Panaracer GravelKing AC tyre

The Panaracer GravelKing AC (All Conditions) tyre lives up to its name – performing well on rough tracks and the roads to get you to them. They're fairly light and supple, and once on the trails mud-clearance is great. They're pretty good value too.

The tyre is available in two widths, 33mm for cyclo-cross racers needing to keep in line with the UCI rulebook, and 35mm for people like me who ride CX and gravel bikes for fun in an effort to try to be more like Van der Poel. As with most of Panaracer's tyres, they're available with either black or brown sidewalls.

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First impressions of the GravelKings was... these look familiar. The AC appears to have an extremely similar tread profile, if not identical, to the older GravelKing Mud tyres. They not only look the same, they also weigh the same, are available in the same widths and colours, are both tubeless ready and feature the same rubber compounds...

That's not an entirely bad thing. I've heard only positive comments about the Muds: grippy, they last ages and are pretty lightweight. So, if you've used GravelKing Muds, the ACs are like that. If you haven't, then read on...

Setting up

Although these tyres may seem harder than some to fit to rims, this does mean that if you plan to run them tubeless then they hold air well and require less faff to set up.

Initially I ran the tyres with tubes, but after I got my one and only puncture – a pinch flat from bouncing down concrete steps at low pressures – I took the opportunity to set them up tubeless. Tubeless-ready tyres are inherently tighter on a rim than their non-tubeless counterparts and the Panaracers are no different. On my WTB rims I had to resort to using a tyre lever in an effort to save my soft thumbs.

Once on, this tightness meant I could easily pump up and seat the tyres in their tubeless configuration with just a few rapid blows from a track pump. Other tubeless tyres have caused me all sorts of grief, requiring washing up liquid and air compressors just to get them to seal.

Fitted to the rims (23mm internally), the tyres have a more rounded profile than is often seen on today's off-road tyres, and when run at anything but the lowest pressures this means you can roll along on the centre of the tyre, minimising drag.

I also ran the tyres as low as 20psi in their tubeless guise for increased grip while riding on soft sand, with no burping or issues once again thanks to the tight bead. On my rims, the 35mm tyres measured exactly 35mm, but expect this to increase if you use wider rims.

In use

As with most off-road/gravel riding, mine involved a fair portion of road riding to make it to some tracks and trails. On the road the Panaracers were a big fat OK, and because of their rounded profile they held speed with impressive ease on firm gravel tracks and fire roads. In this respect they were exactly as I expected – not as fast as a semi-slick on tarmac but a brilliant compromise if you're heading somewhere slippy via roads or gravel paths.

If you're planning on sticking to the grippier stuff and hardpack surfaces then Panaracer's other tyres such as the GravelKing SK will be better suited. However, when some mud, roots or greasy stones get involved then the GravelKing AC really comes into its own. Its grip level far exceeds what you might expect. This off-road grip is not only down to the rubber compound but also the tread pattern: the raised blocks in the centre, although not huge, have superb mud-shedding ability.

This is a big positive, as any tyre once 'saturated' with mud will slide. This is an issue I've found with other heavy mud tyres both in cyclo-cross and mountain biking scenarios. Along the AC's edges a further row of raised blocks offer good bite when cornering, especially at low pressures.

Over the month of testing I've been impressed with the Panaracer's puncture protection, too. I've ridden on thorny tracks and commuted on glass-strewn cycle paths, and only one shard of glass has managed to overcome the tyres, which is impressive considering their low weight and suppleness. The shard was also small enough to pull out and for the sealant to sort, so happy days!

> Buyer's Guide: 25 of the best gravel and adventure tyres

Although 45 quid a pop isn't to be sneezed at, the GravelKing AC stacks up well against rivals on price: Schwalbe's X-One Bite Microskin tyre is both more expensive at £67 (up £7 since Liam tested it in 2017), and heavier. 

The Teravail ​Rutland that off.road.cc tested is also more spendy at £60 and won't roll as fast on the road. Interestingly, the GravelKing AC's closest competition may come from the Compass Steilacoom TC tyres at £56 apiece. These also happen to come out of the Panaracer factory but are limited to just a 38mm offering, which is slightly more weighty.

Conclusion

The GravelKing AC performed admirably on the weather-battered tracks and the long road sections to get me to them. I'm as guilty as the next person for not choosing mud tyres because I'm worried they'll be too slow on the road, but certainly for my riding – soggy, slippy bridleways and fields intersected with road and gravel paths – they're a brilliant all-round option, and certainly in this country at least warrant the All Conditions name.

Verdict

Really good in all conditions – supple, grippy and a great compromise for riding tracks and trails and the roads in between