Panaracer Agilest Folding Road Tyre

The Panaracer Agilest Folding Road Tyre is the tubed version of the impressive Agilest TLR I reviewed not long ago, and inevitably it shares many positive traits. It's a little less supple, but the excellent feedback, all-conditions grip and general robustness remain – and despite that toughness, it's light and feels fast, too.

Whether you want tubed or tubeless, for racing, training or daily commuting, check out our guide to the best road bike tyres.

Early in the test I had a bit of a moment, and the Agilests saved me. I was on a very narrow lane with a car running up from behind, and this car couldn't wait – there was a blind corner ahead so obviously it was perfect for overtaking. I ran as close to the edge of the tarmac as I could as it steamed past in touching distance... and then the edge of the road broke up and turned to mud.

It all got a bit spicy and the rear wheel tramlined for a few seconds along the wet, filthy tarmac edge as it drooped into the rutted verge. The bike got increasingly sideways and then, somehow, the rear found grip and popped back up onto the road. That the Agilests found any grip at all impressed me, but not as much as the feedback they gave even when sliding along a 'road' surface far worse than they're designed to tackle.

I don't suggest you go gravelling with these, but they've proved confidently tenacious and communicative on dirty, gritty and often badly potholed back lanes, while still accelerating and rolling well. In these aspects they match the tubeless versions, which use the same ZSG Agile compound.

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They've resisted punctures in the same way too, despite the poor conditions wrought by spring tractor action and winter ice, and inevitably their handling feels identical – hard climbing and braking grip is good, wet grip is great and they steer very neutrally.

In fact, having swapped straight from the TLR versions to these tubed ones, I can say the only difference I really felt was in the the suppleness of the sidewalls. These feel slightly stiffer and a little less compliant, though they're still perfectly comfortable overall. Presumably this is down to the 'Tough & Flex Super Belt', there to resist punctures even as it resists grammar, because otherwise the casing is the same for both tyres.

That casing is Panaracer's 'Advanced Extra Alpha Cord' one, and while Panaracer doesn't give a threads per inch (tpi) count for it, it does say this: 'AX technology uses extremely narrow cord which is weaved at a super high density into the casing for lightness and flexibility. This increased density improves resistance to cuts and abrasions.'

Whether it's 120tpi, 60tpi or something else entirely, if you want maximum suppleness you should go for the puncture-belt-free TLR version, though, even if you run that tubed.

I found these easy enough to get on (though I did use a plastic lever for the last little bit), and the bead has been designed to work on both standard and hookless rims. There's a tan-wall option too, if you want to offset all this newfangled stuff by looking a bit sepia.

Value

While £44.99 isn't the lowest you can pay for a tubed tyre, it seems fair for the performance and weight. The Michelin Power Cup Tube Type Tyre that I tested last year is £52.99, for instance, and slightly heavier than the Panaracer at 232g.

Tyres such as the Pirelli P7 Sport, which I tested in 2021, and the Hutchinson Challenger, as tested by Stu last year, also offer strong performance and higher value at £29.99 and £31.95 respectively, but both of those are considerably heavier. The Pirelli is 310g and a little slow rolling with it, and the Hutchinson is 303g.

As good as those tyres are (especially for winter training and general riding), you will definitely notice the extra 200g of rotating weight over these Panaracers. You're getting something for the premium here.

Overall

The puncture-resistant belt does dull the casing's natural suppleness somewhat, and if you don't mind a bit of extra weight you can get similar performance for less money, but that aside, these are very good tyres. They're grippy in all conditions, neutral and predictable through the twisties, and robust. They're light and roll well, too.

Verdict

Great tyres that are grippy, light and robust, if not quite as supple as some