A disclaimer
This post is about my experience upgrading my tyres on my gravel/commuter bike and initial impression with the Panaracer Gravelking X1+.
Just giving my impression and looking for feedback, encouragement to keep going I suppose.. — info dump below
My original tires came with my bike which was Schwalbe CX Comp 38 mm and I “upgraded” to the Gravelkings X1+ for a fair bit of money.
Having been bike commuting since September I have really enjoyed leaving the car at home and slugging it last autumn and winter in UK weather.
This forum was a big part of helping me to make the change and I am grateful for all the positive people here who encourage and promote cycling as a way of transport. And for all the positive voices on the questions I asked here (including the infamous 4 hour tyre change post with Frankenstein bike holder)
The Tyre change
The biggest upgrade to your bike that you can make is tires and wheels. This is what I kept reading so I looked forward to a bit of a transformation, perhaps 😅
So my bike ride was generally fine and quick feeling with the CX comp but after three flat tyres (tube) at the back within six months I knew I needed a better tyre with some protection. Every YouTube channel on bikes seems to be promoting wider tyres and being a newbie I fell for the trap hearing things like better traction, better roll, more comfort etc and the Panaracer came highly regarded (with experts claiming it rolls equally good on tarmac as on gravel)
I decided going from 38 to 40 wasn’t such a big deal but didn’t take into account other factors such as the width of the tire, the weight and the feel.
Making it short, I’ve noticed how on the Gravelkings I seem to roll much better, it’s slightly more dampening of the road, and I appear to be quicker on the road (rough undulating gritty pothole infested roads)
However I “feel”heavier and don’t like the ride feel with these tires, missing the feel of my old Schwalbe CX comp which felt more nippy.
Kinda like going from a go cart to a big suv.
It’s such a weird phenomenon for me, feeling heavier but being quicker.. but ultimately I think I have buyers remorse with these, it is early days though..
by Icy-Succotash7032
3 Comments
It’s hard to say for sure, but I think what you’re feeling is less to do with a couple mm difference in width and more to do with the differences in these specific tires. In addition to being wider, the X1+ seems to have slightly more aggressive knobs, which could be contributing to the sluggishness you’re feeling. Plus a sturdier tire will be a bit heavier and thicker – some people describe softer rubber compounds as being more “supple.”
Personally, I find a big benefit of wider tires is that they allow you to run a less aggressive tread pattern for the same amount of grip, and also have inherently better flat protection for a given tire pressure (at least for pinch flats). I think by moving to wider tires, with more aggressive tread, *and* a thicker compound all at the same time, it’s hard to tell what’s making the biggest change. I can’t make a specific tire recommendation, but this could be a good chance to find some other folks riding similar terrain to your commute to see what kinds of tires they run, maybe even give their bikes a ride to see what you like.
I don’t know what was recommended to you, but I don’t think that people who recommend Gravelkings actually mean this specific version with agressive tread pattern and extra puncture protection. Of course it’s gonna be heavy, slow and draggy.
I’m inclined to believe that everything you’re feeling from being quicker to being more sluggish is placebo. Unless you’re old tires were either paper thin, race ready with latex tubes or complete hard rubber monstrosities (they were neither) there’s no way there should be any noticeable difference between the two tires. Especially feeling more sluggish on the new tires, which are slightly lighter weight than the old tires.