out.
The Conti Attack/Force combo I had been using was discontinued, so I'm trying Panaracer Agilest's in 23mm front/25mm rear as a replacement. Slightly lighter than the Contis, but if flats are an issue I'll try to the more flat-resistant Duro version for the rear (or both).
They mount easily, snug but not a struggle. Two differences immediately apparent: (1) can't find directional arrows, probably not needed because they have no tread pattern, which eliminates one step in the mounting process, and (2) they lack divots to show tread wear, so I guess one estimates wear by how much the tread is squared off?
Can't comment on how they ride, fresh tires always feel great to me. Will see how much mileage I get out of them.
I do 20 mph rides with a group, about 25 miles. No racing. These tires are perfect. No flats, good adhesion, roll nicely, look good on my custom steel bike.
These are the tires I had been begging IRC to make for 20 years, since they discontinued the IRC Triathlon kevlar. Smooth tread makes sense for bicycles. Strong casing makes sense. Light weight makes sense. Easy to mount on my Velocity rims. Made in Japan high quality construction.
IRC did not answer my prayers, but Panaracer did. Thanks guys!
As an older ex-roadracer i dont hammer stuff to dealth anymore and i look for good ride quality and durability for maximum enjoyment.. these seem to check those boxes
