Panaracer Tour Guard Plus

[Squeezebox]

Ive got my hands on the new The Panaracer Tour Guard Plus 700x32. (made by Panasonic, didnt know that!)

Interesting, it seems an identical tread pattern to Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Has the reflective band and Im not sure if there really is much difference at all in actual appearance and feel of them, but Ive yet to ride on one. There is no knowledge of their longetivity or crackageness of course either!

It even has a blue label on it and stuck around it like the Schwalbe ones! They are stamped "Made in China" & suggest 50 - 75 PSI

I dont have the weight of a M+ to hand but sticking the 700x32 Panaracer TG + on my kitchen scales I can confirm this one is 800g.

No idea what the "protection" bit is made of, but its certainly tough and thick feeling (if you like that sort of thing). Its described as "Tough Lock" rubber belt and the label says "Super Thick" with a comforting picture of a tack sticking into the profile but not going as far through as to be near the inner tube.

A couple of quid cheaper.

It smells nice !

[reohn2]

It smells nice !

So does Chanel No5 but I wouldn't use it


800g EEK!

[meic]

It smells nice !

So does Chanel No5 but I wouldn't use it


800g EEK!

You weight weenie,
its only the same as a bike bottle of water.

[reohn2]

You weight weenie,
its only the same as a bike bottle of water.

Or more than twice the weight of any 700x35mm tyre I ride

[JohnW]

...............They are stamped "Made in China"..................!

WHAT???????

That'd put me off for a start.

There has been a thread some time ago about 28mm Paselas - you may be well advised to have a look at that. I won't use 28mm Paselas ever again, but I have 23mm and 25mm Paselas on my bikes at the moment and I'm very happy with them - BUT - they're "Made in Japan". - and pressure quoted on the 28mm Paselas was (and as far as I know still is) "Keep inflated - 105psi", which is a lot different from 50-75. I know that 32mm tyres may very well have a recommended pressure less than equivalent 28mm tyres, but I've never seen Paselas express pressures in that way.

I'd be doing a bit of checking on this before I rode them.

When I had some queries, I found the importers to be helpful - why not ask :

brian.goss@zyro.co.uk

....................they will either put your mind at rest or tell you to beware..........

[MikeF]

...............They are stamped "Made in China"..................!

WHAT???????

That'd put me off for a start.

There has been a thread some time ago about 28mm Paselas - you may be well advised to have a look at that. I won't use 28mm Paselas ever again, but I have 23mm and 25mm Paselas on my bikes at the moment and I'm very happy with them - BUT - they're "Made in Japan". - and pressure quoted on the 28mm Paselas was (and as far as I know still is) "Keep inflated - 105psi", which is a lot different from 50-75. I know that 32mm tyres may very well have a recommended pressure less than equivalent 28mm tyres, but I've never seen Paselas express pressures in that way.

I'd be doing a bit of checking on this before I rode them.

When I had some queries, I found the importers to be helpful - why not ask :

brian.goss@zyro.co.uk

....................they will either put your mind at rest or tell you to beware..........

I have some Paselas and all are made in Japan. The 700x32 are marked "Keep inflated - 95psi", but the 26x1.75 is marked 40-65psi plus measurements in bars etc. I think all were sold as Tourguard but were labelled Pasela PT, which according to their website seems to be slightly different.

From the forum I see others have had problems with Paselas, so I am slightly wary, but I really like these tyres. They are really comfortable and soften the shocks on rough surfaces, fast, quiet, don't throw up much muck and spray, and are not too heavy. I have another 26" on order now. However those Tourguard plus look real tractor tyres at 800g like many of the Schwalbe ones. According to their website a Marathon plus 700x32 also weighs http://www.schwalbe.co.uk/tour/marathon-plus/800g.

[JohnW]

................ think all were sold as Tourguard but were labelled Pasela PT, which according to their website seems to be slightly different................

As I understand it following e-mail discussions with the importers, the "PT" is what they call an improvement on the "TG", and the "improvement" is an "improved" puncture resistant strip. I've not ridden "PTs" yet, so I can't comment.

If you refer to the earlier thread, I think you'll find that the problems have been with the sidewalls on the 28mm Paselas - splitting and blowing-out after very little mileage. I have had as bad experiences as anyone in this respect and I'll not use the 28mms again, but I really like the ride on the Paselas, and I intend continuing with the 25mm and 23mm versions - I'm quite happy with them.

It's interesting that the bad experiences that were mentioned were with the 28mm, and the 25mm and 32mm versions (i.e. the size on either side of 28mm) didn't get bad reports.

[al_yrpal]

Paselas are like Marmite - I love 'em! I once had a sidewall blowout but it was entirely my fault - when I put them on I didn't check the brake block clearance and only when fully loaded it just touched at one point which I hadn't noticed. The result, a pistol shot blowout on a 1 in 5 ascent.

Al

[JohnW]

.............. a pistol shot blowout on a 1 in 5 ascent.

Al

.............which is one helluvalot better than on a 1 in 5 descent!!!!!!!

[JohnW]

I discussed this with my LBS proprietor.

