Panaracer Agilest Duro TLR Folding Road Tyre

The Panaracer Agilest Duro TLR folding road tyre is described by the Japanese manufacturer as its flagship all-road tyre. It has an impressive blend of grip, low rolling resistance and durability. And considering the amount of puncture protection underneath the tread, their suppleness and the feedback they offer is very decent too.

Our best road bike tyres buyer's guide rounds up our favourite road rubber, with our top winter choices rated on our best winter tyres buyer's guide.

Earlier this year Steve reviewed the Panaracer Agilest TLR tyre, on which these are based. He described them as 'confident and predictable yet light and fast – plus they're tough enough for winter roads'.

That pretty much describes these Duro Agilests too, but Panaracer has increased the amount of puncture protection – so they've really got your back covered on the UK's current wet and grit-strewn winter roads.

The Duro uses the same ZSG Agile compound as the standard Agilest, which means they are grippy. Rub your thumb across the rubber and you'll notice they have a soft, tacky feel, which translates to how well they hang on to tarmac.

Even on cold roads the compound remains supple enough to provide decent grip, which gives you confidence tackling corners.

It's good to see a complete lack of tread too, as a road tyre doesn't need any – you're never to aquaplane on a road bike tyre – which means the maximum area of rubber is in contact with the road surface at all times.

I can't really report back too much yet in terms of wear rates as I've only covered around 500 miles, but I can say that both the front and rear tyres look pretty much as new. The little bits of excess rubber from where they are pulled from the mould have worn off, but the central sections are still looking rounded, even on the rear.

Adding layers of puncture protection to a tyre can stiffen it, or at least make its construction feel less supple, but even with the Pro Tite Belt providing resistance to thorns and flint this tyre still feels flexible where it needs to be, which delivers a ride that is comfortable and offers feedback, even when pumped up to full pressure.

While most of this is inevitably down to nothing but happenstance, the tyres haven't suffered any punctures or any obvious damage such as cuts.

Most of my riding taking place on back roads in the dark, so I've clearly clattered the odd pothole or two along the way. And because their fit to the rim is tight and snug, I suffered no problems with these tubeless tyres 'burping' – coming away from the rim when impacting the edge of a pothole.

The downside of the tight fit is that it did make them a bit of a challenge to get them on the rim for the first time. I tried them on rims of varying widths and the Duros took a little persuasion from a couple of tyre levers. However, once fitted, they did stretch and they went off and on again more easily.

The Duro TLRs come in four sizes, 25, 28, 30 and 32mm, which makes them suitable for different types of riding. You've also got the choice of all-black tyres or black with tan sidewalls.

Our 28mm test tyres weighed in at 297g, which is a decent weight, and you could use them for performance riding as well as training, with the wider options ideal for audax or even light touring.

Value

At £64.99 these aren't as expensive as some of the top-end race tyres, but for this kind of area – the all-rounder – they are up against tough opposition.

The Pirelli P Zero Road TLR offers similar levels of performance and durability at £55.99, and though they're heavier, I liked the feedback and feel they offered.

The Eagle F1 SuperSport Rs from Goodyear comes in at £60, and in a like-for-like size they are 30g lighter than the Panaracers. I found them robust, grippy and easy to fit.

Michelin's Power Cup Tubeless Ready tyre is lighter but a little pricier at £69.99. George was very impressed with them, dishing out a score of 4.5 stars.

Conclusion

I rate these Panaracers highly. They grip well, roll quickly and offer you a great road feel. They're facing a lot of stiff competition in terms of price, but if you can get a decent deal these cover the bases in terms of performance and durability.

Verdict

Supple, quick-rolling tyres with good all-round durability that makes them ideal for four-season riding