Panaracer GravelKing X1 TLR Review: plush, confidence inspiring, and rapid in a straight line

Panaracer were the first on the scene when it came to making mainstream gravel specific tyres with the original GravelKing, long regarded as one of the best gravel bike tyres.

To celebrate 10 years of the ‘GK’, Panaracer brought out the X1, with an updated tread pattern that had remained the same since 2017. This particular version is the ‘Colour Edition’; Panaracer releases some of its tyres with contrasting colours with a tan or black sidewall, and that's what we're reviewing here.

Construction

Making up the foundation of the GK X1 is a supple high thread count casing with a special BeadLock. This allows it to work with hooked and hookless rims as well as aiming to make installation easier. Panaracer claims this casing structure is more resilient to changes in temperature. Above this is the TuffTex casing, a bead to bead puncture protection layer that is 120 TPI to allow for greater suppleness.

On top of all this lies the ZSG compound. This stands for Zero Slip Grip, and is used in Panaracer's Agilest road tyres, although this is a gravel specific version. Again it aims to have temperature resilience, whereby colder temperatures result in a harder less pliable material, and warmer temperatures make it more pliable and tacky as well as expanding slightly.

It has been designed to offer low rolling resistance with a tread pattern for grip both on and off road; the tread on the centre is more compact, while the shoulders have more nodules with greater spacing for grip while banking on loose surfaces.

There are two options on offer, the X1, which is the go-to race tyre, then the X1 R, the racier tyre with TuffTex-R casing, the X1+ with TuffTex+ casing for a more rugged structure.

These are complimented by the SK line for less intense gravel, the EXT for more extreme gravel, the semi-slick for gravel/road, and the slick for more tarmac like terrain.

Normally the GK X1 comes in 700x35, 40, 45, and 50c or 650Bx48c. However this Colour Edition comes in 40 and 45c only. Claimed weight is 560g for the 45mm Cranberry/Brown colourway, while on the scales it came in at 569g.

The ride

I’ve heard mixed things about how easy the Panaracer GK X1 is to fit. The brand claims to be able to fit them with just a floor pump, building the pressure before the beads pop out of the central channel and into place. I’ve also heard complaints that they are very tough to get the bead on the tyre.

In reality, fitting these to the Prime Primavera 44 wheels, with a 23mm internal measurement, was fairly easy. I did have to use a compressor with the valve core removed. However, removing old tyres and fitting them took less than 20 minutes total. Fitted onto these wheels at 30psi, the tyres measured up at 45.84mm wide.

To test these tyres out, I took part in the Graean Gravel World Gravel Series UCI race. The course with a mix of both tarmac, very light gravel, shale like sharp stones, and muddy single tracks. In short, a great mix of terrains to really put these tyres to the test.

With 30 psi in both the front and rear tyres, there was a good level of compliance and cushioning without feeling overly soft. Corning and rolling on the tarmac sections was comfortable and I felt as at home on these as most road tyres, especially given the slightly dour rainy conditions. Moving onto the lighter gravel, they felt like they were gliding over the broken terrain, absorbing the bumps nicely while never feeling rigid or out of control.

The closer and more compact tread in the centre really helped deliver a fast rolling performance, especially in a straight line. However the more spaced out shoulder profiles works brilliantly when the going gets muddy or loose. Some nice twisty descents with quick changes of direction and slippery mud was a great opportunity to test this out. Here the tyres gripped well, with my cornering confidence and ability being the limiting factors. However, compared to riders on MTB tyres with chunkier treads, they were not quite as grippy or fast. That said, back on the flat section these were noticeably faster.

To get the most out of the shoulder on the tyres you do need to have the confidence to lean the bike in. However, the muddy single track section was a little more challenging. The central tread does not like wet mud quite as much and there were some slips from the rear wheel especially when changing direction. This is not uncommon though, and at no point did I get wheel spin or fully lose traction. For wetter weather and more muddy terrain the EXT model is likely best.

The tyre excelled on the 'shale like' terrain, rolling fast and enabling me to make up ground on riders both up and down hill,. Both the width and suppleness absorbed the sizable stones both at speed and when climbing. These were also the sections where a lot of riders had punctures, and impressively the GK X1s were undaunted by the terrain and obstacles, with no nicks or punctures.

The tyre's suppleness also helped me mainta a consistent pace throughout the event, with both 1 hour 50 laps being within about 3 minutes of each other. Absorbing the bumps and reducing fatigue are both very important for prolonged performance in rides and events like this, and the GKs were superb in this regard.

The X1s are not the lightest of tyres, which was noticeable when climbing at lower speeds. But they make up for this with exceptional traction grip. Out of the saddle efforts on steep inclines with wet mud or loose stones underneath still didn’t result in any wheel slip.

Another big benefit was that the tread expelled mud brilliantly. Even over muddy and wet terrain, the tyres did not clog with mud, meaning that handling remained predictive throughout the ride. All told, these tyres really are an impressive jack of all trades, even if they are not necessarily the master of any.

Value & conclusion

When it comes to value, it’s worth considering that the Panaracer GravelKing X1 is a dedicated high performance gravel tyre. This puts them in the same sort of sphere as the Continental Terra Speed, Schwalbe G-One RS, Vittoria Terrano T50, and Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC. Some of these are admittedly more closely comparable to the GK X1 R as lighter casing race tyres but those tyres also tend to exceed the £60 / $80 mark.

The Maxxis Rambler EXO TR is one of the few tyres that undercuts most of the market with a lighter weight race focussed tyre for £46.99 / $72.00. However, it features a slacker tread and less shoulder grip.

There is of course more to value than price. Personally I have found that the GK X1 tyres have a longer lifespan than the likes of the Vittoria Terrano Dry, while also being far grippier in wet conditions while appearing to roll faster on more mixed gravel terrains.

Wet weather grip isn’t as strong on the GK X1 as some of the competitors, especially in wet mud, but at this point more specialist wet mud extreme tyres become faster options. When looking at the total balance of durability to performance and grip, the Panaracer GK X1 does appear to offer reasonable value. I would argue more so than the more expensive X1 R which although promises to be a touch faster, does forgo some durability.

The Panaracer GravelKing X1 tyres are fast rolling, and balance good grip across mixed terrains with great durability. They are not the lightest, but I would argue the protection is worth the weight to keep the tyres rolling. You can buy faster tyres, but this comes at a cost regarding both price and durability.

I’m a big fan of the limited edition colour options too, and appreciate that they don’t hold a price premium over the standard versions. For a tyre that offers great performance across most metrics for a mixed gravel and mixed weather tyre, these are a fantastic offering. A greater range of sizes would be appreciated though given the wide range of frame clearances currently available.