Anyone ridden the new Gravel King tires?

16 replies · 1,874 views

SWGraveler
247 posts
#1Apr 20, 2024, 7:45 PM
Hey look, it's a new thread!!! 🙂

Has anyone ridden the new GK tires? I am going to be geting a pair of the X1R's pretty soon, the tread looks to be pretty perfect for my local conditions. I'd love to hear impressions from those who have ridden any of the new versions..
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mwandaw
7 posts
#2Apr 21, 2024, 11:20 AM
I've been very interested in the X1Rs, too. Unfortunately, it seems that Panaracer announced them with great fanfare but little or no inventory.
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SWGraveler
247 posts
#3Apr 21, 2024, 1:10 PM
I'm hoping to have a set of them later this week..
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Volsung
878 posts
#4Apr 25, 2024, 4:37 PM
Here are some limited edition fancy ones with what appears to be the supple (aka paper thin) sidewall Panaracer uses on Reen Hers, ultradynamico, and the impossible to find Soma SVs

https://www.polymer.ws/products/panaracer-gravelking-x1-r
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ljsmith
762 posts
#5Apr 26, 2024, 9:16 AMedited
Has anyone noted the giant price increase on the new Gravelkings? I guess they see what people are paying for RH and Schwalbe tires and wanted in on those profit margins. While the Panaracers are good tires, they’ve never impressed me enough that I would pay $160 a pair (at least that’s what the plus version costs).
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stu
646 posts
#6Apr 27, 2024, 5:34 PM
I'm eager to see what BRR says about puncture resistance. Hope it has improved. I've had so many puncture problems with Panaracer, Soma, and RH tires I don't use them any more.
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franklyadam
5 posts
#7May 18, 2024, 8:04 PM
Just picked up a pair of X1's this evening to replace some worn G-One RS's, I didn't know they existed but happened to spot them in the LBS so they were a bit of an impulse buy. I haven't had a chance to ride them yet but I did want to take the time to post that they were a total bear to get seated and sealed on my rims.

Mounting to WeAreOne Revive's, after fighting the tire on and trying to get it to inflate using my Flash Can multiple times I surrendered and put a tube in to get at least one bead completely seated. Once I did that it sealed up on one charge from the can.

Hope to get riding them tomorrow, and will provide some feedback after some usage
1
stu
646 posts
#8May 18, 2024, 11:02 PM
Thanks for the report! I'll be interested in your evaluation.
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SWGraveler
247 posts
#9May 19, 2024, 2:01 PM
I finally got mine, 45mm X1Rs, of course right before leaving on vacation haha. I will get them mounted and ridden this week hopefully; I'll post my thoughts once I do..
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SWGraveler
247 posts
#10May 20, 2024, 4:17 PM
Partial update: I mounted my X1R's today; went pretty well, as easily as pretty much any tire ever has for me as I have small and not so strong hands. I use Vittoria liners so that makes it a tad more difficult. Once mounted, they sealed up easily with my pump/charger thing. After a few hours at 50psi, they are measuring a tad over 46mm wide on my 23 rims so I'm thinking they will end up somewhere close to 47mm.. Riding around for a few mins to slosh the sealant around, they seemed pretty fast on pavement but then again, they were at 50psi..
Hopefully I'll have a gravel ride report in a few days..
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3TX
55 posts
#11May 20, 2024, 5:48 PM
Hey look, it's a new thread!!! 🙂

Has anyone ridden the new GK tires? I am going to be geting a pair of the X1R's pretty soon, the tread looks to be pretty perfect for my local conditions. I'd love to hear impressions from those who have ridden any of the new versions..

Partial update: I mounted my X1R's today; went pretty well, as easily as pretty much any tire ever has for me as I have small and not so strong hands. I use Vittoria liners so that makes it a tad more difficult. Once mounted, they sealed up easily with my pump/charger thing. After a few hours at 50psi, they are measuring a tad over 46mm wide on my 23 rims so I'm thinking they will end up somewhere close to 47mm.. Riding around for a few mins to slosh the sealant around, they seemed pretty fast on pavement but then again, they were at 50psi..
Hopefully I'll have a gravel ride report in a few days..
Will be interesting to hear what they’re like after such fanfare. They are very expensive in comparison to other top quality tyres, so unless prices drop significantly, or they are proven to be the absolute best gravel tyres available, I doubt I will be buying them.
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franklyadam
5 posts
#12May 20, 2024, 6:49 PM
Will be interesting to hear what they’re like after such fanfare. They are very expensive in comparison to other top quality tyres, so unless prices drop significantly, or they are proven to be the absolute best gravel tyres available, I doubt I will be buying them.
Interesting on price, at the LBS I paid around 85$ Canadian each. They were 25-30$ cheaper than everything else ( except the GK SK and SS ), mine are just X1’s though not the R or +.

I was out for a 40km journey with mine yesterday. They performed very well, they had kept their pressure overnight, no flats or punctures or anything on the ride. I was riding on packed rail bed type trails, they seemed to roll very well, they didn’t feel noticeable draggier than my G-One RS’s on the hard pack. There were a few mostly dried puddles with that slick almost dry mud, the X1’s didn’t get squirrelly in them which was nice. There are some singletrack trails I often frequent so I’m curious how they’ll do, my g-one RS’s were noticeable worse at that than my previous tires ( as expected given how slick they are ).

