The all-new Panaracer Agilest road bike tires aree the evolution of the Stradius line, which was their first serious road bike tire line. They launched those about 20 years ago, and they were the introduction of their ZSG (Zero Slip Grip) compound.
That compound has evolved, too, but the premise is the same, maintain the same high performance no matter if it’s hot or cold, wet or dry. But it’s also evolved to match the likely conditions for a given application, whether it was road, gravel, etc., as it’s expanded across their lineup.
For the new Agilest road line, they wanted to combine suppleness, lightweight, grip, and durability. Which is tough, because each of those things contradicts the other.
The apex where all of those attributes come together is they call the Panaracer Ratio.
There are four models – Tough & Supple, Duro, and Light. They’ve launched in Japan and are coming to the U.S. at the end of June.
The Tough & Supple comes in a standard clincher and a TLR version, and the latter is the one we’re most interested in as it comes in at a very light 260g (claimed) for a 700×30 tubeless-ready road tire.
The others are both NON-tubeless clinchers. The Light is race day, criterium tire, and the Duro is an ultra-tough training tire.
All of the clincher models will come in 23/25/28 and the TLR comes in 28/30 initially, with a 32mm width coming by end of the year.
All are 120tpi, even the Tubular (shown in top photo), and all have their Superflex puncture shield, a proprietary material that’s woven and bonded in a unique way that’s tighter than most other materials, making it tougher than Kevlar belts. And all use the same ZSG compound.
In the T&S/TLR models, it’s bead to bead. The Duro adds an extra sidewall layer, making it better able to handle big hits on rough roads. The Light loses the sidewall protection altogether, only using it under the tread cap to prevent punctures. It also gets a little less rubber in the center tread section to save weight.
MSRP will be $59.99-$65.99 (clinchers) and $89.99 (TLR).
