The Sea Otter Classic has become the launching pad for a ton of new product, and Panaracer was no exception this year. Most everyone reading this article will know or at least heard of the Panaracer Gravelking tubeless gravel tire. In the event you haven’t, be sure to swing by my original review of the Gravelking SK, HERE.
Recently, Panaracer unveiled a range of new colors that should be hitting the market sometime in May. That article drew plenty of excitement, but there are three new variants of the Gravelking SK to be especially stoked about. Without further ado…
Panaracer Gravelking +
The new Plus model of the Gravelking features the company’s Protite Shield technology, which provides puncture protection but without losing any of the suppleness this tire is renown for. The Protite material spans the tire in a bead to bead layer (this includes the sidewalls), and another layer of Protite is fused with a nylon breaker, which is placed directly beneath the tread cap. In the end, you have a four-ply tire with a super tough casing, perfect for the nastiest of gravel roads. On the narrowest model, this treatment adds 12 grams per tire.
Panaracer claims their Protite technology is up to 2.5 times more puncture resistant than Kevlar and lighter at the same time, whilst costing only $US 5 more per tire.
The + treatment is available in the following variants with the option of black or brown sidewalls.:
- Gravelking + (slick): 700c x 32mm, 700c x 35mm and 700c x 38mm.
- Gravelking SK + (the one most of us are familiar with aka semi-knob): 700c x 32mm, 700c x 35mm, 700c x 38mm, 700c x 43mm, 700c x 50mm and 650b x 48mm.
- Gravelking EXT + (more on that tire below): 700c x 33mm, 700c x 35mm and 700c x 38mm.
Availability is likely to be sometime in May of 2019.
Gravelking AC (All-Conditions)
The all-conditions tire revels in muddy conditions, but is a good all-rounder if you’re uncertain of conditions day of your event. This model is available in the following variants with the option of black or brown sidewalls:
- Gravelking AC: 700c x 33mm and 700c x 35mm.
This tire should hit shelves sometime in May of 2019.
Gravelking EXT (Extreme Conditions)
A new tread pattern designed for the most extreme of conditions. The tread pattern is based on the Panaracer GCGX (Cedric Gracia CX tire) albeit in a number of different widths. Additionally, this tire is available with Panaracer’s + plus Protite puncture protection as mentioned earlier.
This model is available in the following variants with the option of black or brown sidewalls:
- Gravelking EXT +: 700c x 33mm, 700c x 35mm and 700c x 38mm.
The 700c x 33mm EXT model may be available at the time of writing, with 700c x 35mm and 700c x 38mm expected sometime in May or June of 2019.
Panaracer Seal Smart Sealant
Finally, if you missed our video on this subject, Panaracer released a new sealant that relies on ground up walnut shells that react with the other ingredients in the sealant, to rapidly accelerate the rate of a puncture being sealed.
According to Panaracer, this sealant also reduces the amount of sealant lost through the hole (we’ve all seen this) and will apparently seal a hole 6mm in width almost immediately.
Available in May from Panaracer, sealant will be available in 4oz ($US 6.99), 16oz ($US 19.99) and a larger size for bike shops (or people who review a ton of tires) coming later.
| Online Shopping Links (Feel free to compare prices) |
| Panaracer Tires in All Flavors |
| Click this Link to BUY from Panaracer USA |
| Panaracer GravelKing SK Tire – Tubeless Black/Brown, 700c x 35mm |
| Click this Link to BUY from Amazon |
| Panaracer GravelKing SK Tire – Tubeless Black, 700c x 35mm |
| Click this Link to BUY from Amazon |
| Panaracer GravelKing SK Tire – Tubeless Black, 700 x 43mm |
| Click this Link to BUY from Amazon |
| Panaracer GravelKing Mud Tire – Tubeless Black, 700 x 35mm |
| Click this Link to BUY from Amazon |
Is the GravelKing AC just a renamed GravelKing Mud? Or are the knobs smaller or something? I’ve ridden the GravelKind Muds and your review of them was spot on. They’re fine on the gravel and dirt, but when you hit pavement, they kinda suck. I wish they were offered in a 38 mm. I see the ACs will only come as big as a 35 mm as well.
Kevin, the AC’s are pretty much identical to the Mud, so draw your own conclusions 🙂 Definitely a super handy tyre to have in one’s arsenal for the right conditions.
Any word if these are these going to come in those lovely colours?
Hi Andrew, the article states two colors only, all black or with brown sidewall. If that changes, this site will be the first to post about it!
The “AC” seems better suited to mud than the ‘EXT’. It looks like the EXT would clog up much more?
I just put the slick+ 700×32 on my domane and went for a 120k ride in the mountains here in central Japan. The tires aren’t really slicks in the traditional sense, but instead have rows of nubbins at the center and chevron file treads at the shoulder. While the tires seemed slightly slower, they still rolled fast. The biggest benefit to me was the confidence I gained to ride over almost any surface. A worthwhile trade-off, IMO. I like these tires a lot.
Agreed, very grippy tyres and fast! I’ve ridden the 700c x 32’s on several roadie group rides, tubeless, and love the ride quality. My samples weighed less than 300 grams each!
JOM any input on the inflated width? Does the 35c SK+ still swell much like the regular SK to near or about 38mm on say a 20+ mm internal rim? Or does the + casing maybe keep the width down just a tick truer to sidewall nomenclature?
Chad, I rode the 38mm SK+ at DK200, its size was a smidge over 38mm fitted to an ENVE G23 wheelset (23mm internal). This variant doesn’t appear to grow too much.
Thanks JOM I have the regular SK 38c on the bontrager aeolus pro3V wheelset 25mm internal and they measure a full 40mm. Once these tires wear out I’ll likely put the SK+ on the same rims. I can’t go much bigger than this on my Crockett anyhow.
After reading this last night I went down to my LBS and put a 35c slick + set on order for the Trek Checkpoint I have coming in. Hopefully they’ll be much more comfortable than the 25c on my Caad10 I’ve been commuting on!
Hey Phil, can you measure them? Interested if they’re true to size or not. Cheers!
hey JOM and everyone
have you had the chance to test the EXT+ version in 38?, any better than regular GK SK?
Cheers!
Jorge
Jorge, I rode the EXT+ version 38mm at Dkrty Kanza last year… better yes, in terms of puncture protection, but not better in terms of weight. However, the tradeoff is well worth it.