Over the next week or two I’ll get more adventures and write more about them.
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3TX
55 posts
#13Jun 5, 2024, 2:05 AM
Interesting on price, at the LBS I paid around 85$ Canadian each. They were 25-30$ cheaper than everything else ( except the GK SK and SS ), mine are just X1’s though not the R or +.

I was out for a 40km journey with mine yesterday. They performed very well, they had kept their pressure overnight, no flats or punctures or anything on the ride. I was riding on packed rail bed type trails, they seemed to roll very well, they didn’t feel noticeable draggier than my G-One RS’s on the hard pack. There were a few mostly dried puddles with that slick almost dry mud, the X1’s didn’t get squirrelly in them which was nice. There are some singletrack trails I often frequent so I’m curious how they’ll do, my g-one RS’s were noticeable worse at that than my previous tires ( as expected given how slick they are ).

Over the next week or two I’ll get more adventures and write more about them.
Good to hear your X1’s are rolling well. I’ll be tempted to try them next time I need tyres. Yes the R and + versions are the expensive ones, perhaps they are overkill. Will be good to hear how yours are going in a few months. …I have some 40mm G-OneRS’s which I don’t like either. …what attracts me to the Gravelkings is the raised centre tread, rather than what is effectively a lowered centre tread on the RS’s, which I find causes the side lugs to hit the road even on smooth hard pack. The G-One R’s are actually faster IMO because the raised tread is uniform across the whole tyre.
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SWGraveler
247 posts
#14Jun 5, 2024, 2:40 PM
I've been able to get in a few rides on my 45mm X1R's and so far, I really like them. My previous tires were 44mm Tufo Thundero's which I really liked as well. Honestly, not a huge difference; the GK's may be tad more supple but that is hard to be objective about. No mud for me and I would say the grip between these two tires is pretty similar. I'm riding in the desert so hard, dry surfaces with loose sandy(terrifying) patches at times. On my 23mm internal width rims they seem to have settled at a tad more than 46mm wide. Since mounting they have held air with no minimal pressure loss. All/all, I'm happy with them..
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FrankTheTank
28 posts
#15Jun 7, 2024, 9:52 AMedited
Finally got my new bike set-up with the 45c, X1 R tires about 2 weeks ago. Mostly pavement miles so far, but did two mixed surface rides on dirt (singletrack), mud, cinders, crushed limestone, and a bit of gravel. I have not cornered hard or been up or down particularly steep sections yet, but here are my initial impressions.
In two words: Fast and Consistent.
When pumped-up to a little higher pressure they feel like they roll 95% as fast as my Rene Herse Somethingsomething Pass Extralight tires on my touring bike. Very different bikes mind you, but they feel pretty damn fast and I don't feel like I'm loosing anything riding on pavement. When riding these at the lower pressures I would use for gravel or off-road, they are a bit slower on pavement. I'm guessing more of the side-knobs are hitting the pavement.
Off the pavement they just seem to work. They seem to have stable grip. Handled the mud I found myself in surprisingly well. Completely uneventful on singletrack. Great on green trails and blue trails are doable. Braking and cornering on loose cinders was consistent.
Looking forward to see how well they grip on steep gravel climbs in the Driftless region, but so far A+. They could be a great tire for someone who wants one tire to rule them all: pavement, gravel, and dirt.
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Roller
3 posts
#16Jul 2, 2024, 1:11 PM
I replaced my last set of worn front and rear GravelKing SK+ 700x43 with 700x40 front X1 and rear X1+. I ran the SK+ at 38/40 PSI (F/R). Tried the narrower 700x40 X1 tires at 40/44. My total riding weight (me+bike) is 186 lbs. The X1's feel (subjectively) very fast with less rolling resistance than the old SK+'s. I was sliding more than expected on hardpack dirt. Dropped pressure down to 35/38 and found handling much better on hardpack gravel. Still sinks in the soft spots more than the old 43's did. But the X1's still feel faster rolling on pavement, cement and extreme hardpack.

Not sure if I'd call the X1 design "inverted". Definitely is different than the old design. The X1 breaks loose more easily on my climbs up 10%+ grades with loose gravel over hardpack. Super dry in my area now so I can't yet comment on wet performance.

Overall I like the new X1 for my typical 50/50 hardpack/pavement routes. I think the SK pattern still makes sense for folks with more singletrack oriented riding.
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3TX
55 posts
#17Jul 2, 2024, 9:29 PM
Lots of good reports on the new GravelKing X1’s. …another truly ‘inverted tread’ tyre that is underrated IMO are the Specialized Sawtooth tyres. I’ve been running a set of 38mm Sawtooths for a while now (significantly better price than GravelKings). They’re excellent on paved road, hard pack gravel and softer gravel. Their ‘inverted tread’ with consistent small gaps across the tyre surface (zig zag sawtooth pattern) as well as a more tightly packed centreline means they roll consistently fast on all hard or firm surfaces, and are also super grippy in rougher gravel and in the wet. The Sawtooth pattern also provides excellent water siping across the whole tyre. An excellent all round training tyre for anyone who likes combining road and gravel rides (my favourite), and especially in winter.
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