Pros: light, and easy to set up tubeless.
Cons: fast wearing, poor puncture resistance, and in my experience with 32mm size requiring higher pressures they don't seal reliably if they do get a puncture, and I have not had success using plugs (also because of higher pressure).
I was looking for a new set of tires to mount on my Enve 3.4 SES AR rims. Panaracer was listed as one of the compatible tires, plus a friend of mine had recommended them. I ordered a pair, mounted them tubeless on my rims and haven't regretted the move. Tires roll great, faster than my old Maxxis Refuze tires, softer ride as well. I would recommend these tires to anyone looking for a nice tubeless tire.
The Panaracer Gravel King 28s are the tire I've been looking for to use for commuting. They are durable, reasonably light weight, roll nice and provide a plush ride. On Dyad rims, they measure 30 mm wide, and should measure a true 28 mm wide on narrow rims like Open Pros. Other 28s that I've tried include Continental GP 4 Seasons, Vittoria Rubinos, Panaracer Pasela TGs and Rivendell Ruffy Tuffys - and the Gravel Kings are far better than all of these. The Conti 4 Seasons are just as light but much narrower (closer to 26 mm wide) and harsher riding. The Rubinos are also much narrower than billed (26 mm) with ride quality similar to the Contis. The Ruffy Tuffys were close to advertised width (27.5 mm) but much heavier with higher rolling resistance than others. The Paselas were close to advertised with and relatively light weight but do not roll as smoothly as the Gravel Kings.
It will sound pretty funny to say that I like these tires enough that after cutting the sidewall on one today, I am going to order some more. I was really asking to much of it, but I was having a good time making new routes by connecting pavement with some unpaved stuff, got lost and ended up on a road more suited to a fat tire bike.
Its going on the stack of barely used tires that have been destroyed by the flint shards that are everywhere around where I ride. I got almost 200 miles out of it, which is 197 miles more than a couple on the pile(that cost more).
I was not kind to these tires, riding rocky rough roads at 220 pounds, in the 26mm size(yes, its actually 25). All the other tires that I have gone through only hit pavement.
They are fairly fast on pavement, and felt secure in the turns. Only rode them in the rain once, didn't die. When I get some more, they are going on all my faster bikes. Will probably Get the 28mm next time.
Love these tires! These are a great way to go if you ride anything but the gnarliest trail. Supple and fast with good puncture protection and easy to setup tubeless.
These are by far my favorite tires for my gravel bike here in Summer in California. Fast on the road and does well in the dry dusty off road around here, great value and holds up to just about everything.
Use on my commuter. Like the handling of these tires. With 400 miles shows light wear in the rear from like new. I have had one puncture due to a small thorn.
Although they are called Gravelkings I am riding them 80/20 road to gravel. They work great for both. Super smooth for the road, and tacky enough for gravel. I run them lower on the gravel and went tubeless for even less weight. They set up on tubeless really easily. I like the gum sidewall look but don't know about it's specs or longevity.
5 flats in less than 100 miles. I guess if you put the trendy term du jour, gravel, in a name all of the magazines will think they're fantastic. Bought them after several good reviews. Do feel good on patches where snow has blown across road but otherwise nothing special. 700X26 is actually narrower than a Continental Gator Skin 700X25. My Gator Skins went several thousand miles between flats on the same roads. At least the price is cheap.
I've put a few hundred miles on my set, on mixed terrain.... 90% road and 10% dirtlight gravel. Comfortable tires on the road but was very surprised to get a puncture flat so soon. Time will tell if this was just a fluke but these tires are known to be puncture-prone. If they hold up I may consider them again in the future.
I did a 200 mile ride on the C&O trail from Cumberland MD to Washington DC. The tires held up very nicely. I was carrying about 30 pounds of gear in my bags. I have tried other tires in the past and I always had flats. Even with the Gatorskins.
I would buy them again, and I now have a pair on my wife's bike.
Ive put about 1000 miles on these tires so far and Ive been extremely pleased. These tires are not quite gravel tires, they are more like road tires with some grit. Ive been riding on ruff paved road on a fuji SL and having just a little extra grit tread over a slick has been amazing. Great tire awesome look I would definitely recommend and would definitely buy them again!
Whoa...do they even need a review? Gravel "King" says it all. Get'em!
These are great tires if you're doing a mix of road/gravel. They're still really fast on the pavement, but do all but the most rough of gravel roads just fine.
The 28c tires run narrow. I mounted a 28c on a 24mm OD width rim, and they barely measure 27c with calipers. I was hoping for more width
These may well be great tires, but I'll never know because I cannot mount them on my Neuvation R28 SL2 wheels without damaging the tube. I gave up after pinch flatting two tubes and realizing that even if I managed to successfully install them at home I would never be able to out on the road if I got a flat. These rims have a reputation for a tight fit, but I've never had this problem with them before.
These tires have been a great addition to my Kona Libre. They roll fast, and although void of tread, at low pressure still work great on smooth gravel. Set up tubeless in a snap, got a screw through one the next day, patched the tire in two spots and it has been good ever since.
The Gravel King tire was awesome on the mixed surface gravel event that I purchased them for. I felt super confident climbing in the muddy conditions, descending and picking lines on technical single track. I had to sacrifice some traction on the deep mud due to not having any lugs on the tires but this was a trade off. Great tire!!
We met in 2015, love at first sight, each size has mounted well and ridden great for the long haul. 28mm is a tight handler & 38mm is a good tubeless tread for those more loose days.
Love this tire!