He told me that he'd always been given to understand that Panasonic made all their own tyres in their own factory in Japan, and didn't make tyres for anyone else.

However, he went to check, and it appears that Panasonic do an "economy" range tyre (I can't remember the product name - it may even be variation on Panaracer xxxxxxx) which is about £10-a-tyre cheaper than the normal Paselas (a pair of 23mm examples of which I was buying at the time) - and these are indeed made in China. These had fairly smooth treads, and had a red stripe on either side of the centre - 23mm I think - certainly no bigger.

This causes me to doubt my initial thoughts that the OP's tyres were fakes. My LBS does quite a range of qualities of tyres, but the tread on these "economy" tyres - such as it is - isn't identical with any of the others of similar price that he had in stock.

I won't be trying these "economy" tyres - my personal very limited experience with "economy" tyres is that I haven't had as many miles-per-pound as I have with the normal tyres (although it is some years since I tried "economy" tyres), and I'd wonder whether there was any puncture resistant strip incorporated.

[Samurray]

OP, I would be very interested to hear any reports on your Tourguard Plus tyres. I have been considering getting these for a forthcoming tour beginning in April. Currently I use the (old) Pasela TG (26 x 1.75) and love them. Very fast rolling for such a tyre, very comfortable and in a year and a half commuting in London and cycling down to Cornwall (fully loaded) I've not had one flat. I had better go and *touch wood* now of course. Anyway, after something possibly a little more rugged for a one year trip.

S

[Brucey]

.....He told me that he'd always been given to understand that Panasonic made all their own tyres in their own factory in Japan, and didn't make tyres for anyone else....

However the GB range of tyres is basically all built on Panaracer tyre carcasses.

BTW I was in contact with Panaracer recently and I absolutely could not eke out of them any load ratings for their tyres. They were happy enough to advise a suitable tyre for a proposed load/duty though.

cheers

[CREPELLO]

.....He told me that he'd always been given to understand that Panasonic made all their own tyres in their own factory in Japan, and didn't make tyres for anyone else....

However the GB range of tyres is basically all built on Panaracer tyre carcasses.

Not to mention the Soma B-line. It even says Panaracer on the side. Don't believe everything the LBS says

[JohnW]

..............Don't believe everything the LBS says.............

I do believe what my LBS proprietor says - he said he's always been given to understand that......etc. etc.......

It seems to me that if anyone was telling porkies, it wasn't the LBS proprietor - he has no vested interest in doing that in this instance.

[JohnW]

OP, I would be very interested to hear any reports on your Tourguard Plus tyres. I have been considering getting these for a forthcoming tour beginning in April. Currently I use the (old) Pasela TG (26 x 1.75) and love them. Very fast rolling for such a tyre, very comfortable and in a year and a half commuting in London and cycling down to Cornwall (fully loaded) I've not had one flat. I had better go and *touch wood* now of course. Anyway, after something possibly a little more rugged for a one year trip.

S

I haven't used the free tyres that the importer sent me - the way they'd been packed for transit had deformed the sidewalls and in my opinion pre-damaged them. I don't trust them. They've been stood on one side now for over a year, and the deformity hasn't gone. I e-mailed the importer and they told me to destroy them. I've not done so yet. My decision is that I will never use 28mm Paselas again - I've been using some 28mm Vittoria Randonneurs this winter, and whilst I think there's a bit more drag with them, they're OK, and I've had no problems so far. They're not worn yet, but my impression so far is that they'll wear better than the Paselas. I did try a Gatorskin as an emergency replacement for one blown-out Pasela, but it punctured twice in 100 miles - at least my experience has been that Paselas are quite good for puncture resistance.

More recently, someone else has put a thread on reporting similar side-wall blow-out problems with the 25mm Paselas. I responded by saying that, notwithstanding my experiences (and that of so many others) with the 28mm Paselas, the 25mm are so comfortable and responsive that I was continuing to standardise on them for my 25mm and 23mm tyres. Well I was wrong, because only a week or so after I'd said that I had a side-wall blow-out with a new (less than 200 miles) 25mm Pasela - thankfully on the rear, although it caused me enough grief.

I'm just so sick of the whole situation and of the product that I've written them off, and I haven't bothered to report it or pursue it with the importers. Perhaps I should, to add my warning to the warning on the other thread - perhaps someone else will take it further.

In extremis, a front-wheel blow-out can be life threatening.

I'm sad to come to this, but no more Paselas of any size for me............I have a pair of new 23mm Paselas to go on for the coming summer, but I shall keep a weather eye on them and I will not buy Paselas again.

Some of the other tyres give working pressures in "Maximum pressure", Maximum and minimum pressure, and Gatorskins are most helpful, giving maximum and optimum (or is it recommended?) pressure, but Paselas just say : "Inflate to............". I asked the importer whether that was a maximum or a minimum pressure, but they didn't answer and I can't find my e-mail now, to prove that I did ask them.

However, and this is not to be taken as either advice or recommendation to anyone else, but I will not feel safe on Paselas again, and I will not be buying any more - sadly.